Evernote Rediscovers the Value & Importance of Note Taking

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

Evernote (the company) Rediscovers the Value & Importance of Note Taking

It seems that after a brief detour, that the Evernote leaders have rediscovered, and realized how important their core product really is.  Although note taking may not sound glamourous, it is very important, and done properly can greatly help each of us.  Of course, Evernote the app is much more than just "note taking", but note taking, collecting, clipping, gathering, a wide variety of information is at the core service of what Evernote provides.

In the fall of 2014, the then-VP of Marketing, Andrew Sinkov, gave this presentation at the annual Evernote Conference:
The Evolution Of Evernote's Story with Andrew Sinkov  Click on this link to start at the point where he says (paraphrased):

• We [Evernote] already dominate it [the "Note taking space"], we're the most important note taking app
• That's a crappy space to dominate
• That is not who we are, and not who we want to be
• In our hearts, we never wanted to be that
• You are hardly bending the universe if all you are doing is being the best note taker.
   

The below Evernote Blog indicates a quite different view on the importance of note taking.

From the Evernote blog Taking Note: An Introduction to the Value of Notes & Note-Taking , published on Feb 19, 2016:

Quote

Note-taking is an incredibly personal, profound, and individual skill. It’s been practiced almost as long as we’ve been able to verbally communicate, from pigment daubed on cave walls through clay and papyrus, ink and printing press, and now in digital form.

While the medium has evolved, the message remains the same. What we can glean from our intimate scribbles forms the foundation for all our brilliant ideas and helps create a framework for understanding all we set out to accomplish. For proof, one needs only glance at the long and storied list of some of our most prolific note-takers: Pliny the Elder, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison,Charles Darwin, John Lennon, Leonardo Da Vinci, Henry Miller, Kurt Cobain, Truman Capote, and Albert Einstein.
. . .
notes should fuel our ideas and accelerate our thoughts into published books, research papers, business projects, or your most audacious creative ambitions.

With the right understanding of your goals, one of these systems can help get you there.

IMO, this is yet another sign that Evernote is changing, returning to focus on and improving its core product and mission.

 

[Frank.dg 1,385]

I remember transcribing Andrew Sinkov's speech all too well. That was a confusing one. Glad that Evernote is going back to basics, including their original tag line, "Remember Everything". The "One Workspace for your Life's Work" was quite a costly and frustrating over-a-year-long detour. 

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

My first serious introduction to note taking was as a high school freshman.  I was taking a honors algebra class taught by one of the most influential teachers in my life.  He taught us the importance of taking good notes, how to take notes, and actually required us to keep and submit a notebook each six weeks.  The grade we received on the notebook was a significant part of our final grade.  What I learned there paid of handsomely in college, and in my career as an engineer.  Ever since, I've been on a life-long quest for the ultimate personal and professional information manager.  Or in more simple terms, a great note-taking app.

I'm writing this because it just occurred to me that Evernote has a great opportunity to expand on, and cash in on their core product of note taking.  Many professionals learn early on to keep detailed journals of their daily work.  In fact, some are required to.  Research scientists and engineers have relied on their notes for centuries.  Given the solid note-taking base Evernote has developed, they could make special versions for the various professions, and probably be able to charge good money for them.  Of course, each profession would probably have special needs and/or features and formats that they need.

The great thing would be that the technology and features developed for these professional note-taking apps could feed back into the general purpose app.

I can imagine one very popular version would be for students.  Just imagine, an Evernote version highly optimized for students, teachers, and the proper and easy sharing of notes among them.

IMO, providing the right note-taking app, properly secured, easily shared for students, teachers, and all professionals would be a "bending the universe" event, knowing that you are contributing to countless innovations and breakthroughs.

Or so it seems to me.

[DTLow 5,736]

19 hours ago, JMichaelTX said:

Evernote the app is much more than just "note taking", but note taking, collecting, clipping, gathering, a wide variety of information is at the core service of what Evernote provides.

I agree, and would add another factor, multi-platform and syncing between devices, and even the web platform for those with no devices. 
These make Evernote such an important tool in my life.

I basically ignored all the "detours" and hype that Evernote was going into,
thinking they needed to monetize their work,
and that they knew what they were doing 

[Frank.dg 1,385]

2 hours ago, JMichaelTX said:

Ever since, I've been on a life-long quest for the ultimate personal and professional information manager.