Choose carefully where to store your digital self
Originally, most of us used tech mainly for work purposes. Our employer used a particular system, we worked within it. There was no alternative and no real choices to be made. But soon tech started to move into our homes and our private lives. We embraced shiny new apps for their power and features. “Going paperless” became a “thing”. Companies such as Evernote or OneNote provided slick tools to ensure everything in our lives could be captured digitally. We began logging and recording our lives and thoughts as never before.
I jumped on the Evernote bandwagon about ten years ago and loved it. I liked the fact that my data was technically secure on their servers, available on any app platform I used. (Cross platform compatibility was my main criterion at that time). I threw my life’s content into it. Then, this year I became a little bored and decided I wanted to review the situation. But, how could I export my data from Evernote, then import it into another more shiny app without messing up or losing my data?
The importance of data portability
I ran slap bang into the issue of data portability (the ability to move data easily from one tech environment to another without affecting its usability). Using proprietary apps such as Evernote, where your info is in their silo, is both good and bad. You have the benefit of advanced features, slick interface etc. but the drawback of running the risk of being locked into their system indefinitely, perhaps even requiring a premium plan to continue using your own data. However, sometimes the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. There can be some “killer features” that make being locked in worth it — perhaps their collaboration features for example. But, I wanted the best of both worlds; features AND data portability.
I’m fairly techy, but my shoulders sagged at the thought of how to export ten years worth of data in a format that could be read by another app. And even if I did export it okay, where should I import it? I didn’t want to end up in the same situation another ten years down the line.
More and more people are now considering the implications of locking their data into a proprietary system and are becoming more cautious. As a result of this, a new wave of apps are being developed that promise that your data is yours alone, can be stored locally rather than within the company’s data servers, and ensure that your data can be exported easily out of their system when the shine appears to dull in comparison with a future new app. Or simply when boredom hits.
Data portability will affect people in different ways dependent on the types of files they use. My starting point was to find another note taking / note storage app to replace Evernote. (On my journey I also discovered the world of Personal Knowledge Management and Digital Gardening but that’s another story for later).
So firstly, what sort of file type to use? One of the most portable file types is the humble text file. Sure, it initially seems a little too basic and boring to look at, but combine this with the text-based Markdown language, and this simple text file can be transformed visually into a far more elegant version of itself. Simple text files have other benefits too. They are easy to store, can be backed up however you fancy, and can even be encrypted. But most importantly, they can be read and edited by virtually any program that can read text. So my decision on file type was made.
Secondly, what sort of app was I looking for? My aim was to find two apps that worked together with markdown text files. I wanted two apps because I wanted one system to store my digital paperwork; receipts, bank statements, bills, etc, and another to “think” in and be creative. To cut a very long story short, I chose DevonTHINK for the “paperless office” role and Obsidian for my “second brain” creative work. Obsidian only uses markdown / text files, whilst DevonTHINK uses Markdown, Rich text, HTML — basically a whole range of non-proprietary file types. Both have iOS apps, although Obsidian’s is currently in Beta.
The two apps have one fundamental thing in common. They leave my data, stored in my case in the standard iCloud filing system, outside of the app. They both sit above the individual data files and act as a “database” allowing me to query the information in my files whilst leaving them as simple text files, clearly visible in my standard file manager. This means that not only can I use these apps to work with my data, but if I want to, I can use 1Writer, Ulysses, Word, heck even textEdit to open my data. There is no export / import routine between different apps because the files share this common format. When I realised this was possible I was stunned. This combined level of data portability and feature-set was exactly what I was looking for.
As an added bonus, both of these applications above support bidirectional linking, which is a crucial feature of a knowledge base system and something I very much wanted to use.
To be fair to Evernote, there is a way to export information contained within your Evernote database. I managed this fairly easily through DevonTHINK which includes an import function using Evernote’s proprietary .enex files, but it certainly wasn’t for the fainthearted as it does require a certain level of tech awareness. ( Here is a useful conversation thread on how to tackle this if you’re interested).
So, before you decide to use that shiny new app, think about how you might want to use your data in ten years time. Are the features of the app that you consider essential right now, going to limit you exporting the data in the future? What if that company disappears? What will happen to your data? How important is the longevity of your data?
It is up to us as individuals, to take responsibility for our own data and ensure our digital self is kept intact.
Originally published at http://mundanemeanderingmusings.wordpress.com on May 4, 2021.
