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 easier for users to organize and retrieve information. It collects thoughts, uses AI to tag them, and helps in creating content by linking similar notes. The speaker shares their experience with Napkin, demonstrating its features like manual tagging, web clipper, and integration with Readwise. They also discuss the app's UI, tagging and reviewing process, and how it aids in the ideation phase of content creation. The video concludes with the benefits of Napkin and offers a free trial link for interested viewers.

Takeaways

  • 📌 The speaker finds tagging in Obsidian daunting and prefers using links and metadata.
  • 🤖 An app called Napkin is introduced, which uses AI to automatically assign tags to thoughts.
  • 🔍 Napkin collects thoughts, tags them with AI, and helps in creating content by resurfacing similar notes.
  • 🕒 The speaker has been using Napkin for seven months and has invested in its Believer plan for lifetime access.
  • 🔗 There are four ways to input thoughts into Napkin: manually, using a web clipper, an iOS app, and through Readwise.
  • 🎨 Napkin's interface is visually appealing, with a unique way to explore and organize thoughts like pieces of napkin.
  • 📝 The app encourages a daily review of thoughts, which can be tagged and archived within the app.
  • 🔑 Napkin's tagging feature is enhanced by both the AI's automatic suggestions and the user's manual additions.
  • 💡 The app aids in the creative process by allowing users to explore related thoughts and build upon them.
  • 📚 Napkin can export thoughts and tags in JSON and CSV formats, ensuring data isn't locked within the app.
  • 🚀 The speaker envisions a potential integration between Napkin and Obsidian for a more seamless workflow.

Q & A

  • What is the main purpose of the app Napkin mentioned in the video?

    -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 Napkin use AI to assist users with tagging?

    -Napkin uses a fork of GPT-3 to automatically assign tags to each thought, reducing the manual effort required from the user.

  • What are the different ways to input thoughts into Napkin?

    -Thoughts can be input into Napkin manually, through a web clipper extension for Chrome, via the iOS app, or by using Readwise integration to import highlights.

  • 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 and has it set up to sync with Napkin, allowing Napkin to pull in Readwise highlights.

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

    -The 'daily mix' feature in Napkin is a set of thoughts that the app prompts the user to review daily. It prioritizes older thoughts and allows the user to add or modify tags as needed.

  • How does the speaker describe the user interface of Napkin?

    -The speaker finds the user interface of Napkin charming and addictive, comparing the display of thoughts to little bits of napkin spread out on a table, which makes it enjoyable to explore highlights.

  • What is the process of creating content using Napkin as described in the video?

    -The speaker describes using Napkin for ideation by searching for relevant tags, creating a 'stack' of related thoughts, and then copying the stack content to the clipboard to be pasted into Obsidian for further organization and note creation.

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

    -The 'stacks' feature in Napkin allows users to group related thoughts together, like a pile of napkins, making it easier to organize ideas and create content by dragging and dropping thoughts into different sections of a stack.

  • How does the speaker view the exportability of tags and thoughts in Napkin?

    -The speaker appreciates that Napkin allows users to export their thoughts and tags in JSON and CSV formats, ensuring that the data is not locked into the app and can be easily parsed and utilized elsewhere.

  • What are the speaker's thoughts on the potential integration between Napkin and Obsidian?

    -The speaker is open to the idea of an integration between Napkin and Obsidian but acknowledges that it would require careful consideration and development to ensure it works effectively without compromising privacy or functionality.

  • What is the cost of using Napkin and what are the different subscription options available?

    -Napkin offers a 30-day free trial, after which users can choose a monthly subscription for $10 or a yearly subscription for $8. There is also a one-time payment option of $300 for lifetime access, known as the Believer plan.

Outlines

00:00

📌 Embracing AI-Powered Tagging with Napkin

The speaker expresses initial reluctance towards using tags in Obsidian, favoring links and metadata instead. They introduce Napkin, an AI-driven app that automates the tagging process, and explain its three main functions: collecting thoughts, auto-tagging with AI, and aiding content creation by surfacing related notes. The speaker has been using Napkin for seven months, has invested in its Believer plan for lifetime access, and highlights four ways to input thoughts into the app, including manual entry and integration with Readwise.

05:00

🔍 Enhancing Note Organization with Napkin's Tagging System

The speaker dives into the daily use of Napkin, focusing on the tagging and reviewing process. They describe the app's interface, the tagging system, and how it suggests tags based on the content. The speaker also discusses the process of reviewing and refining tags, the ability to archive irrelevant thoughts, and the overall enjoyable experience of interacting with the app's user interface. They highlight how the app's tagging feature helps in exploring and connecting thoughts, and how it can be used to prepare for talks and presentations by organizing relevant ideas.

