Notes Methodology

Michael Kinch
Michael Kinch Member Posts: 1,182 ✭✭✭
edited November 20 in English Forum

I am curious as to your methods with notes. I have found that after a while I can have many notes on a particular verse and the icons make the text look cluttered so I have devised a method to reduce the number of icons in the text.  I use one note for each verse and then separate notes for book, chapter and periscopes. My question is can I rearrange my notes according to verse or should I set up the notes when I begin a new chapter? What methods do you use in organizing your notes?

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  • MJ. Smith
    MJ. Smith MVP Posts: 53,397

    bump for attention 1

    Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

  • xnman
    xnman Member Posts: 2,832 ✭✭✭

    Michael....  I am finding the same thing.  I have come, by default, to use Notes a lot.  I have one verse that has many Notes on it each in different Notebooks, each Notebook involves a different study and each Notebook has it's own identification icon and color. But still, that is clutter as you mentioned.

    One thing I think would reduce that clutter is.... to be able to create a link to a book in our library and then put that link in a note. Thereby allowing to click on the link and instantly see the resource in the book.

    I am beginning to see there is so much that could be done with Notes... which I am sure the people of Logos that is smarter than me already see it.

    I use notes for personal studies... i.e. Holy Spirit, Godhead, Salvation Issues, and many more.  I also use them to help me when someone who is not a Christian asks me a question about something in the religious world I jump to my notes in my phone which I carry all the time, and I can quickly help them to find an answer from God's word and not my answer..  I use them to browse through to help remind me and keep me fresh on subjects. And I use them for lessons and sermons. 

    Maybe I am over-working Notes? lol

    xn = Christan man=man -- Acts 11:26 "....and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch".

    Barney Fife is my hero! He only uses an abacus with 14 rows!

  • Bob
    Bob Member Posts: 267 ✭✭

    I am curious as to your methods with notes. I have found that after a while I can have many notes on a particular verse and the icons make the text look cluttered so I have devised a method to reduce the number of icons in the text.  I use one note for each verse and then separate notes for book, chapter and periscopes. My question is can I rearrange my notes according to verse or should I set up the notes when I begin a new chapter? What methods do you use in organizing your notes?

    I generally have one note per verse, if in a bible, and I will not create a notebook.  Logos already has filter facets for bible books/etc.  I will create a notebook only for particular, specific topics that I study.

    I have made a decision recently as it relates to notes vs. highlights.  I have decided to keep notes and highlights completely separate.  Because I like using the filter facets to see all my highlights or notes when using the filters.  Previously, I would create note, then within the note, create a highlight.  But that highlight would not appear when I used the highlights filter.  Same with the opposite, if I created a highlight, then added a note, that note would not appear in the notes filter.  So, I decided to keep notes and highlights completely separate, because a "note" can have only one "Type" which is based on how the "note" was created.  I really like being able to use the filter facets in a resource to see "ALL" my highlights and then switch to see all my Notes.  But this does mean that if I want to highlight some text and add a comment, that I create two separate Logos Notes.  One a "note" and one a "highlight".  I'll see how this progresses.  I do not make tons or notes or highlights, so this works for me for now.

    Bob

  • GR43T
    GR43T Member Posts: 11

    I do pretty much the same thing except I will anchor my notes to a selection generally rather than a particular verse. The text cluttering doesn't bother me as you can use the filters to turn off all note icons easily enough. It seems to me that there are a few users like us who use notes as a way to make a personal "study bible" or commentary. It would be amazing if it could work like a regular study bible so we could link a seperate window of personal note to a bible. I know this is possible to do already using Personal Books but it is not as simple as taking a note if you want to make additions and keep it updated.

  • Michael Kinch
    Michael Kinch Member Posts: 1,182 ✭✭✭

    xnman said:

    Michael....  I am finding the same thing.  I have come, by default, to use Notes a lot.  I have one verse that has many Notes on it each in different Notebooks, each Notebook involves a different study and each Notebook has it's own identification icon and color. But still, that is clutter as you mentioned.

    One thing I think would reduce that clutter is.... to be able to create a link to a book in our library and then put that link in a note. Thereby allowing to click on the link and instantly see the resource in the book.

    I am beginning to see there is so much that could be done with Notes... which I am sure the people of Logos that is smarter than me already see it.

    I use notes for personal studies... i.e. Holy Spirit, Godhead, Salvation Issues, and many more.  I also use them to help me when someone who is not a Christian asks me a question about something in the religious world I jump to my notes in my phone which I carry all the time, and I can quickly help them to find an answer from God's word and not my answer..  I use them to browse through to help remind me and keep me fresh on subjects. And I use them for lessons and sermons. 

    Maybe I am over-working Notes? lol

    Thanks xnman. I agree, there is a lot of potential to the use of notes in our studies and probably most of us are using them a little bit differently. I think the key is to develop a plan based on the way that you study and then to stick to your plan. Part of my plan is to create a notebook for each book of the bible and also to create topical notebooks similar to what you have done. 

