Evernote, part 2: The Dashboard
Last time, we looked at the basic functions of Evernote and discussed a general overview of this powerful software. Today, it’s time to actually open up the software and take a look at the dashboard.
First of all, you’ll need to sign up for an account at Evernote.com. It’s fast, and the basic plan is free. After that, download the software and install it to your computer. Once you open it up, you’ll see a series of menus and commands:
Most of the menus don’t need a lot of explanation. “View” lets you manipulate your layout and workspace, including an interesting “Time band” feature that graphically shows the dates when you posted items to Evernote. You also have the option of expanding or collapsing individual notes. “Tools” has a couple of features that I really find useful. The first is “Launch Universal Clipper”, which allows you to take a screenshot of what you’d like to save, and then add it to Evernote. We’ll look at this more when we discuss ways of adding content. The second feature–and one I haven’t utilized yet–is “Install Evernote Portable.” Apparently, you can also keep a version of this software on your USB stick, just like any other Portable App. I’ll check that one out and get back to you.
Below the menu bar is a series of buttons you’ll need. “Synchronize” links up the data on your computer to the database on the web. “Email” lets you select all or part of a note and email it to somebody. Conversely, Evernote has a feature that allows you to email information directly to the web itself. I’ve tried it and it works as advertised. “Tag” allows you to give a note a label, in addition to the folders that you set up. For example, you might have several notes tagged as “technology”, but in different folders such as “work”, “home”, “school,” etc… I don’t use this feature much, but I can see where it would come in handy when I get a large database filled up. The last button in that row toggles your note list off and on, allowing you to take a quick glance at your note titles when you’re doing a search.
That’s about it for the dashboard. What I like is that it is reasonably intuitive, and allows me to hide features I don’t need all the time. The web version is laid out a little differently, but you can find the basic functions you’ll need. Just about any feature you need on your computer is also available on the web.
Next time, we’ll take a look at the variety of ways to add notes to Evernote.
