Note Studio

Using Note Studio as a record keeper

Note Studio is a simple yet flexible program for managing notes. This article will show how to best use Note Studio as a record keeper.

The key to a record keeping system is to try and keep things as simple as possible, while documenting everything in a logical and sensible way. A complex system with lengthy procedures is ok when things are going fine, but as soon as things get hectic, a complex system is likely to be dropped, or conveniently "forgotten".

Note Studio can be used as a simple record keeper, as it lets you decide how to set things up, with a simple yet flexible system. Lets say you are keeping records about some of your clients. You might initally have all these clients listed on one page. As more clients are added to this page, you might find it is starting to get unwieldy, and decide to re-organise things. You might decide to break up the page, maybe into clients in different regions, maybe into different pages based on how important each client is. Note Studio works as a record keeper, because you decide how things are set up, and you can easily change the structure later if you change your mind, or the situation changes.

This flexibility doesn't come at the cost of complexity though. Note Studio uses a simple web like system, that is simple to learn, and easy to use.

The following are some tips on using Note Studio for record keeping.

Tips for using Note Studio as a record keeper

• Don't worry about getting the structure of your notes and records exactly right. Use the create page feature (F12 on the PC, /N on the Palm) to quickly create a new page. You can give the page a relevant name, or just use the name provided, and worry about renaming the page later. You can always use the search feature to find the page later if you can't remember the name. The most important thing is to get your notes into your record keeper, not to get it perfect!

• F5 (or /Z on the Palm), can be used to quickly insert the current time onto the page. This can be useful for tracking the time that events happened, such as logging a phone conversation with a customer.

• It can be handy to use indexes to data that exists outside of Note Studio. eg: If you have some printed documents that you want to refer to, you might put these documents into a filing cabinet, maybe under the correspondence section. If you need to refer to this document in Note Studio, you might leave a note on the page saying 'to see this document refer to the correspondence section in the X filing cabinet'.

• You can also use the "Insert Link to file" menu option, to link to files on your computers file system, such as important word documents, or other important records.

• To quickly see the last records you have been working on, use the Recent Changes feature. This will show you the last 10 pages you have modified.

• The back links feature can be used to see which records are linking to this page. This could be used if you have a record about a certain customer, and you want to see which meetings you discussed this customer in. Just use the back link feature, and you will see all the pages (including the meeting pages), that link to this customer page.

• The Palm version of Note Studio allows you to take your notes with away from your computer. This can be great way to reference your notes when you are away from the office (or even change or add content if needed). DogMelon also has plans for other versions of Note Studio (Symbian, and Pocket PC). Email support@dogmelon.com.au to find out more details, or to suggest other platforms you would like to see Note Studio on.

We are always looking at ways to improve Note Studio. If you feel Note Studio is missing a feature that would make it a better record keeper, please email us at support@dogmelon.com.au, or leave a message on the Note Studio forums