  • Michael Kinch
    Michael Kinch Member Posts: 1,182 ✭✭✭

    Bob said:

    I generally have one note per verse, if in a bible, and I will not create a notebook.  Logos already has filter facets for bible books/etc.  I will create a notebook only for particular, specific topics that I study.

    I have made a decision recently as it relates to notes vs. highlights.  I have decided to keep notes and highlights completely separate.  Because I like using the filter facets to see all my highlights or notes when using the filters.  Previously, I would create note, then within the note, create a highlight.  But that highlight would not appear when I used the highlights filter.  Same with the opposite, if I created a highlight, then added a note, that note would not appear in the notes filter.  So, I decided to keep notes and highlights completely separate, because a "note" can have only one "Type" which is based on how the "note" was created.  I really like being able to use the filter facets in a resource to see "ALL" my highlights and then switch to see all my Notes.  But this does mean that if I want to highlight some text and add a comment, that I create two separate Logos Notes.  One a "note" and one a "highlight".  I'll see how this progresses.  I do not make tons or notes or highlights, so this works for me for now.

    Bob

    Thanks Bob. I do something similar. I like to be able to see the text in a commentary etc that I have copied into my notes. To do this I highlight it and place it in a specific notebook just for highlights. I also copy it and past it into my notebook that I am using for my studies. Part of my reason for this is that we are limited to the amount of text that we can highlight (anchor) in a note. When I come across my highlighting in a resource I know that I have a note for it.

  • Michael Kinch
    Michael Kinch Member Posts: 1,182 ✭✭✭

    GR43T said:

    I do pretty much the same thing except I will anchor my notes to a selection generally rather than a particular verse. The text cluttering doesn't bother me as you can use the filters to turn off all note icons easily enough. It seems to me that there are a few users like us who use notes as a way to make a personal "study bible" or commentary. It would be amazing if it could work like a regular study bible so we could link a seperate window of personal note to a bible. I know this is possible to do already using Personal Books but it is not as simple as taking a note if you want to make additions and keep it updated.

    With the use of icons etc. You should be able to do what you are trying to accomplish.  The use of different icons and colors alerts me to the content of a note. When I read my bible and I see a note icon in my bible text it takes me directly to that note. Is that what you are trying to do?

  • Morgan
    Morgan Member Posts: 476 ✭✭✭

    I'm fairly new to Logos notes and used to keep my stuff organized with OneNote.

    I find that with the ability to drill down to specific books of the bible and being able to sort by reference that notebooks for specific books of the bible just clutter my notebook section. I've been experimenting with "category" notebooks - Words, Background, Explanatory Notes, Intertext, etc. that are anchored to verse and words respectively. Each notebook has it's own icon which makes it very easy for me to know what kind of info is in each note as I'm reading through my bible. I don't mind the clutter as I can turn off each notebook individually if I wanted to, and I keep my highlights in a separate notebook entirely.

    For topical studies they get their own notebook. They don't have anchors and I'm not sure how to make them more effective for searching through.

    Has anyone experimented with note labels?

  • Michael Kinch
    Michael Kinch Member Posts: 1,182 ✭✭✭

    I'm fairly new to Logos notes and used to keep my stuff organized with OneNote.

    I find that with the ability to drill down to specific books of the bible and being able to sort by reference that notebooks for specific books of the bible just clutter my notebook section. I've been experimenting with "category" notebooks - Words, Background, Explanatory Notes, Intertext, etc. that are anchored to verse and words respectively. Each notebook has it's own icon which makes it very easy for me to know what kind of info is in each note as I'm reading through my bible. I don't mind the clutter as I can turn off each notebook individually if I wanted to, and I keep my highlights in a separate notebook entirely.

    For topical studies they get their own notebook. They don't have anchors and I'm not sure how to make them more effective for searching through.

    Has anyone experimented with note labels?

    Thanks Morgan. I like to use notebooks because we can share notebooks. I haven't actually shared any notebooks but I do like to have the option. The majority of my notes are scripture related rather than topical. Some do relate to a specific resource though.

  • xnman
    xnman Member Posts: 2,832 ✭✭✭

    Has anyone experimented with note labels?

    I have not but the idea does appeal to me. I'll give it a try.

    xn = Christan man=man -- Acts 11:26 "....and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch".

    Barney Fife is my hero! He only uses an abacus with 14 rows!

  • MJ. Smith
    MJ. Smith MVP Posts: 53,397

    Has anyone experimented with note labels?

    I have used them for years - they are most useful when you want to make information about the labeled text searchable. The  resources such as these provide examples of how to use labels - those provided by Faithlife and those you make yourself work the same in searches.

    • Thompson, Jeremy. All the Altars in the Bible. Faithlife Biblical and Theological Lists. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2021.
    • Parks, Jessica. All the Battles in the Bible. Faithlife Biblical and Theological Lists. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2021.
    • Brannan, Rick. All the Benedictions in the Bible. Faithlife Biblical and Theological Lists. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2021. etc.
    • sermons and personal letters are other good examples - see Logos Help for these.

    Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

  • Morgan
    Morgan Member Posts: 476 ✭✭✭

    MJ. Smith said:

    Has anyone experimented with note labels?

    I have used them for years - they are most useful when you want to make information about the labeled text searchable. The  resources such as these provide examples of how to use labels - those provided by Faithlife and those you make yourself work the same in searches.

    • Thompson, Jeremy. All the Altars in the Bible. Faithlife Biblical and Theological Lists. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2021.
    • Parks, Jessica. All the Battles in the Bible. Faithlife Biblical and Theological Lists. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2021.
    • Brannan, Rick. All the Benedictions in the Bible. Faithlife Biblical and Theological Lists. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2021. etc.
    • sermons and personal letters are other good examples - see Logos Help for these.

    I think I've wrapped my head around how labels function, but I seem to be limited by my imagination. I've seen how MP uses labels to track illustrations, but other than that I'm not sure of what practical use they would be to me.

    MJ, do you care to share what useful ways you've specifically used labels?

  • xnman
    xnman Member Posts: 2,832 ✭✭✭

    Basically -- it seems that Notes labels have a broader repository footprint.  By that I mean... if I put a label on a note that is anchored to a scriptural text then that label is associated with all the place that the anchor is associated to i.e. Scriptures, other books, etc.

    Where as  the tags in Notes only have a footprint within the note itself or the Notes file.

    Therefore the notes labels are good/better if you want to search where all that label reaches.

    How far off in the stratosphere of the twilight zone am I?  [:|] 

    xn = Christan man=man -- Acts 11:26 "....and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch".

    Barney Fife is my hero! He only uses an abacus with 14 rows!

  • MJ. Smith
    MJ. Smith MVP Posts: 53,397

    xnman said:

    How far off in the stratosphere of the twilight zone am I?  Indifferent 

    Aways ... whether or not a note applies to all occurrences or the single occurrence is totally independent of whether or not a label is attached. If the note is made by reference it will apply to all instances of that reference (as a milestone); if the note is made by selection, it will apply only to the selected text.

    Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

  • xnman
    xnman Member Posts: 2,832 ✭✭✭

    xn = Christan man=man -- Acts 11:26 "....and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch".

    Barney Fife is my hero! He only uses an abacus with 14 rows!

  • David Taylor, Jr.
    David Taylor, Jr. Member Posts: 4,377 ✭✭✭

    MJ. Smith said:

    Has anyone experimented with note labels?

    I have used them for years - they are most useful when you want to make information about the labeled text searchable. The  resources such as these provide examples of how to use labels - those provided by Faithlife and those you make yourself work the same in searches.

    • Thompson, Jeremy. All the Altars in the Bible. Faithlife Biblical and Theological Lists. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2021.
    • Parks, Jessica. All the Battles in the Bible. Faithlife Biblical and Theological Lists. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2021.
    • Brannan, Rick. All the Benedictions in the Bible. Faithlife Biblical and Theological Lists. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2021. etc.
    • sermons and personal letters are other good examples - see Logos Help for these.

    Yes. Personally, I have used them to create a dataset on the calvinistic doctrines of grace. I can tag verses with each one of the points of TULIP and then pull them up in Bible searches.
  • Casey Gray
    Casey Gray Member Posts: 19

    I'm similar to you. I have a notebook for each book of the Bible and a note for each pericope or verse, depending on what I'm studying. I also make a notebook for a broader topical series (Holy Spirit), and a note for each sub-topic (baptism of, pouring out of, gift of, inspiration of, sealing of, etc.) But I also color code with yellow post-it for sermon notes, red for Bible class notes, and purple for topical sermon/Bible class notes. This is as far as I have gotten with my organization. I might create another color code for articles, and one for videos in the future. I like being able to see a note and know what kind of information it's going to provide. My sermon notes follow one template pattern, and my Bible class notes follow another. My topical notes are usually chocked full of not too obvious cross-references. 

  • Michael Kinch
    Michael Kinch Member Posts: 1,182 ✭✭✭

    I'm similar to you. I have a notebook for each book of the Bible and a note for each pericope or verse, depending on what I'm studying. I also make a notebook for a broader topical series (Holy Spirit), and a note for each sub-topic (baptism of, pouring out of, gift of, inspiration of, sealing of, etc.) But I also color code with yellow post-it for sermon notes, red for Bible class notes, and purple for topical sermon/Bible class notes. This is as far as I have gotten with my organization. I might create another color code for articles, and one for videos in the future. I like being able to see a note and know what kind of information it's going to provide. My sermon notes follow one template pattern, and my Bible class notes follow another. My topical notes are usually chocked full of not too obvious cross-references. 

    Thanks Casey. You have given me a couple of good ideas for working with my notes that I had not thought of.