I’m very pleased to publish this Guest Post by Ken Moshier and greatly appreciate Ken’s contribution. It would be great to see more guest posts, so please do contact me if you would like to join in.
Note that Ken is primarily discussing embedding searchable keywords in articles, and note about Clibu’s Hierarchical Tags. I have my own ideas about embedding ‘actual tags’ in articles, so stay tuned for that. Neville
ABOUT ME:
I am a down-load software “junkie” – a note taking “aficionado” on crack.
I am a hairdresser-I am a Visual (right-brain). Linear concepts and structure give me brain contusions. I was a salon owner for over twenty-seven years, a National Educator for many beauty companies for thirty-five years and also a Creative Director for a high-end spa/salon network. I helped with manuals, assistant certification guides etc.
I can look you in the eye and tell you for a fact that, every beauty related manual/knowledge base started with an outliner/note taking app. These notes were eventually exported to a word processor for further development and distribution to all stylists in our spa/salon organization. Planning and structuring this amount of information couldn’t have been possible for me (visually handicapped) if it weren’t for an note taking type of software. This goes back to the days of DOS and windows 3.1. By the way.. the app of choice in that era was InfoSelect. In that program I currently have over 15 data files, most with an extreme amount of text notes. Today, with my obsession with note taking software I have around 75 total data files.
Clibu is a tool, not a method
Clibu is easy to use because it doesn’t impose a method or structure on you, it allows you to impose your method on it. Few other programs give you the freedom and flexibility. You can capture ideas, notes & web information quickly and organize with Tags. NestedTags allow you the benefit of less bloat through the power of word association. “You can have it your way”. There is no wrong or right way……. only your way.
I personally look at the interface of Clibu as lean and mean. Uncluttered. My Tags are simple flat lists – my note lists are named with a purpose. This makes skimming your headers (first line descriptive’s) much more productive. Simply stated-everything is a list.
I think Charles Mingus states creativity the best:
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.
WHERE DO WE START:
At the beginning silly 🙂 TIP: Start with your browser and make Clibu your home page. Then follow along with the Experiments, planning & structure stages.
NOT SURE HOW TO USE CLIBU OR NESTED TAGS – HAVING PROBLEMS WITH STRUCTURE? >>Sometimes our brain needs a Daddy<<
Then try an “EXPERIMENT”
Experiments mean:
- Try something new
- Spend time trying to find a systematic investigation to establish facts
- The examination of alternative tagging and structuring methods
- The testing of an idea or tip
- Try something new, as in order to gain experience
- A search for knowledge.
TRY THESE EXPERIMENTS: These are often referred to as, Pre-prep on planning your info base, & structure – Note taking is often a four step process: < K.I.S.S.> Keep Information Structure Simple
Planning tips:
- Start by using pen and paper. Think about your current project. Does it need to be housed in it’s own data file? Write down some keywords as you develop your content. Your data will be in a constant “shift” as in shift-happens……….. I’m just saying……..
- Experiment by using “SearchTags” in the notes. This is an example of a SearchTag, >>>BookMark. How often do you search for the hidden gems buried in your data file? Often the gems are buried in a 2-3 page note. It can be time consuming to use the search function and type in this search word. The >>>BookMark is a very simple example. I use the >>> as a “delimiter” for my searches. I rarely use them as a keyword/tag in themselves. I’m not saying you can’t but, it would defeat the purpose. With me so far? Other examples could be: >>>>making the simple complicated – >>>visually handicapped – >>>four step process: >>>Sometimes our brain needs a Daddy
- This is a live demo, I used this note as an example. You can make up your own delimiters. Remember when you experiment, you can’t fail. It’s a win-win situation.
- NOTE: This concept will usually be consistent with your current project. The search tags may start out on a sticky note by your computer but, as the list grows you may want to make a single note in Clibu named !!!!!!Search Tags Index:
- Next you would make a tag outside of any nested tags named (you guessed it) !!!!!!Search Tags Index: I personally like this approach as I want it at the top of my tags list. Again, “I want it now – where is it” Make sense? Having said that, you can do it your way. There isn’t any right or wrong way, only your way. When you develop your own “Search Tag” system, you need to copy & paste it in front of relevant blocks of text. In other words, locate the buried gems in the core of your notes and paste the tag next to it. Got it?
- Now, like anything, there will always be “duck hunters” out there to shoot someone’s ideas down. I get it. If you like any of these concepts shoot me a post. I would love to hear how you “get your ducks in a row”. I truly hope I haven’t ruffled anyone’s feathers.
Gathering Stage
- First get the notes in………..then organize
- Here is a trick for all of you duck hunters out there:)
- When you are on a “gathering” binge and are collecting those gems of wisdom from a number of apps and websites, try this DeNote trick:
- I discovered this nifty trick a number of years ago and for lack of “naming” I simply call it DeNote.
- Here’s how it works: Simply make a new note and call it something like, “DeNote” or “What I’m working on today” or what ever floats your boat. Copy and paste everything you are working on now in the single note. I usually use the ========== for separating my notes while copy & pasting.
- When you finally hit the “pause” button, go back to the note and start the process of organizing it by keywords/tags – >>>search tags – skim the text and make the first line descriptive – if each snippet needs a little rewrite then do it.
- Keep in mind that the restructuring & any formatting should be kept minimal. If your notes are worth any weight, over time (months) they will shift in importance to you. What makes sense to you today on the tags structure may not suite you in six months or a year later. With me on this??
- While skimming through your text you will uncover some hidden treasures/gems that you may want to markup. Now is the time to do it. Bold whatever is important to you that you want to stand out.
- Rewrite the headers. Look for the search strings that are of interest to you and write them on a sticky-note or type them into your search tag note.
- Don’t try to do everything at once. Structuring and organizing take a little bit of prep work and evolves over time. Take it in small bites.
Organizing tips
Revising Keywords\Tags & Headers [first line content] – Editing
- Each note is like a tiny word processor
- Look for better ways to rebuild your tags & headers. Make a mental note of keywords\tags in your article. I like to bold them while I’m skimming my notes.
- You may want to move paragraphs around with cut & paste or rewrite entire paragraphs
- You may find out that you have to add in more information on a subject that you may need in the future
- Remember that at this stage you are working on your first draft not the final draft. Don’t go overboard. If you are working on a project that will go viral or to print/eBook or PDF then and only then should you go crazy on revisions. Finale drafts are another story and are of little importance to the average note taker. These will consist of much more proofing & editing and for most, professional consulting.
- Editing Notes – Proofing – Deleting Dead Text – Spell Checking – Formatting
- Spelt checking for me is a must.
- Too much paragraph formatting increases bloat – use it wisely – Bold usually works for me or 14 pt headers. Keep it minimal.
- Go through your notes line by line at this stage. Don’t agonize on perfection.
- Look for extra fluff in your notes to keep content lean and mean and focused. Delete-delete-delete.
- Is everything spelt correctly?
- Your work worth keeping will always be in a state of revision. Shift-Happens
- Keep Practicing
- Keep Learning
- Keep experimenting
This is a normal search on “Spaying Your Dog” Note that the three words are separated by spaces. I stopped counting the “hits” after 100. (Too much info & many pages)
This screen shot is using the >>>SpayingYourDog “Search Tags” feature I talked about. I still got over 15 hits but, they were at the core of my notes & much more meaningful.
