Who was the first bookmark service that offered users a secure place
to store a file of bookmarks that they could transfer, or upload, from
their own machine to the service's server, and then access from
anywhere on the Internet.  The answer has to include proof of the date
and features, and has to be for an individual's use, rather than for
shared bookmarks. A published paper describing the system or service
would be great. I anticipate the date to be in 1996, or earlier, but
don't know for sure.

Hi  4mimi,

Searching for the first online bookmark service, the one most often
noted as being the first is itList.

""The Web's First Online Bookmark Manager" was written by Jason
Frankovitz. In his own words, "[it] irritated me that I couldn't use
the same bookmarks on different computers. I was beginning to learn
the CGI specification and Perl at the same time, so making it real was
a useful way to build my skills.""

MaSH: Making Serendipity Happen 
http://www-users.cs.umn.edu/~cosley/research/papers/MaSH.doc.


"Originally created in 1996, itList was one of the first online
bookmark services. This free service allows users to store and
organize their bookmarks online and, if they choose, share them with
other users. After free registration, users can create and manage
their own account. They also have several options for building their
list, from bulk importing of established bookmarks to a
javascript-enabled bookmark in their browser to email. Bookmarks can
be sorted in a variety of categories or folders, and users can leave
comments or ratings to help them remember certain sites. itList will
also monitor selected sites for content changes. Users can choose
whether or not to make their list public, but even public lists will
hide any individual sites indicated by the owner. In addition to a
bookmark storage service, the site also functions as a type of open
directory, featuring sites selected by other users. Returns from the
internal search engine also include links to the respective user's
bookmark page. With its numerous value-added features, this free
service should appeal to users who like the convenience of storing
their bookmarks in a universally accessible location, as well as the
simply curious who are interested in how the other half surfs."

The Scout Report -- September 17, 1999
http://www.mail-archive.com/scout-report@hypatia.cs.wisc.edu/msg00038.html


"iList - The Web's First Online Bookmark Manager
http://www.itlist.com/
itList allows Web users to store their bookmarks online. Users can
have a single list of bookmarks that can be used from anywhere, not
just from a single computer like normal bookmarks. Tools at the itList
site allow users to add, edit, organize, and delete links. Privacy and
password options can be used to protect your bookmarks. You can also
add to your
list via email, from anywhere.
Submitted By: Jason Frankovitz"

THE WEEKLY BOOKMARK - May 31, 1998 - Vol 4, No. 05
http://intranet.logiconline.org.ve/publicaciones/weeklybm/WB-310598.txt


This is the only information I was able to locate regarding itList.
However, it appears itList is no longer a bookmark service, but
instead a search engine and directory:

http://www.itlist.com/

=======================================

Another bookmark service sometimes mentioned is Murl.

"Anton was the creator and founder of Murl, the first online bookmark
manager. When he went live with Murl, it was the first time a user
could store bookmarks online so that they were available from any
browser anywhere. It was a very forward idea at the time and is just
as valuable today for those of us who need to access our bookmarks
from several different computers and locations."

Lockergnome
http://channels.lockergnome.com/linux/backissues/20030114.phtml


I hope this information helps.

Best regards,
Rainbow

What could itlist do in 1996?

Hi 4mimi,

The only information I did find on itList as a bookmark service, I
posted in my above comment. There is little else mentioned regarding
this feature they previously offered.

Best of luck,
Rainbow

The ItList story is very much the story of the whole dot-com boom/bust
itself. You can live this story vicariously simply be viewing the
evolution of the service in the Internet Archive:

http://web.archive.org/web/*/www.itlist.com

The earliest archived version of the site dates from Dec. 21, 1996.
The site grew as the Internet grew, undergoing a major facelift in
1999 as the Internet craze was really taking hold. Unfortunately, 1999
was also when Yahoo! introduced their Companion toolbar with direct
access to Yahoo! Bookmarks, making it an easier way to use the same
type of service. Then, the dot-com bust happened. By March, 2002,
Jason Frankovitz made the fateful decision to change from a free
service to a for-fee one. As you'll then see from the May 2002
versions of the site in the Internet Archive, the hardware that Jason
was using to serve up the service failed. By August of 2002, the
domain had been purchased by 4-Seek, yet another one of those "search
and directory" services that seem to own the majority of the active
domain names out there today. Another Internet pioneer had passed
away.

aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher

PS: While it isn't a published paper, the Internet Archive snapshot
from December 1996 does help to verify that ItList existed already in
that year.