Despite years of failed attempts to get print and digital to work together, we are still presented with new ideas for doing so month after month. Most recently, cloud-based note organizer Evernote and 3M have collaborated on a system for digitally storing your Post-it Note scribblings.
It all seems straight-forward enough:
- Install Evernote for iPhone or iPad on your device of choice.
- Use said device to take a picture of a Post-it Note you’ve just used.
That’s it. Evernote saves a digital image of that note in a cloud-based folder, organizing it according to the color of the note itself. (You have four folders that you set properties for. For example, yellow Post-its can be stored in a folder called “Ideas,” blue ones in another folder called “Phone Calls.”)
And in one fell swoop, Evernote has quietly torpedoed the main selling point for Post-its. Using this system, you can no longer just grab the closest Post-it pad to hand and jot down your idea as inspiration strikes. Now you have to make sure you have four different color pads (Evernote has created some fancy pad holders to help you with this) on your desk at all times, and jot your “spontaneous” idea on the correct color pad, or you’ve just destroyed your organization system. Is blue for “To Dos” or “Emails” – ack!
It’s not that paper and the Internet should remain strangers (check out LinkNotes for an interesting take on digitizing sticky notes). Rather, the two mediums are like panda bear couples in captivity. The market keeps shoving them in a room together expecting them to get all romantic…and is always disappointed when the chemistry simply isn’t there.
