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One of the big knocks against the Google Sidewiki annotation service when it launched in September was that it didn’t work on Google’s Chrome Web browser.
While this would seem counterintuitive at first blush, Chrome is still only used by 3.2 percent of the users worldwide. It doesn’t command the lion’s share of Web browsing or beat Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox, which were the two browsers Sidewiki worked on at launch.
That changed Oct. 29 when Google’s Chrome team launched a Sidewiki bookmarklet that lets users compose and read Sidewiki entries in Google Chrome, Apple Safari and other browsers. Google explained:
“With the Sidewiki bookmarklet, you can utilize Google Sidewiki on any browser, even if you don’t have the Google Toolbar installed. The Sidewiki bookmarklet is a small piece of code stored as a bookmark. When you click the bookmark, it opens a new window where you can write a new Sidewiki entry or see entries that others have written for the page you’re viewing.“
Check out Sidewiki in Chrome:
Google said it is also working on a Chrome extension for Sidewiki.
I wrote when Sidewiki launched that while I enjoyed using it on day one, I wasn’t sure how long I would use it for.
I use it sporadically when I think about it, but frankly I’m reading and consuming so much digital information and then promptly writing so much for work (What is it called when you’re writing about your writing habits?) that I often don’t have time to spare on Sidewiki.
I wish I had more time — an annotation tool paired with the world’s leading search engine could become a powerfully rich offering if people devote the time to it.
At the same time, I’m also a little skeptical of people who do have a lot of time to devote to something like this. Not exactly “get a life” skeptical, but close.
How about you?