1/ A lot has been said about @tana_inc in the last week.
I've been playing around with it for a few days, and the hype is not unfounded.
I scratched together my first impressions & comparisons, along with musings from older tweets on what this means for knowledge work in teams.
I've been playing around with it for a few days, and the hype is not unfounded.
I scratched together my first impressions & comparisons, along with musings from older tweets on what this means for knowledge work in teams.
2/ First, a word on sticking with your current tool.
There's a lot to be gained from doubling down on one tool, but there's no harm in play 😉 I'm already seeing benefits cross-pollinating into Logseq - the tools complement each other well.
There's a lot to be gained from doubling down on one tool, but there's no harm in play 😉 I'm already seeing benefits cross-pollinating into Logseq - the tools complement each other well.
https://twitter.com/RobertHaisfield/status/1356255889917882368
3/ Let's start with problems rather than tools, as software exists to solve user challenges.
PKM users require frictionless input, organisation & retrieval of information to gain mental clarity, generate original output or improve outcomes in their field
PKM users require frictionless input, organisation & retrieval of information to gain mental clarity, generate original output or improve outcomes in their field
https://twitter.com/OneStuttering/status/1515661876465594375
4/ But the PKM circle is getting bigger as knowledge work evolves.
The benefits users are getting from PKM systems were inevitably going to be demanded in team environments.
We therefore need to add 'Collaboration' to the diagram above in order to facilitate working in teams.
The benefits users are getting from PKM systems were inevitably going to be demanded in team environments.
We therefore need to add 'Collaboration' to the diagram above in order to facilitate working in teams.
5/ Onto @tana_inc.
Tana is a collaborative information management tool.
Using other tools as mental models, you have the building blocks to build custom workflows like Notion, although like Logseq/Roam, it's an outliner built on a graph DB.
Tana leads as a graph DB in 2 areas:
Tana is a collaborative information management tool.
Using other tools as mental models, you have the building blocks to build custom workflows like Notion, although like Logseq/Roam, it's an outliner built on a graph DB.
Tana leads as a graph DB in 2 areas:
6/ Firstly, 'Organising'.
The supertag feature is a major innovation. Instead of a tag which simply states 'this note/block is related to this', supertags allow you to add multiple levels of structure & resolution to that relationship with user-defined fields.
The supertag feature is a major innovation. Instead of a tag which simply states 'this note/block is related to this', supertags allow you to add multiple levels of structure & resolution to that relationship with user-defined fields.
7/ So instead of hypothetically having to add '#meeting #ProjectName #John' to a block, you simply add
'#meeting'.
Your fields 'Project' & 'Attendees' automatically pop-up, allowing you to easily add the necessary details. This facilitates consistent structuring of information.
'#meeting'.
Your fields 'Project' & 'Attendees' automatically pop-up, allowing you to easily add the necessary details. This facilitates consistent structuring of information.
8/ Properties in Logseq allow for similar structure, but in Tana supertags are core to the implementation.
They're elegant, intuitive & the UI is gorgeous.
You can also display/manipulate multiple levels of information for multiple nodes simultaneously.
They're elegant, intuitive & the UI is gorgeous.
You can also display/manipulate multiple levels of information for multiple nodes simultaneously.
https://twitter.com/OneStuttering/status/1522587700548698113
9/ Side-note: The ease of manipulation feels trivial, but is an important detail.
I've been jerry-rigging project mgmt workflows in Logseq, & whilst they do the job, the inability to change information across multiple blocks at once has been frustrating.
I've been jerry-rigging project mgmt workflows in Logseq, & whilst they do the job, the inability to change information across multiple blocks at once has been frustrating.
https://twitter.com/OneStuttering/status/1540253592929685504
10/ The other dimension where Tana shines is collaboration.
Whilst you can use Tana for PKM, I'm thinking about it more for 'collective knowledge management'. It serves as a great team hub, combining knowledge repositories and task mgmt/workflow orchestration in one interface.
