TiddlyWiki evangelization: An introduction to TiddlyWikis

A TiddlyWiki is a single webpage that you can use as a browser-based notepad or tasks list manager. The page is composed of tiddlers – small packets of information similar to notes you keep in index cards.

The tiddlers are editable — either by double-clicking on them or clicking on the edit menu that appears when your mouse pointer goes over the tiddlers. While writing your notes, you can make a word clickable either by using camel casing — joining two or more words but retaining the capitalization of their first letters — or enclosing the word in double brackets like this [[word]].

The word or phrase will then become clickable and when you click on it, it will open a new tiddler, which you can then use to enter notes.

An example: While writing your notes, let’s say, for your plans for the week, you might type “buy new monitor to replace unit at home” and decide to list your options (brand, specifications and where to buy it). You can either list the options under the “buy new monitor to replace unit at home” entry or you can make the phrase new monitor clickable so that it will open into a new tiddler containing notes on your options. To do that, you can either type it as NewMonitor or enclose it in double brackets [[new monitor]].

I find that I do my best note takings using a TiddlyWiki. I use a server side TiddlyWiki adaptation, though, because I’ve overwritten a lot of notes while trying to synchronize my TiddlyWiki at home and in the office.

If you’re still learning how to use a TiddlyWiki, you can either go to this TiddlyWiki tutorial site and try writing new tiddlers so that you can get a feel of how it works or you can download one of its many adaptations. I suggest you start with (Getting Things Done) GTDTiddlyWiki.

If you feel that you need a server-side TiddlyWiki, check out my previous post on my search for the perfect TiddlyWiki. I will be writing a new post on TiddlyWikis later because I have, again, decided to switch to another server-side adaptation.

Edited to reflect changes in my choice of footnotes plugin.

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3 responses

  1. And next time also the GTD Tiddly wiki? 🙂

  2. Clair,
    Yes. I will write a post on GTD TiddlyWiki. I think GTD TiddlyWiki is the best offline adaptation.
    Max

  3. Yup! I totally agree! 😀

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