Evernote: Welcome to Your New Workspace

[charboyd 272]

Office productivity is stuck in a world that’s almost as old as personal computing. When we started using these tools, it was so jarring that familiar metaphors—files, documents, and slides—were needed to ease us into the system. In the years since, the physical objects have faded from view, but their digital look-a-likes have stuck around. They may have moved from desktop computers to the cloud, but they haven’t really changed in the process.

 

 

The trouble with these digital versions is that you get out exactly what you put in to them. Nothing more. Maybe less. Also, each of the tools are entirely disconnected from one another. Your brilliant document transforms into a set of dumbed-down, frustrating bullet points in a slide show. It’s not constructive.

 

The way we work has changed. Our expectations are different. It’s time to move on.

 

Evernote is the single workspace designed around four central actions that we perform each day:

• Write
• Collect
• Find
• Present

From desk to meeting and from individual work to group projects, Evernote allows you to get it all done without switching apps or contexts. We believe that it is our role to not only provide the workspace, but to build an experience that improves the quality of your work and is invested in your success. We do this by combining these four needs with collaborative features and powerful augmented intelligence technologies that all enrich your work as you do it.

 

It’s important to question everything about mainstream tools. Does line spacing make you a better writer? Does a slide template improve your idea? We realize that there will be those that disagree with our approach, but we can see a widespread thirst for something new. That’s why over 100 million people around the world have chosen Evernote, and why 70% use it for work. This is a movement. We are how modern work happens.

 

Ultimately, why does this even matter? It matters because this is your life’s work. You are building something of value, but when you rely on the old metaphors you’re just filing it away—never to be seen or used again. We are leaving the age where technology is an ambivalent bystander and entering an era where the tools we use actually make us better.

 

Welcome to your new workspace.

 

Learn more about how utilize your new workspace on the Evernote blog. 

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

Alas, Evernote's workspace is nice if one has only a small database. But for those of us who have been using it for years for both work & personal use, EN becomes totally unusable (no exaggeration) on the Windows and iOS clients, when you have a few thousand (or more) notes.

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

http://blog.evernote.com/blog/2014/10/02/evernote-welcome-to-your-new-workspace/

 

(1) "It’s important to question everything about mainstream tools. Does line spacing make you a better writer?"

 

Evernote asked the question (rhetorically), and I'd like to answer.

 

Actually, yes, it does. it makes the text more legible, especially when working with long form writing. It's called "whitespace" and it is something that helps me do my work better. Adjustable font sizes, fonts, etc. are also critical. I don't understand why it is better to restrict our access to these wonderful tools that have been developed over the years. Even minimalistic plain text apps often incorporate more of these features than evernote does. The sea of white that the new UI has become isn't exactly the kind of whitespace that will help me be more productive.

 

(2) "We realize that there will be those that disagree with our approach, but we can see a widespread thirst for something new."

 

Who doesn't want something new? I'm all for it. I do disagree with the approach, because I think I'd like to have more tools for doing my work, rather than having those tossed away. I guess I'd like to urge Evernote, once again, to find a better way to offer rich functionality combined with brilliant design rather than just stripping stuff away willy-nilly.

 

I do hope that Evernote is right about there being a lot of people who are looking for what they have done with the workspace, but if at all possible, I'd also like Evernote to consider the possibility that users are also looking for these features that developers (especially of word processors) have spent decades refining for us.

[HerbyDE 101]

I remember good old TV remote controls (10, 15 years ago) at the beginning of digital times:

 

the front side shows only 5, 6 buttons (on/off, turn down the sound and so on) - this was enough for a lot of people

 

the back side shows 20, 30, 40 buttons - this was very welcome also by a lot of people, who wanted to arrange their very own setting: link to Dolby surround system, start recording, show additional information and so on - and it was not difficult for this people.

 

Now, 15 years later and with 3 smartphones, 2 tablets, 1 airbook in the school bag of 10 years old children: it is okay to show fewer thing on the "front side" of Evernote. But we need the "back side" very, very urgent.

