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Outliner/PIM roll call: Fall 2012
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Posted by Dr Andus
Sep 16, 2012 at 12:06 PM
In response to a request on this forum for some tutorials on ConnectedText for qualitative research, I have decided to create a blog dedicated for that purpose, rather than risk boring users who are not interested in that over here.
As part of setting up this blog, I created a page with my favourite software and hardware tools for qualitative research, note-taking, outlining, concept and mind-mapping, writing and general PIM and productivity.
Here it is:
http://drandus.wordpress.com/favourite-tools/
The CT tips and tutorials are still to follow. However, I thought this could be an opportune moment to kick off a Fall 2012 Outliner/PIM roll call.
Posted by shatteredmindofbob
Sep 16, 2012 at 03:54 PM
My set up is in a bit of a transition at the moment. I’m attempting to work with an all plain-text system, though on Windows where it’s far less trendy.
I’m using UV Outliner as a writing outliner. I find it sufficient for brainstorming and planning out an article.
Resophnotes, storing everything in text files to handle quick notes.
I’ve been doing more of my actual writing in WriteMonkey, which is a pretty great full-screen text editor. (I’ve also enjoyed a little program called MarkdownPad, but it desperately needs spell check before it’ll be really useful.)
I’ve been using Pinboard.in as a bookmark manager and I’m rather liking it despite my weariness towards web apps. Though, I was set more at ease when the developer posted that he does have a contingency plan in place should he be hit by a bus.
TodoPaper for tasks/project management.
E-mail and calendar is taken care of by Postbox with the Lightning extension.
I’m in the process of evaluating some other apps to see if they’re useful to me (and whether or not I’m willing to exchange money for their continued use.) I’m toying with ConnectedText though it seems to have quite a learning curve. I am also trying out the latest Scrivener for Windows. I should really make some time to put them through their paces properly. (Quick side note: I love that Scrivener’s trial period is based on days of ACTUAL use rather than just from the date of installation.)
Ooh, I’m also playing with a text editor called SublimeText which, despite being a programming text editor has a surprising number of plug-ins aimed at writers, though it does excel more for its intended purpose (which for me, the closest I get to “coding” is HTML/CSS)
Posted by shatteredmindofbob
Sep 16, 2012 at 04:07 PM
Oh, there’s also the mobile front which is also very much in flux, as I’m facing the reality that it’s time to ditch my beloved Blackberry. Over there I’m doing everything through the Dropbox app, which includes a text editor.
I bought an iPad a year ago which I’ve used mostly as a consumption device. As far as any PIM related uses going, I’ve played with PlainText and Nebulous Notes (now that there’s a free version) though it’s mostly to be able to review notes either while chilling on the couch or lying in bed. Admittedly, I’ve only edited them as a novelty.
I’d probably be doing more “work” with them if I had the same apps on an iPhone (plus I’d have TaskPaper, which can manage the TodoPaper files), though I’m torn there, as the Nokia Lumina 920 looks *really* nice, there’s just not many apps for Windows Phone. That said, since I’m keeping as much as possible in text files, I could probably get by with a Dropbox-synced text editor.
Posted by MadaboutDana
Sep 16, 2012 at 10:52 PM
You can do a bit better than that, in fact, by using OneNote, which has a pretty good client for the iPad (in fact it’s got two: Microsoft’s own, which is useful for e.g. checklists, and a much more advanced third-party app called Outline+ which supports Dropbox rather than SkyDrive, and can do many of the things the serious desktop version of OneNote can do). OneNote will certainly be launched on WinPhone 8. I use OneNote to sync between desktop PC, iPad and Android mobile (Galaxy Note): it works very well. The Android client is actually very nice!
Posted by reverendmartian
Sep 17, 2012 at 12:42 AM
Doc I took this from your March 2012 post on how you code in CT
1. I take a 20,000 word document (a transcript of an interview) and paste it into CT as a new ‘topic’ (document).
(So you cannot code pdf files in CT; gigantic shortcoming considering the predominance of that format.)
2. I dock the table of contents window on the left, and have the edit view of the document on the right of it.
(I cannot even maximize the TOC window much less dock it.)
3. I start reading through the document and “code” it by adding in headings (up to 5 levels).
(No such function as headings. ‘splain what you are talking about. Like do you highlight something in the word doc and then select some menu item; if so what is it since it ain’t “headings.”
4. As headings are added, they start showing up in the TOC pane in the left, so I can see the hierarchy of the themes (codes).
(Yeah so how is this any different than copying and pasting a word doc into the doc window of any two pane outliner like UR and then linking the selected text to an outline item. I am lost within the first three directions.)