I've been interested in some kind of information manager for a little while, and today marks my first step into the the terrain. I was inspired by John Gruber's article, Untitled Document Syndrome, in particular what he had to say here:
iTunes became popular and useful before there was an iPod, and before there was an iTunes Store, because it absolved the user from managing music as discrete files in the file system. Instead of putting music files into a folder, all you had to do was put it into iTunes. Once you've added a song to iTunes you no longer need to worry about where it actually is in the file system.
I remember the confusion I felt when I first started using iTunes. Previously, I had been managing my MP3s through an old application that eventually became iTunes, Sound Jam MP. I had several steps to manage my music:
- Organize my music into folders and subfolders, usually by artist/album
- Create playlists
- Drag the MP3s from those folders/subfolders into the playlists
iTunes basically took over Step 1 and did it in the background. What that did was eliminate my tinkering with my music file system ever again. Sure, I tinker with it, but I tinker with it in iTunes, not in the file system. I don't do folders anymore.
Same thing for iPhoto, which offers many great ways I might want to view my photos.
Same goes for iMovie.
So, what about documents, PDFs, bookmarks, things I'm keeping an eye on on Craigslist, or photos that don't fit into iPhoto? What about little notes I might have about an idea related to a project? How about Bible study notes, sorted by chapter, verse, book, or topic?
More importantly, how do I organize all of those items, especially when a particular document might properly be filed in more than one place? For example, I may take some notes on Ephesians 3:1-13 (my current task) for my current school project, but in the future I want these as references for sermons, conversations with friends, or blog posts? Should I put the document into a school-related folder (~/Documents/School/TBI/Greek/Study Notes) and then put aliases or copies into the Bible study folder? (~/Documents/Bible Study/Ephesians) As you can see, a document can properly be filed in more than one place, because it can have meaning in more than one context.
Until now, I've been doing the old folder/subfolder routine. The more I've been trying to diligently stick with it, the more I'm getting confused with what I have, the harder is to save some new file I may have just created. I'm introducing a lot of annoying steps that require more thought process than I want to give to filing.
Enter the need for an iTunes for "the rest of the files." On my Mac, iTunes handles music, iPhoto handles personal photos, and iMovie handles my home movies. The rest of my files are just kind of "there," whether it be GarageBand ideas, or what I put into the latest box I took to the attic, or recipes, or date ideas, or user names and passwords, or cheat codes for some Super Nintendo game I've been wanting to replay.
There are four that are holding my attention, one that I am currently using. They are:
I am currently using the first, Evernote. Mainly because, well, it's free and it works freely on my iPhone, as well as a free web interface so if for some crazy reason I'm without my iPhone and laptop, I can still access my stuff. The others range from $30-$40, and I'm not yet willing to plunk it down 'till I've given them a run through. Yojimbo is currently vying for my next attention. It'll really boil down to which one is best.
I'll post about how I'm using it and why I think it's useful as I go along. Right now, the main thing it helps me with is tagging. And I'll write a blog post about tagging soon.
@robhulson fires up Things, creates a new entry for posting about tags
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