I love IQ for tasks management, but still use Evernote for information management. For two reasons - "tags" and "tag implementation", while not perfect it's a highly effective tagging system that is ridiculously easy to use, it allows grouping tags under categories and the hierarchy of tags are visible in the left navigation bar at all times (as I wish Grids were in IQ, but that's another story). Tags are one of those things that once you get used to using, you just don't want to go back. If I had never used them the standard method of using a strict classification system would probably be fine.
I know an IQ item can have multiple parents and display in multiple grids, but I've not found any easy method to make that efficient for the filing of information where you want information to be able to be accessed via tags/labels, whatever you want to call them. I've played with wikitags but until there is a major revamp there I can't see myself using them. Similarly I can't see myself using yes/no fields until such time as there is a means to group grids, having hundreds grids is unmanageable (the only other solution I can think of, as I could use grids like tags).
At the same time I hate using two different programs and IQ is by far my favorite. For those of you using IQ for information management, would you be willing to share how you deal with this issue? Do you just use a standard system of classification where you are essentially filing things in one place, albeit while applying a few fields to it? Maybe I just have to stick with using two programs, but I'm looking for ideas.
I know an IQ item can have multiple parents and display in multiple grids, but I've not found any easy method to make that efficient for the filing of information where you want information to be able to be accessed via tags/labels, whatever you want to call them. I've played with wikitags but until there is a major revamp there I can't see myself using them. Similarly I can't see myself using yes/no fields until such time as there is a means to group grids, having hundreds grids is unmanageable (the only other solution I can think of, as I could use grids like tags).
At the same time I hate using two different programs and IQ is by far my favorite. For those of you using IQ for information management, would you be willing to share how you deal with this issue? Do you just use a standard system of classification where you are essentially filing things in one place, albeit while applying a few fields to it? Maybe I just have to stick with using two programs, but I'm looking for ideas.
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Like Pierre, I use IQ for everything. Maybe even more than him! ;-) I mean, I use IQ to write articles, my PhD thesis, finance, tasks, project planning, structuring/planing play directing, billing, qualitative data analysis, etc. How's that?
What version of Evernote do you use? I dropped Evernote a long time ago, when I realized tags created there were trapped in that context. Hard to export tags! IQ and Evernote are not incompatible per se, but I didn,t feel like separating content. The only thing I keep separate from IQ right now is my calendar (and all external documents; but that's how I want it -- I just link them to projects, tasks, etc when needed). When I'll be able to manage appointments in IQ (I want to be able to sync them with my external devices), it'll be perfect.
My idea of a good tagging system is a system that one can use everywhere, not just in one context, one app. I've already posted a lot about tags, wikitags, etc. so I've become lazy when it comes to re-describing what I do and don't do. Hopefully, before anything is changed/added to IQ, tagging, classification "theory", its nuances and the various ways it's implemented elsewhere will be considered. There's no need to reinvent the wheel and repeat the mistakes others have made.
What I do, basically : 1- I organize my tags separately, in AutoHotkey. 2- I insert my tags in a few IQ text fields (this has many advantages over other solutions as those textfields can contain the same tags but have different classification functions)
it's quicker than any other solution I've tried. And by quicker, I mean quicker.
The only problem right now (but I overcome that with scripts) is that it's hard to perform text search/replace in IQ. This is another highly awaited feature.
It’s true that, like fields and items, a few other things would benefit from the possibility of hierarchical organization: Grids and forms.
Those problems are all solvable with some text expander (like AHK) that allow you to structure your tags separately, but I understand that there's a high level of geekiness involved.
What are the essential features of a tagging system? this is what one needs to answer before coming up with any tagging system.
Why? Because tagging is a lot of work (and not necessarily a fun one).
In my opinion, tags should be tangible/visible, understandable/readable, compatible, portable, flexible, reliable/robust and QUICK QUICK QUICK to use. If it takes more than a few seconds to apply a few tags, then it becomes useless.
So:
1- Tags should be text values that can be easily exported/imported/pasted/entered in a coherent format -- comma/space separated format (or something like that). Which doesn't mean that they couldn't be entered with what ever clever UI one wants (checkboxes, clicking here and there, asking siri or cortana to tag this and that, etc.). But ultimately, the values should be there, visible, written and readable, exportable, without having to use some software to decode them.
2- A correlate is that tags should be compatible/searchable with normal text search tools and "filterable" using Boolean logic (like Google does, implicitly; it's a standard).
3- Tags should be flexible : easily created, easily edited (if a tag needs to be changed everywhere it's been applied, it should be easy to do so), quickly applied/deleted to/from anything (any item) and in any quantity : single item or 1000000 at once.
Icing on the cake:
5- Tags should be hierarchically structured so that one one tag can encompasses/include many others.
6- tags should be somewhat heterachically structured so that a tag can have multiple parents hence be linked to other themes/tags (like items can have multiple parents)
A long time ago, Pierre wrote this (but time flies and there,s so much to do):
[quote]
Tags is stored internally as a text field, but the UI knows to treat it differently:
o Adding a tag to an item does not erase the other tags, tests for duplicates before adding
o Search can find complex tags (e.g. with spaces)
o Adding tags can be as simple as selecting from a list or clicking on a button
o Tags can be displayed, one by line in a properties pane. Right-click to delete
o Tags management allows easy rename
o If tag hierarchy is setup, parent tag search can return the sub-tags
o Prints much easier than a list of checkboxes, most of which would be empty. If you use text fields for categories, bounderies are hard to set (what goes where?)
o clicking on a tag, returns all items that have that tag. Great for navigation, cross-linking, etc
o can be used for quick-and-dirty item-to-item links/grouping
o tags can trigger field settings and vice-versa
Field are there to stay, don't worry. I'm a database person and I'll continue to use them. But often, a simpler mecanism is better. Time is the essence here. If classifying takes too much time, users won't do it. Yes it will be a mix-bag of all sorts of stuff, but so is the Item field isn't?
[/quote]
So it means that it's feasible!
The only thing I hope if there's such thing as an IQ tagging system, is that it will not limit users to mouse clicks or screen tapping (me, I speak and write and I don't like to have to point to each word in the dictionary to form a sentence...).