Evernote – a must for mobile journalists

Evernote is one of the most used apps on my iPad and Macs. Used on any one device it’s a great piece of software but its cloud backend, allowing notes to be synced between devices with no effort, makes it a great way to work in both the office and when on the road. Here are three reasons why, if you’re not already using Evernote, you should be.
1. It’s an invaluable research tool
Whether you’re in the local library, working online or just putting together ideas, Evernote is incredibly useful. Start by creating a Notebook for the project you’re working on. If you’re surfing the web and find something, you can use a browser extension to either send a link or the complete contents of a web page into an Evernote note.
Of course, there’s the obvious application of being able to quickly type notes as you’re doing your research.
2. Evernote is multi-platform
The reality is that we don’t always carry our laptop or iPad with us everywhere. It’s more likely that when a spontaneous idea or unexpected piece of information comes your way that it’s your smartphone that will be on hand.
The mobile version of Evernote can run on iOS devices, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm and Android devices. Simply run Evernote and make your note or record some audio. Then you can sync back to the cloud and access the information from any other device you’ve installed Evernote to.
3. Templates
Although one of the great things about Evernote is that it can capture unstructured data easily, templates can be a great way to keep things organized.
On the Mac desktop version of Evernote, create a note that has the headings and structure you want to re-use and go the File menu. Choose Export and save the File as an Evernote XML. When you want to use it, simply import the template and you’re ready to go.