Note to Self: Google Notebook is Pretty Cool
Google’s browser-based clipboard service never really appealed to me until recently. The thing is, I’ve been a del.icio.us man as long as I can remember. Whenever I want to make a note, remind myself of links to revisit or share YouTube videos with my equally geeked-out friends, I post a URL to del.icio.us.
However, I forced myself to give Google Notebook a try last month as part of my ongoing The Google Life project. The goal is to replace all of my apps and web services with a Google alternative whenever there’s an opportunity just to see if it can be done.
So, bye bye del.icio.us, hello Google Notebook.
The first thing I realized is that Google Notebook is quite a different beast than del.icio.us, Ma.gnolia and the other bookmark sharing services out there. It’s closer to Clipmarks, or even something like EverNote, than it is to any existing bookmark service.
Google Notebook, plain and simple, is a way to extend your memory while you’re surfing around the web. It’s like keeping a Moleskine in your browser’s back pocket. Take notes, enter URLs and comment on why you saved them. Anything you encounter on the web — photos, images, URLs, bits of text, contact information — can be saved in your notebook or in multiple notebooks. Your items are private, but you can choose to share them on a simple web page if you want. Your public web page even has an RSS feed.
There’s also a browser extension for IE and Firefox that makes Google Notebook much easier to use. The extension (you’re prompted to download it when you log in) gives you a little Ajaxy pop-up at the bottom of the current page that simplifies and speeds the process of generating new notes.
I started out using Google Notebook without the extension. I usually dedicate Camino to my Google apps, and there’s no extension for that browser. After a few days, I started using the extension. Immediately, I found that I was using Google Notebook much more often. Also, last month’s redesign has made the app even more user-friendly.
Also, I don’t use it the same way as del.icio.us. I tend to put more "quick notes" style stuff into my Google Notebook, like the notes I’ll take when I’m researching an article. For YouTube videos, links to blog posts or news pieces I want to read, I still use del.icio.us almost exclusively.
Things I like about Google Notebook:
- Powerful extension for Firefox and IE lets you clip notes without leaving the page you’re reading
- Ability to publish a "river of notes" to a public URL with an RSS feed
- Drag-and-drop notes between notebook sections within the Ajax interface
- Drag-and-drop text and images into new notes from other browser windows/tabs.
Things I dislike about Google Notebook:
- Not nearly as useful without the browser extension
- No "user clusters" or sharing circles, a la del.icio.us and Clipmarks
- No tags?
Google Notebook’s UI. Click under notes (white boxes) and note sections (blue header boxes) to add notes.
Google Notebook’s sharing options.
The Google Notebook extension running in Firefox.
