March 21, 2011 at 13:46Our users: Maria Molina
Evernote is actively used by representatives of various professions, the memory is universal and everyone needs it. And yet there are specialties where without our service there is nowhere. One of them is journalism. Today we are publishing an interview with Maria Molina, the editor-in-chief of the news feed Vokrugsveta.ru, a special correspondent for RBC magazine and the editor of Slingomamia.com magazine.
Maria is a very active user of Evernote and for sure her many-sided experience can be useful to many readers.
Name: Maria Molina
Profession: Journalist
Website: Around the World
Facebook: mashenke
- Tell us a little about yourself. What do you do? How is your work day arranged? What are the specifics of the workflow?
Russian philologist by profession, I work with words. I earn money by journalism of various kinds, I have several unrelated projects and jobs. In addition, I want to continue my scientific career in the future and am doing something with the materials of my thesis.
My working day is very flexible, it can start at six in the evening, or maybe at eight in the morning. It happens that he goes on a trip, sometimes at home, sometimes at conferences and similar events, and sometimes, of course, at a computer in one of the editorial offices in which I work. Therefore, there is no and cannot be a permanent machine on which my documents would be stored. Sometimes it is a full-fledged Windows workstation, sometimes an iPad, sometimes a terminal in an Internet cafe, sometimes a netbook with an unstable mobile connection.
The most difficult thing for me was always to ensure that the latest version of working documents was at hand. Given that there are many projects, which means there are several current versions that may be needed at any time, it was incredibly difficult to keep things in order. All the time there were intermediate files that had to be asked to be sent to the online box and compared with each other. Some of the information was lost, some were not available at the right time. The part was fundamentally tied to only one place of work, which limited my capabilities.
- How and why did you start using the service? What platforms do you use with Evernote?
The first sign was the appearance of Google Docs. For some time I stored it there and gradually got used to throwing out the most urgent information on the Internet - either as a document in Google, or as an attachment to a letter in a mail service. But it was still inconvenient. You always had to have good access to the Network for work or spend time downloading (and then uploading back). Then, access to office programs was far from everywhere, or the software package worked too slowly. The advent of Evernote just turned my work life upside down.
I discovered this service by accident. Last fall, in a search for materials for an article about people who took part in their profession in Russia and then moved to work abroad, I learned about the existence of Stepan Pachikov (founder of Evernote - editorial note) and became interested in his business. Having decided to see what Evernote.com is, I created a trial account and uploaded some of my data there.
The real discovery was the availability of applications for Windows and iPad. Cars in one of my editorial offices are surprisingly slow; standard office programs cannot be run there if you want to have time to work. But I needed some kind of text editor. At first I worked in a browser, and then I downloaded and installed the Evernote application on a workstation.
It turned out to be very thoughtful, covering all my needs, including data classification (thanks to the label system, first of all). And most importantly, the application synchronized all changes with the server, and I could be sure that all the latest versions of working documents are available from anywhere.
Having mastered the Windows application, I tried Windows Mobile, but this version, unfortunately, turned out to be inoperative for me. As a result, In fact, for the sake of the iPad application, I bought this tablet myself. And never regretted. Now all my bundles of papers are quickly available to me anywhere, but can be edited offline too. I am not attached to any place, I can instantly switch from a workstation to a tablet or to a web browser on a mobile phone, work offline, occasionally connect to the Internet for synchronization, or work online if there is good access to the Network.
- What features of Evernote do you like most?
In the version for the iPad I really like the style in which the application is executed, as well as the ability to turn on the microphone and make a voice note. I use this as a voice recorder at press conferences and interviews. True, the recording is not very clear, it is not suitable for work in the hall, but the directional voice from a short distance completely takes. I do not like the fact that it is impossible to keep the formatting of notes taken under Windows. But this does not interfere with work - the application allows you to save a copy in a simple format. It is also worth noting the ability to easily and quickly send a note by mail.
In a Windows application, I really like the visibility of a set of notebooks. I can easily see which documents I have in my work, and without special saving, with a simple click, I can switch from one text to another. The function of sending by mail and printout of text is also very convenient. I also want to highlight the convenient function "Simplify formatting." If it were possible to simplify it to such an extent that the iOS platform automatically accepted the note, there would be no price for this button. What is sorely lacking is the function of counting the number of words vital for a journalist.
