Tagging and linking with AI (Napkin.one)

Nicole van der Hoeven
5 May 202317:49

TLDRThe video introduces Napkin, an AI-powered app that automates the tagging process for notes, making it an appealing tool for those who find manual tagging daunting. With features like thought collection, AI tagging, and idea generation by connecting similar notes, Napkin enhances workflow efficiency. The speaker shares their experience, demonstrating how to add thoughts, review tags, and use the app for creative projects, highlighting the UI's charm and the app's potential for Obsidian integration.

Takeaways

  • 📌 The speaker finds tagging in Obsidian daunting and prefers using links and metadata instead.
  • 🔗 The app Napkin uses AI to automatically assign tags, simplifying the process for the user.
  • 💡 Napkin collects thoughts, tags them with AI, and helps in creating content by surfacing related notes.
  • 🕒 The speaker has been using Napkin for seven months and has committed to its Believer plan for lifetime access.
  • 🔑 There are four ways to input thoughts into Napkin: manually, web clipper, iOS app, and through Readwise.
  • 🎨 Napkin's interface presents thoughts as 'bits of napkin' on a table, offering a unique way to explore highlights.
  • 📝 The daily mix feature in Napkin prompts users to review and tag thoughts, enhancing the tagging process.
  • 🗂 The app allows for archiving of thoughts that are not relevant, keeping the workspace clean.
  • 📚 Napkin aids in the ideation process for talks or content creation by organizing thoughts into 'stacks'.
  • 🔍 The app's tagging improves over time with more manual input and highlights, offering better connections between thoughts.
  • 📊 Napkin provides export options for thoughts and tags in JSON and CSV formats, ensuring data isn't locked within the app.

Q & A

  • What is the main purpose of the app Napkin?

    -Napkin is an app designed to collect thoughts, automatically tag them using AI, and help users create content by resurfacing similar notes that they may not have seen before.

  • How does the AI in Napkin assist users with tagging?

    -The AI in Napkin uses a fork of GPT-3 to automatically assign tags to each thought, which alleviates the user from having to manually tag their notes.

  • What are the four ways to get thoughts into Napkin according to the transcript?

    -The four ways to get thoughts into Napkin are: 1) manually adding them through the app, 2) using the web clipper extension for Chrome, 3) using the iOS app, and 4) importing through Readwise.

  • How does the speaker use Readwise in conjunction with Napkin?

    -The speaker uses Readwise as middleware to get content from the internet into their Obsidian vault. With the integration between Readwise and Napkin, highlights from Readwise are automatically pulled into Napkin.

  • What is the 'daily mix' feature in Napkin and how is it used?

    -The 'daily mix' in Napkin is a feature that prompts users to review a set of thoughts. It prioritizes older thoughts that the user has sent to Napkin, allowing them to add or edit tags as needed.

  • What does the speaker mean by 'magic tags' in the context of Napkin?

    -The 'magic tags' refer to the automatically generated tags that Napkin assigns to thoughts using its AI. These tags help in organizing and categorizing the thoughts without manual input from the user.

  • How does the speaker use the tagging and reviewing process in Napkin to prepare for a talk?

    -The speaker uses the tagging and reviewing process in Napkin to ideate and gather ideas for their talk. They search for relevant tags, review the thoughts, and organize them into stacks, which can then be used as a basis for creating content.

  • What is the 'stacks' feature in Napkin and how does it help in the creation process?

    -The 'stacks' feature in Napkin allows users to group related thoughts together, similar to a pile of napkins. Users can drag and drop thoughts into these stacks to organize and create content, such as talks or articles.

  • How can users export their thoughts and tags from Napkin?

    -Users can export their thoughts and tags from Napkin in JSON and CSV formats, which allows them to take their data out of the app and use it elsewhere if desired.

  • What is the speaker's view on the integration of Napkin with Obsidian?

    -The speaker is open to the idea of integrating Napkin with Obsidian but acknowledges that it requires careful consideration to ensure it works effectively. They mention that while Napkin has an API, it currently only supports a one-way push into Napkin.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Overcoming Tagging Fatigue with Napkin AI

The speaker expresses initial reluctance towards using tags in Obsidian due to the perceived effort involved. They introduce Napkin, an AI-powered app that automates the tagging process, as a solution to this problem. Napkin collects thoughts, uses AI to tag them, and helps in content creation by surfacing related notes. The speaker has been using Napkin for seven months and has committed to its Believer plan, indicating a strong endorsement. They also mention the different ways to input thoughts into Napkin, including manual entry, web clipper, iOS app, and through Readwise integration.

05:00

🤖 Daily Review and Tagging with Napkin's AI Assistance

The speaker describes the process of reviewing and tagging thoughts in Napkin. They mention the daily mix feature that prompts a review of previously entered thoughts, allowing for the addition of manual tags alongside those suggested by the AI. The speaker finds the UI charming and the process of exploring highlights addictive. They also discuss the ability to archive irrelevant thoughts and how the app helps in surfacing related notes, even those not directly searched for, enhancing the discovery of connections between ideas.