Whilst you can use Tana for PKM, I'm thinking about it more for 'collective knowledge management'. It serves as a great team hub, combining knowledge repositories and task mgmt/workflow orchestration in one interface.
11/ Think of it as a blank canvas, allowing you to build whatever your team needs, e.g. bug tracking, OKRs, product backlogs, documentation, even CRMs.
Importantly, you can cleanly separate work and personal information, and seamlessly share information between your workspaces.
Importantly, you can cleanly separate work and personal information, and seamlessly share information between your workspaces.
12/ Beyond the team environment, @tana_inc is excellent for collaborative research and knowledge synthesis.
The ability to natively structure ontologies in a multi-player 'tool for thought' is a step-change in building discourse graphs.
scalingsynthesis.com/R-What-is-a-Di…
The ability to natively structure ontologies in a multi-player 'tool for thought' is a step-change in building discourse graphs.
scalingsynthesis.com/R-What-is-a-Di…
13/ So is it @logseq + @airtable as I initially thought?
Not quite.
I use Airtable as a back-end for building no-code custom applications with their API integrations, and for sharing data with clients.
Tana can't do that yet, but it's still early days.
Not quite.
I use Airtable as a back-end for building no-code custom applications with their API integrations, and for sharing data with clients.
Tana can't do that yet, but it's still early days.
https://twitter.com/OneStuttering/status/1575847170741108737
14/ I had previously said that if @NotionHQ and @Obsdmd had a baby, it would look like @logseq.
Well, it looks like Notion and Logseq had a baby, and its name is @tana_inc.
Well, it looks like Notion and Logseq had a baby, and its name is @tana_inc.
https://twitter.com/OneStuttering/status/1537157174060896256
15/ There's more to be said on Tana and how it compares with other programs (esp. Logseq in my case), but I will make a more detailed video in a few weeks.
I think another interesting area to think about is related to the challenges in the 'world of work'.
I think another interesting area to think about is related to the challenges in the 'world of work'.
16/ Collective knowledge management is hard.
"Collective systems require bureaucracy (the good kind): structure, accountabilities, and governance. They need significant upfront investment in building consensus and setting up team norms."
"Collective systems require bureaucracy (the good kind): structure, accountabilities, and governance. They need significant upfront investment in building consensus and setting up team norms."
https://twitter.com/OneStuttering/status/1503827067946913793
17/ And software is only half of the solution. The real challenge is in implementation.
"Software is like a lump of clay, waiting to be moulded according to your organisational requirements... most do not have a clear understanding of their requirements."
"Software is like a lump of clay, waiting to be moulded according to your organisational requirements... most do not have a clear understanding of their requirements."
https://twitter.com/OneStuttering/status/1498693347980021766
18/ What does this mean for rollout?
Developing effective team hubs requires a significant upfront investment to map workflows & requirements.
There also needs to be tolerance for the messiness of emergent development, as things will probably get worse before they get better.
Developing effective team hubs requires a significant upfront investment to map workflows & requirements.
There also needs to be tolerance for the messiness of emergent development, as things will probably get worse before they get better.
19/ Adoption and user education will be major areas of friction.
PKM 'nerds' are one population - organisations are a different beast with their own inertia.
Teams will need to overcome resistance to change and grok the new paradigm before it can be effectively implemented.
PKM 'nerds' are one population - organisations are a different beast with their own inertia.
Teams will need to overcome resistance to change and grok the new paradigm before it can be effectively implemented.
20/ Overall, it's an exciting time for PKM/CKM in general. There are many great minds working across different tools to make our lives so much easier.
I feel like a chimp playing with the dials, whilst they work their magic behind the scenes. Thanks for all you're doing 🙏🏽
I feel like a chimp playing with the dials, whilst they work their magic behind the scenes. Thanks for all you're doing 🙏🏽
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