I appreciated the ability to put photos, tables, and other necessary files in notes. I believe that all those text features that are not covered by Evernote (text editing, formatting tables and texts) can be implemented in office programs and simply pulled to a note - fortunately, such cases are almost never found in my work.
- How did the nature of working with the service change during the use of Evernote? Maybe some of the functions you started to use more actively? Apply the service in new areas of work?
The most important thing for me is the availability of Evernote applications. Working in a web browser is not very comfortable, but applications are worth a lot. If we talk about new areas of work, I unexpectedly discovered for myself that I can also save check data in Evernote and keep track of my expenses, and also that it is very convenient for me to keep records from the library. I have not tried it yet, but probably with the help of labels and notepads I will be able to adjust the classification of my library of Old Russian words by creating something like a dictionary based on Evernote. I would be grateful to the advice on organizing such a system of accounting for words, dictionary values, dictionary nests, which could contain my extracts from ancient Russian dictionaries.
- Can you give any recommendations to users on the use of Evernote?
First of all, I can give a recommendation to actively study Evernote applications and their functions, as well as creatively approach the capabilities of this service. The data classification system that Evernote offers can come in handy in a wide variety of areas in a completely unexpected way.
- Can you recall the case when Evernote was especially useful and timely?
One day at a press conference, shortly after I put the Evernote on the iPad, I accidentally ended up without the usual notebook and pencil, and also without a voice recorder. The only thing left was to open the iPad and write there. It was then that I saw that I could make voice recordings, save notes along the way, keep them fast enough to cover the speed of discussion during a press conference - and that it is very convenient and does not require any extra equipment. It is noteworthy that at a press conference the discussion was about the use of cloud computing and the placement of data in the clouds.
- What would you like to see in Evernote in the future?
Maria is a very active user of Evernote and for sure her many-sided experience can be useful to many readers.
Name: Maria Molina
Profession: Journalist
Website: Around the World
Facebook: mashenke
- Tell us a little about yourself. What do you do? How is your work day arranged? What are the specifics of the workflow?
Russian philologist by profession, I work with words. I earn money by journalism of various kinds, I have several unrelated projects and jobs. In addition, I want to continue my scientific career in the future and am doing something with the materials of my thesis.
My working day is very flexible, it can start at six in the evening, or maybe at eight in the morning. It happens that he goes on a trip, sometimes at home, sometimes at conferences and similar events, and sometimes, of course, at a computer in one of the editorial offices in which I work. Therefore, there is no and cannot be a permanent machine on which my documents would be stored. Sometimes it is a full-fledged Windows workstation, sometimes an iPad, sometimes a terminal in an Internet cafe, sometimes a netbook with an unstable mobile connection.
The most difficult thing for me was always to ensure that the latest version of working documents was at hand. Given that there are many projects, which means there are several current versions that may be needed at any time, it was incredibly difficult to keep things in order. All the time there were intermediate files that had to be asked to be sent to the online box and compared with each other. Some of the information was lost, some were not available at the right time. The part was fundamentally tied to only one place of work, which limited my capabilities.
- How and why did you start using the service? What platforms do you use with Evernote?
The first sign was the appearance of Google Docs. For some time I stored it there and gradually got used to throwing out the most urgent information on the Internet - either as a document in Google, or as an attachment to a letter in a mail service. But it was still inconvenient. You always had to have good access to the Network for work or spend time downloading (and then uploading back). Then, access to office programs was far from everywhere, or the software package worked too slowly. The advent of Evernote just turned my work life upside down.
I discovered this service by accident. Last fall, in a search for materials for an article about people who took part in their profession in Russia and then moved to work abroad, I learned about the existence of Stepan Pachikov (founder of Evernote - editorial note) and became interested in his business. Having decided to see what Evernote.com is, I created a trial account and uploaded some of my data there.
The real discovery was the availability of applications for Windows and iPad. Cars in one of my editorial offices are surprisingly slow; standard office programs cannot be run there if you want to have time to work. But I needed some kind of text editor. At first I worked in a browser, and then I downloaded and installed the Evernote application on a workstation.
It turned out to be very thoughtful, covering all my needs, including data classification (thanks to the label system, first of all). And most importantly, the application synchronized all changes with the server, and I could be sure that all the latest versions of working documents are available from anywhere.