10:02

🛠️ Ideation and Content Creation with Napkin's Stacks

The speaker outlines their workflow for using Napkin to prepare for a talk, detailing how they use the app's 'stacks' feature to organize and categorize thoughts. They demonstrate how to search for specific tags, create new stacks, and drag and drop thoughts into different sections of a stack. The process includes transferring the stack's content to Obsidian, where it can be further developed into a comprehensive note. The speaker also discusses the ability to export thoughts and tags from Napkin in JSON and CSV formats, ensuring that the data is not locked within the app.

15:03

🌐 The Future of Napkin and Integration with Obsidian

In the final paragraph, the speaker reflects on the potential for Napkin to integrate with Obsidian, expressing both excitement and caution. They mention ongoing discussions with TfTHacker about a possible integration and the need for careful consideration to ensure privacy and functionality. The speaker also appreciates Napkin's browser-based accessibility and its ability to enhance the process of idea exploration and note-taking. They conclude by inviting viewers to try Napkin with a provided link for a 30-day free trial and outline the subscription options available.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Tags

Tags are labels or keywords used to categorize and organize content, making it easier to find and relate similar information. In the context of the video, the creator initially finds the process of tagging notes daunting but later appreciates how the app Napkin uses AI to automate this task, enhancing the organization and retrieval of thoughts and ideas.

💡Links

Links, in the video, refer to connections made between different pieces of information or notes, creating a semantic web that aids in understanding relationships and contexts. The speaker mentions that links are semantic and easy to create, indicating their importance in the knowledge management process.

💡Metadata

Metadata provides additional information about data, such as the author, date, or tags. The speaker mentions using metadata in templates for new notes, which streamlines the process of organizing and categorizing information within the note-taking system.

💡Napkin

Napkin is an app introduced in the video that leverages AI to automate the tagging of thoughts and ideas. It collects thoughts, assigns tags using a fork of GPT-3, and helps in the ideation process by surfacing related notes. The app represents a breakthrough for the creator in overcoming the barrier of manual tagging.

💡AI

AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is the technology that powers the automatic tagging feature in the Napkin app. It uses a version of GPT-3 to understand the content of thoughts and assign relevant tags, thereby reducing the manual effort required for organizing notes.

💡Readwise

Readwise is an app mentioned in the video that the creator uses to consume and highlight content from the internet. It has an integration with Napkin, allowing highlights to be automatically imported into Napkin, which then uses AI to tag these highlights.

💡Daily Mix

The 'Daily Mix' in the context of the video is a feature within the Napkin app that prompts the user to review a set of thoughts. It prioritizes older thoughts, allowing the user to add or refine tags, thus enhancing the organization and retrieval of information.

💡Stacks

Stacks in the Napkin app are a way to group related thoughts together, similar to a pile of napkins. The creator uses stacks to organize ideas for talks or projects, creating a visual and intuitive method for managing complex information.

💡Export

The ability to export thoughts and tags from the Napkin app is highlighted as a crucial feature. It allows users to maintain control over their data, offering the flexibility to move or use the data outside of the app in formats like JSON and CSV.

💡Integration

Integration in the video refers to the potential connection between Napkin and other tools like Obsidian. While currently lacking a direct integration, the creator expresses interest in exploring how thoughts and tags from Napkin could be applied within Obsidian to streamline the note-taking process.

💡Ideation

Ideation is the process of generating ideas or concepts, which is a key aspect of the Napkin app's utility. The creator uses Napkin to initiate the brainstorming process for talks or other content creation, leveraging the app's AI-powered tagging to discover and connect relevant thoughts.

Highlights

Tags in Obsidian are daunting and exhausting for some users.

Napkin is an app that uses AI to automatically assign tags to thoughts.

Napkin collects thoughts, uses AI for tagging, and helps create content by resurfacing similar notes.

The speaker has been using Napkin for seven months and has invested in the Believer plan for lifetime access.

Four ways to input thoughts into Napkin: manually, web clipper, iOS app, and through Readwise.

Napkin's UI represents thoughts as napkins spread on a table, enhancing the exploration experience.

Daily mix in Napkin reviews older thoughts and allows for the addition of manual tags.

Napkin's tagging process is made more enjoyable with pre-assigned 'magic' tags.

The app archives irrelevant thoughts, removing them from the main thought pool.

Napkin surfaces related notes even when they don't match the search tags, expanding the user's perspective.

As manual tagging and highlighting increase, Napkin improves its magic tag assignments and thought similarity identification.

Napkin aids in the creation process by helping to ideate and organize talks or content based on tags.

The stack feature in Napkin allows for the organization of thoughts into categorized piles.

Content from Napkin can be exported to other platforms like Obsidian, avoiding data lock-in.

Napkin's API currently allows for a one-way push of thoughts into the app.

The lack of direct Obsidian integration is a limitation, but the community is exploring potential solutions.

Napkin's browser-based interface enhances its accessibility across different platforms.

Napkin transforms the chore of tagging into a more enjoyable and game-like experience.

The app increases the user's efficiency in processing highlights from Readwise before creating notes in Obsidian.

Napkin offers a 30-day free trial, with subscription options and a lifetime Believer plan.