Over the years I’ve managed to accrue quite a collection of bookmarks – 643 to be exact. I try to maintain a logical filing hierarchy by using folders, though it is interesting that some of those folders are not used as much as they use to.

Also I’ve found that the new features in Firefox 3 mean that I more often just start typing in the address bar and rely on the intelligent completion to list matches from my bookmarks (as well as from recent browsing history) rather than using the mouse to navigate down to the right bookmark menu item.

I use the XMarks Firefox extension (formerly Foxmarks) to synchronise my bookmarks between home, work (and anywhere else I choose). This is a great way to populate my bookmarks on a new machine too.

I also use the Bookmark Duplicate Detector extension to ensure I don’t try to add a bookmark for a site I’ve already got (probably not quite as likely with the extra icons Firefox 3 displays).

But even with all this, I know there are lots of bookmarks that are no longer valid. Some tools to validate your bookmarks include:

  • AM-DeadLink – works with Firefox, IE or Opera
  • Bookmarks Link Checker Minus – Firefox extension - appears to be based on an earlier extension, but curiously the developer now recommends the next extension instead..
  • CheckPlaces – Firefox extension

I first tried AM-DeadLink and it worked quite well. I then installed CheckPlaces and it also worked as expected.

If you just use Firefox, then CheckPlaces would probably be all you need. For those who use IE or Opera then AM-Deadlink is worth a look.