Bookmarks exist to make Web navigation easier. So it’s more than a little ironic that bookmark management can be such a freakin’ pain. Keeping your bookmarks synced between multiple Macs and integrating social bookmark managers like del.icio.us can make you long for the days when URLs were saved on sticky notes attached to your CRT monitor. These apps and browser plug-ins ease the pain of syncing bookmarks so you can get back to what you do best: surfing. Just remember: syncing any data between computers over the Internet requires that your data be stored (at least temporarily) on a central server. We think the convenience is worth the possible erosion of our privacy, but you must decide for yourself.

SYNC DEL.ICIO.US BOOKMARKS WITH YOUR BROWSER

If You Use Safari...

Shuttling bookmarks between Safari and del.icio.us is doable, but not as easy as with Firefox. Try delicious2Safari, a free, lightweight desktop application that can organize imported bookmarks into folders based on your del.icio.us tags. To upload Safari bookmarks into del.icio.us, download Safarilicious (free), another diminutive desktop app.

If You Use Firefox...

The official del.icio.us Bookmarks extension for Firefox makes all of your del.icio.us bookmarks available within a new del.icio.us menu right inside the browser. Additions made to your del.icio.us account from another computer are automatically downloaded to Firefox. Likewise, any bookmarks you add within Firefox are uploaded to del.icio.us automatically.

Plug Firefox directly into del.icio.us.

More...

If You Use Safari...

Apple’s .Mac service ($99 per year) is rapidly showing its age, but syncing data among multiple Macs is one area where it continues to shine. Keeping Safari bookmarks synced is as easy as checking two boxes in System Preferences’ .Mac pane on each of your machines. You can set your Macs to sync themselves as frequently as once per hour, allowing you to add a bookmark on your laptop at work and find it waiting for you on your desktop by the time you get home. After syncing, access your bookmarks from any computer (even a Windows PC) by logging in to your account at the .Mac website and clicking Bookmarks.

If you don’t mind manual uploading and downloading, SafariDepot (it’s free!) can save you the $99 for .Mac.

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If You Use Firefox...

Google Browser Sync is a free extension that syncs bookmarks as well as history, cookies, saved passwords, and open tabs. Get started by downloading and installing the extension within Firefox on each of your machines. The installer will prompt you to enter the login information for your free Google account, which is used to keep your data private. After that, the extension automatically syncs the selected data between your machines, merging any future additions or deletions from each source. To adjust the amount of data being synced, click Tools > Google Sync > Settings. Everything works as advertised, although we’re starting to worry about how much Google really knows about us.

Or try FoxMarks, another free extension that automatically syncs bookmarks and only bookmarks. As with Google Browser Sync, you must download and install the extension within Firefox on each of your computers. After you connect each installation to your account on the company’s servers (an account is free, and the installer will prompt you to create one) FoxMarks will merge all your bookmarks. Future changes are synced automatically, but you can also activate a manual sync by opening the settings menu under Bookmarks > Foxmarks.

One day Google’s software will become self-aware and take on a life of its own. Until then, Google Browser Sync lets you limit how much of your info is synced with the company’s servers.