10:02

🚀 Ideation and Content Creation with Napkin's Stacks

The speaker outlines their workflow for using Napkin to prepare for a talk, starting with the ideation phase. They demonstrate how to use tags to filter thoughts and create 'stacks' for organizing ideas related to a specific topic. The speaker uses the example of preparing for a talk on note-taking to show how they select relevant thoughts and organize them into sections within a stack. They also explain how to transfer the organized content from Napkin into Obsidian, creating a structured outline for a talk or article.

15:03

🔗 Data Export and Future Integrations with Obsidian

The speaker addresses concerns about data being locked within Napkin by highlighting the app's ability to export thoughts and tags in JSON and CSV formats. They also touch on the limitations of Napkin, particularly the lack of direct integration with Obsidian, and express interest in potential future integrations. The speaker suggests that the community reach out to TfTHacker for ideas on how such integration could work. They conclude by emphasizing the enjoyable and game-like experience of using Napkin for tagging and ideation, and they offer a link for viewers to try Napkin with a 30-day free trial.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Tags

Tags are labels or keywords used to categorize and organize content, making it easier to search and retrieve. In the context of the video, the speaker initially finds tagging notes to be a daunting and exhausting task. However, the app 'Napkin' introduces a new way of tagging using AI, which automates the process and makes it less burdensome for the user.

💡Links

Links are connections between different pieces of information or content, creating a network of related ideas. The script mentions that the speaker likes using links as they are 'semantic and easy to create,' which implies that links help in establishing meaningful relationships between notes, enhancing knowledge management.

💡Metadata

Metadata refers to data that describes other data. In the video script, the speaker mentions using metadata in templates for new notes, which suggests that metadata provides additional context or information about the content of the notes, aiding in their organization and retrieval.

💡AI

AI stands for Artificial Intelligence, which is the simulation of human intelligence in machines. The app 'Napkin' uses AI, specifically a fork of GPT-3, to automatically assign tags to thoughts, demonstrating how AI can assist in knowledge management by reducing manual tagging efforts.

💡Napkin

Napkin is the name of the app discussed in the video, which uses AI to automate the tagging of thoughts and ideas. It serves as a tool for collecting thoughts, tagging them, and helping users create content by resurfacing similar notes. The app is central to the video's theme of simplifying the process of knowledge organization.

💡Readwise

Readwise is an app mentioned in the script that the speaker uses as middleware to get content from the internet into their Obsidian vault. It has an integration with Napkin, allowing highlights from Readwise to be pulled into Napkin, which streamlines the process of content organization and retrieval.

💡Daily Mix

In the context of the video, the 'Daily Mix' feature in Napkin is a way to review thoughts that the app prompts the user to look at. It prioritizes older thoughts, helping the user to revisit and potentially add more context or tags, which is part of the app's process for refining and organizing thoughts.

💡Archiving

Archiving in the video refers to the action of removing a thought from the active jumble in Napkin, making it inaccessible in searches. This is an important part of the organization process, allowing the user to declutter their thought space and focus on relevant ideas.

💡Stacks

Stacks in Napkin are a way to group related thoughts together, similar to a pile of napkins. The speaker uses stacks to organize thoughts for a talk, creating sections and adding relevant thoughts to them. This feature is crucial for the ideation and preparation process for presentations or writings.

💡Export

The ability to export thoughts and tags from Napkin in JSON and CSV formats is highlighted as a positive feature. It ensures that the user's data is not locked into the app and can be extracted and used elsewhere, providing flexibility and control over one's data.

💡Integration

Integration in the script refers to the potential connection between Napkin and other tools like Obsidian. While there is no direct integration at the moment, the speaker expresses interest in such a feature, which would allow for a more seamless workflow between knowledge management tools.

Highlights

Obsidian tags can be daunting and exhausting to use, but the app Napkin uses AI to automate this process.

Napkin collects thoughts and uses AI to tag them, facilitating the creation of content by resurfacing related notes.

The app Napkin is built on a fork of GPT-3 and offers a lifetime access plan for $300.

Napkin provides four methods to input thoughts, including manual entry and integration with Readwise.

The UI of Napkin presents thoughts as individual pieces that can be explored and organized like napkins on a table.

Napkin's daily mix feature prompts users to review and tag thoughts, improving the app's ability to identify related content.

Users can archive thoughts in Napkin that are not relevant, keeping the focus on pertinent ideas.

Napkin's tagging feature is enhanced by manual user input, improving the app's ability to suggest related tags.

The app encourages exploration of thoughts through an engaging and charming user interface.

Napkin aids in the creation process by allowing users to compile thoughts into stacks for later reference or use in projects.

Stacks in Napkin can be exported to Obsidian, providing a seamless transition from idea collection to content creation.

Napkin's export feature ensures that users maintain control over their data, allowing for export in JSON and CSV formats.

Despite the lack of direct Obsidian integration, Napkin's API allows for one-way data push into the app.

Napkin's browser-based interface offers compatibility across various platforms, enhancing accessibility.

The app transforms the tagging process into an enjoyable experience, making it feel more like a game than a chore.

Napkin offers a free trial period, followed by subscription options, including a one-time payment for lifetime access.

The speaker emphasizes the practical benefits of Napkin in their workflow, particularly for initial ideation and exploration.

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