17 replies to this topic

[C6REW]

Hi All,

As a newbie I am keen to learn from others mistakes and not wasted time re inventing the wheel. I bought and read Evernote Essentials yesterday. Good for a newbie, but sorry it is not worth the money. However as Evernote is free I can accept that cost.

But I have just discovered this:

http://www.amazon.co...27309386&sr=1-1

Could this be the defacto guide for Evernote? Do we know the author or the background behind it?

Slightly better value at £15.29 for 384 pages!

Best regards

Chris

[jefito]

Not available yet. I'd want to see a sample before I took the plunge.

[C6REW]

Hi Jeff,

These 'Dummies' guides are usually very thorough if a little boring at times. But for something this size I just wonder who the author - David E.Y. Sarna - is and if anyone has come across them as an Evernote evangelist?

Best regards


Chris

[GrumpyMonkey]

DSarna
Joined on Oct 01 2010 02:28
3 posts

I guess this might be him (I don't know). I've generally found the books in the dummy series to be pretty good, if a little too basic at times. The depth of coverage really does seem to vary considerably, depending upon the author and the subject matter. If you are into books, I would recommend Brett Kelly's book (Evernote employee) for now, because it is out and available. I also think you can learn pretty much everything you need to know on the blogs and websites that already exist. Here are some links.

http://www.princeton...rnotelinks.html

[C6REW]

Hi,

Thanks for the links. I have already bought and digested Brett Kelly's Evernote Essentials, but like you I think it is a bit too high priced.

I guess I am quite fortunate in that I have moved over from Microsoft OneNote so have a method which I have already adapted in 3 days to make Evernote work better for me. But I just know there is so much more and getting to grips with it as quickly as possible would make it even more productive as a tool.

I keep smiling when I realise. 'Ah I can add that to Evernote'

Best regards

Chris

[jbenson2]

Evernote is constantly updating and improving. I've seen 52 upgrades over the previous 20 months.
$25 USD for a static e-book might work for some, but I find this forum is more up-to-date and responsive to questions, suggestions, how-to's and tips.

[C6REW]

Hi Jbenson2,

When a newbie you have to start somewhere and if the only book is a $25 one and time is money, you have to buy it.

But I thinkt he 'dummies' book will be the one to go for in the future and I will most certainly be getting it.

Best regards

Chris

[GrumpyMonkey]

Evernote is constantly updating and improving. I've seen 52 upgrades over the previous 20 months.
$25 USD for a static e-book might work for some, but I find this forum is more up-to-date and responsive to questions, suggestions, how-to's and tips.

True. But, much of the content is general (how to use tags) and still applicable (if memory serves). Brett is also an employee at Evernote, so we can assume that his level of knowledge about the product is somewhat higher than the average user. Unfortunately, the book is too expensive (in my opinion).

As for the dummy book, it may well be the best thing since double-stuff oreos, but I am guessing (not having seen it, of course) that it will contain really basic tips that won't get at the most important things: actual use cases. In other words, someone can talk about something like "organization" or "GTD" all they want, but it is so much more helpful (to me) to see how people actually put it into practice.

In general, I agree, and also rely a lot on Internet resources such as this forum.

[jbenson2]

I was an Evernote newbie once.
A static e-book might work for some. I might consider it, if it was updated electronically (for free); as frequently as this forum is updated.

By the way, the Devizes Market Place is a wonderful place to shop and walk around.

[GrumpyMonkey]

I was an Evernote newbie once.
A static e-book might work for some. I might consider it, if it was updated electronically (for free); as frequently as this forum is updated.

By the way, the Devizes Market Place is a wonderful place to shop and walk around.

An updated book would be cool.

"By the way, the Devizes Market Place is a wonderful place to shop and walk around" came out of left field. This seems completely non-sequitur to me. Did I miss something?

[C6REW]

GrumpyMonkey,

Jbenson is referring to the fact that I come from Devizes in Wiltshire.

Best regards

Chris

[GrumpyMonkey]

Gotcha. I have to pay more attention!

[Owyn]

You might find these of interest.
http://blog.evernote...?s=photographer

This one may be particularly relevant.
http://blog.evernote...reative-series/

Edited by Owyn, 24 January 2012 - 11:13 PM.
Fixed links

[Scoob]

Now that there seems to be several books out, any thought about which book is the best for a newb?
I just signed up for a premium account and want to take full advantage of it.

[peterfmartin]

I wouldn't pay for any of the ones I tried. Dan Gold's book, while fine for its purpose, is only about GTD; it is not an Evernote manual. Brett Kelly's book is not at all good, is now very outdated, and costs an absurd amount. I haven't tried Evernote for Dummies.

I'd recommend reading the Evernote-produced (free) materials, some of which are in my signature, and which can be found on the Evernote site. And check out the forum(s) here for the client(s) you're using. You may not think this is best, but I do: I also recommend a bunch of trial and error, just using the product and discovering it that way. That will be the best way to understand most of it.

[Metrodon]

I agree with Peter - buying a book that is already out of date and only going to get further left behind isn't a good idea.

[trsundstrom]

I'm a new user to Evernote but not to the microcomputer (starting with the Apple II). Looking for a better mousetrap than Google Drive (nee Notebook and Docs), the accolades bestowed on Evernote prompted me to look at this application. I read through the material here and looked at a bunch of Youtube videos first. Basics were easy enough to install and sync on Win7 and an Android phone.

I did buy 'Evernote For Dummies.' I generally agree with the comments above about the 'Dummies' series. Like the other books, I found this book to be a bit too basic in the early chapters. I can understand the need for basic "stuff" to help those those readers not as familiar with these magic devices as most of the readers here. Sarna and Richie do cover the Windows, Mac, iPhone/iPad, Android and Blackberry platforms and discusses the differences among browsers..

I found the discussion of linking the Evernote account to Google and Twitter accounts interesting. In light of the current Engadget series on hacking linked accounts I'm not sure I want to go down that road. The chapters on third-party applications, scripting, and sharing notebooks were also helpful.The suggestion of using the Android app CamScanner in concert with Evernote was very useful; in less than a few minutes, I scanned airline boarding passes and put the PDF directly into my account.


As the 'Dummies' books also serve as references, not necessarily just a linear read, I usually like to have paper in hand rather than an e-book. Put off by the SRP, I had balked at buying the book -- but I changed my mind upon finding it on B&N (bn.com) for less than $15. A day later, it was in hand. (The e-book was about $4 less.)

Bottom line? An easy read. In my opinion, at the right price point, I found enough tips on setup, customizing, and third-party applications to justify the purchase of the book. Sarna has a shared public notebook for updates et al. I recognize the shelf life of the written word lasts only as long as the next significant software upgrade to the menus and feature set, but this ©2012 worked for me. Hope this helps.

[trsundstrom]

Just a correction to my previous post. The article giving me pause about linking Evernote, Google and Twitter accounts was not in Engadget but rather the Gadget Lab of Wired. Here's the link to the first article of the series: http://www.wired.com...-honan-hacking/. HTH.