 

Example: It is so poor, that I can not have different "workspaces" _in_ Evernote. One for my taxes notebook (there I need table view and chronological order), one for my design notebook (there I need card view), one for my manuscript notebook (I need sorting by title). In the moment I have to change this day by day manual. Why can I not configure three own menu items "Workplace A", "Workplace B" and "Workplace C"? (One example of 10 what to do in the near future - if you ask me.)

[Frank.dg 1,385]

This comment from the Evernote Blog post on the same topic says it well:

 

[CalS 5,277]

Rant coming.

 

I almost feel like the government has taken over Evernote.  It's like, "Hey, we know how you should think and do things, and don't worry that the way we set it up for you won't always work the way we said it would".  (whatever emoticon exists for tongue in cheek)  

 

It didn't feel this way a few years back.  Then it felt more like we want to collaborate to be your second brain.  I miss that.  In any case, I will make sure to keep the go forward downloads of the Windows client, just in case I get surprised by one one of them.  Who knows, at some point maybe all my notes will be local.  

 

Back to the rant, maybe they should add a donkey to the logo?

[alan2461 3]

Settle down everybody.

Evernote is only 6 years in to becoming a 100 year company.

They have 94 more years to go to get things right.

[KMG 2]

I love Evernote and use it everyday. I have been using it for less than a year, and I have 500+ notes, so I'm not (yet) a "power user." My complaints are far fewer than my praises.

 

I like the use of the rhetorical questions. I have a few answers of features that are not (yet) in Evernote.

 

What makes me a better writer?

• Headings. Organizing my ideas into sections make me a better communicator and allows me to improve the way I group things within a document. I use headings on webpages, emails, reports, Evernote forum comments ... everything. I'd love the ability to use headings in Evernote as HTML documents use headings. They could even be of universal formats that I set in the Options > Note panel with the default font.

 

What makes me a better collector?

• I love the collection tools! Clearly is, like, clearly awesome. Skitch, Web Clipper, the whole lot. </fanboy>
   
• I'm still struggling to use Evernote for calendar, reminders, to-do lists, etc. The options are still a bit clunky for my purposes. It's difficult to collaborate on to-do lists, and when sitting together (digitally) to compose reminders/lists/dates for things, it's just tough. I'd love better integration with Google calendar and reminders to be shared with collaborators.

 

What makes me a better finder?

• I can't think of anything to add to Evernote just yet. I love the idea of the Context stuff that is in the works.

 

What makes me a better presenter?

• Headings.
   
• Line Spacing / Zooming. I don't want to compose my text/presentation in a monster font, but I'd love to be able to change the size and legibility when I'm in presentation mode. I've had to take text from one note and paste it into a specific presentation note where I set the font to bold 24-point so that people can read it. Some kind of zoom feature and a way to add white space for presentations would be nice.

 

 

* Thank you, developers. You are my heroes.

[jbenson2 2,147]

I do not want to use a program that promotes itself as my second brain, but requires frequent visits to the Support Group followed by a series of requests involving  Uninstalls using Revo, Reinstalls and Reindexing several times each year. 

 

No matter how good the individual components are... if the overall program can't manage large amounts of info gathered over a relatively short span of 6 years the future for Evernote does not bode well. 

[DAVID- 0]

  A machine that make phone new 

    People often in troubled with their cracked phones,especially their poor screens.it seems too wasteful to throw it.Now we have a perfect solution to make the cracked screen phone new.Yes,it is our magical and amazing machine for screen repair.With its' help,If the touch lcd of the screen is OK(it is very likely),you just need about 2$ to change a cover for the phone.And it just need 2 mins!It will be the best lover for the phone repairmen,right?they can earn money with less costs!You can do it.We provide this kind of machine with favorable price.Come on! It will be the best seller!Be qucik,please!

    Please contact with us for more information: E-mail:krystal@juttale.com Skype:Krystal_jin Whatsapp:+86 0137 6022 4420