By: Chad Bell
Oftentimes, there are just too many things going on throughout the day to remember all the details. But no matter the size or industry, every business can benefit from more productive work processes. If you are like most efficiency-seeking individuals, then you probably have a deep-rooted relationship with sticky notes. Whether it is via phone application or traditional pen and pad, the understated benefits of these notes include its simplicity and accessibility. Further up the food chain is Google Docs with its unparalleled ability to offer a free database for content sharing and collaboration. In addition to standard documents, the tool offers templates for file types including spreadsheets, presentations, forms, and drawings. While most people will have used or heard of Google Docs in their lifetime, hidden is the gem that is Evernote.
The organizational functions of Evernote can be broken down into 3 parts: “Capture everything”, “Organize it”, and “Find anything fast”. Arguably the best representation of what Evernote offers to users lies within its Web Clipper, which allows users to simply “clip” content from the web and save it onto a note along with a Title, file attachment, URL, and tags. Other avenues of which to create notes include PDF compatibility, personal Evernote email accounts, and Twitter updates (the many ways of which this can be done are highlighted and described in detail at the end of the article). While basic users can enjoy the benefit of sharing their notes to be viewed by others, members with access to a premium account can better collaborate through editing privileges. As knowledge sharing increases its dominance in the world of information technology, two choices become obvious: fight or flight. Applications such as Evernote allow for both a personal and professional adaptation to a content-heavy environment.
Evernote Essentials:
A) Setup
d/l for Mac: http://www.evernote.com/about/download/mac.php
d/l for Windows: http://www.evernote.com/about/download/windows.php
Create an account here: https://www.evernote.com/Registration.action
B) Understanding Basics
You can access Evernote through your web account or as a desktop application. When a New Note is created, there are options to set a title, add a tag, attach a file, or set a URL. *Differences highlighted below
Web account: Title, tags, *attach a file
Desktop application: Title, *URL, tags
C) Capturing information onto Evernote
- Copy/paste
Basic click and drag, copy, and click on the Evernote Clipper icon in the Menu Bar to “Paste to Evernote” (first in shot of right side):
Follow instructions to use Web Clipper as an add-on/extension.
- Shortcuts
This is equivalent to taking screenshots. Go to your Preferences and click on Shortcuts to personalize your shortcuts and play around/understand them: - File attachment drag & drop
Drag desktop files and drop in Evernote ‘NOTEBOOKS’ (top of L column)
*Free account compatibility: images (JPEG/PNG/GIF), audio (MP3/WAV/AMR), PDF, and digital ink files. - “Save PDF to Evernote” (from PDF drop-down menu in print dialogue box)
- Email
Send other files (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, PDF, etc.) as an attachment to your Evernote address.
To find your personalized Evernote address, go to your Settings, and scroll to the bottom. It should look like this: - Sync Twitter to Evernote
Sync and send information to Evernote through Twitter by adding @myEN to the end of any public tweet.
D) “There’s an App for that!”
Mobile text, photo, or voice recording uploads.
E) Watch other instructional Evernote videos