Having mastered the Windows application, I tried Windows Mobile, but this version, unfortunately, turned out to be inoperative for me. As a result, In fact, for the sake of the iPad application, I bought this tablet myself. And never regretted. Now all my bundles of papers are quickly available to me anywhere, but can be edited offline too. I am not attached to any place, I can instantly switch from a workstation to a tablet or to a web browser on a mobile phone, work offline, occasionally connect to the Internet for synchronization, or work online if there is good access to the Network.
- What features of Evernote do you like most?
In the version for the iPad I really like the style in which the application is executed, as well as the ability to turn on the microphone and make a voice note. I use this as a voice recorder at press conferences and interviews. True, the recording is not very clear, it is not suitable for work in the hall, but the directional voice from a short distance completely takes. I do not like the fact that it is impossible to keep the formatting of notes taken under Windows. But this does not interfere with work - the application allows you to save a copy in a simple format. It is also worth noting the ability to easily and quickly send a note by mail.
In a Windows application, I really like the visibility of a set of notebooks. I can easily see which documents I have in my work, and without special saving, with a simple click, I can switch from one text to another. The function of sending by mail and printout of text is also very convenient. I also want to highlight the convenient function "Simplify formatting." If it were possible to simplify it to such an extent that the iOS platform automatically accepted the note, there would be no price for this button. What is sorely lacking is the function of counting the number of words vital for a journalist.
I appreciated the ability to put photos, tables, and other necessary files in notes. I believe that all those text features that are not covered by Evernote (text editing, formatting tables and texts) can be implemented in office programs and simply pulled to a note - fortunately, such cases are almost never found in my work.
- How did the nature of working with the service change during the use of Evernote? Maybe some of the functions you started to use more actively? Apply the service in new areas of work?
The most important thing for me is the availability of Evernote applications. Working in a web browser is not very comfortable, but applications are worth a lot. If we talk about new areas of work, I unexpectedly discovered for myself that I can also save check data in Evernote and keep track of my expenses, and also that it is very convenient for me to keep records from the library. I have not tried it yet, but probably with the help of labels and notepads I will be able to adjust the classification of my library of Old Russian words by creating something like a dictionary based on Evernote. I would be grateful to the advice on organizing such a system of accounting for words, dictionary values, dictionary nests, which could contain my extracts from ancient Russian dictionaries.
- Can you give any recommendations to users on the use of Evernote?
First of all, I can give a recommendation to actively study Evernote applications and their functions, as well as creatively approach the capabilities of this service. The data classification system that Evernote offers can come in handy in a wide variety of areas in a completely unexpected way.
- Can you recall the case when Evernote was especially useful and timely?
One day at a press conference, shortly after I put the Evernote on the iPad, I accidentally ended up without the usual notebook and pencil, and also without a voice recorder. The only thing left was to open the iPad and write there. It was then that I saw that I could make voice recordings, save notes along the way, keep them fast enough to cover the speed of discussion during a press conference - and that it is very convenient and does not require any extra equipment. It is noteworthy that at a press conference the discussion was about the use of cloud computing and the placement of data in the clouds.
- What would you like to see in Evernote in the future?
- Stability of data synchronization (sometimes they can crash on failure on the iPad or in Windows).
- The ability to count the number of words.
- The ability to see the original data formatting on different platforms.
- A better recording of a voice note (if it depends on Evernote in any way), that is, the function of a “voice recorder”.
- More stable operation of the iPad application (it can crash if the tablet goes into stand-by mode or if the network connection is unstable).
- The Evernote interface for working through the web interface has practically no beautiful features and is poorly designed. If it looked like an application, it would be much more pleasant to work [Here, Mary simply guesses our plans, very soon the completely redesigned web client interface will be released. - approx. edition] .
- I really want a working application for Windows Mobile (but, as I understand it, this is not to be hoped for). Or at least a special compact mode for mobile network connection (maybe it is, but I still don’t know about it?) [Work on the client for Windows Mobile has really been discontinued, but there is an alternative People's Note client , as well as a mobile web Evernote client . Also, active work is underway on a version for Windows Phone 7 - approx. edition] .
- It would not hurt the ability to post notes to Facebook.