What is Zettels?

Give your note a recognizable title to be able to identify it in your notes list. Within categories your notes are sorted in alphabetical order. You may attain a print version by clicking on the title of the note.

A memo note can store various contents. First of all you may type in texts. In the field marked “Text” e-mail addresses and links to external websites may also be accessed automatically, if these addresses begin with http://, https:// or ftp:// for example:

http://www.domain.com

Telephone calls using Skype must be written
skype:Skype-Name (new line)
or for SkypeOut
skype:001-1234-56789(new line)
or
callto:001-1234-56789(new line)

Linking your search to Google
google:search term(new line)

Or find a place using Google Maps
map:street(optional), zip code(optional) city (new line)

In the space “Text” you can enter keywords, cross references and references. The maximum text length is 30.000 characters.

The space “Link” is for linking external contents. The contents linked are automatically opened. Depending on the type of file, you may need a browser plug-in, which you may download free of charge:: Flash, Quicktime. Enter the complete path in the space “Link”:

1. http://www.yourserver.com/images/picture.jpg

If you work often with a particular note, we recommend that you specially mark this as a memo note. This way you do not always have to search for it, but can simply call up the page with all your marked memo notes - it looks like a desktop then. If you log out from this page, it will appear again immediately the next time you log in.

You can create your own categories for filing your notes organizer. Of course, it is possible to change the name of the category or the filing at a later date. Within categories notes are sorted in alphabetical order by title.

Each note can be stored with a rating. Notes marked important are easy to find because you can click them on a separate list.

1. note not rated
2. note [+] rated
3. note [++] rated

If you wish to find a note using a certain search term, cite a keyword. In the field “Text” you may enter one or more keywords. Simply click the button or write the character “vertical line” (Windows: Alt+124) before and after any term. The keyword will automatically be linked and listed in alphabetical order.

1. |keyword1|keyword2|keyword3|
2. or two more lines
3. |keyword1|keyword2|keyword3|
4. |keyword4|keyword5|keyword6|
5. keyword with empty space (underline replaces empty space)
   |keyword_keyword|
6. or in the running text
   ... here is a sample text containing a |keyword|. Now it will ...

To insert a reference in the space “Text” click the button or format as follows:

[Ref: Author, Title, etc.]
Keyboard shortcut: Alt + R

You can insert a cross reference to another note in your organizer. Click the button on the note which will receive the cross reference.

Now you can work on the note which should contain the cross reference. Click the button . A cross reference with the title of the target note is created. The way to write a cross reference in the space “Text” is:

[Link:ID/Link text] or [Link:ID]

So long as you do not define a new target you can create several cross references with the same destination on different notes.

If you create a cross reference to another note, a cross reference will automatically created in the opposite direction. Thus cross references are available in both directions.

It is possible to receive an overview of the functional contents of your notes with surveys of images, references, keywords, links and cross references (links from one note to another).

The relative frequency of cross references may also be displayed in graphics. The greater the number of cross references a note has, the more important the note is. If you call up these lists from a category or after a search, the selection is limited to the respective category or the search results.

If you select lists from a category or after a search, the results are restricted to the respective category or the search results.

If you want to add a movie from Youtube, Google, MySpace or dotSUB to a note, enter the URL into the space “Link”. Use the “Embed Code” to link videos from Blip.tv. For playing Yahoo or Vimeo, enter the link Yahoo or Vimeo provides into a note's space “Link”.

Create playlists and upload the files to your webserver. Zettels supports playlists in the formats XSPF, RSS and ATOM. We have prepared a sample playlist for downloading. To automatically create a playlist using the XSPF-format we have prepared code pages for Linux in PHP and Windows in ASP.

You may copy a note to another user's account very easily. Simply enter his or her registered e-mail address. All linked contents on any webserver also remain linked to the note you have sent.

Certain information has to be kept alive. Here notes keep contents which should be updated immediately for all recipients after a change has been made. How it works: When sending a note, activate the option "Live note".

Here is an example of this function: You submit a live note to all your friends, keeping your contact data. If there is any change to your home address or phone number or any other addition, your live note is updated for all your friends' notes with a single click. Using the old, traditional way, you had to contact each address separately. Also, each person then had to make a change of your new contact data in his/her organizer. In our opinion that is too much trouble for such a simple procedure. A live note always contains live contents that show up on each recipient's note.

Are you interested in an exciting subject? Share your discovery with others. Simply provide a subscription to other users of Zettels. Describe your theme in as much detail as possible and copy notes to your subscribers. To use this service responsibly, only one new note may be submitted per day. From this point of view it is obvious that quality goes before quantity. Of course it remains your decision what you consider as quality.

Are you interested in what others have explored? Subscribe to the subscription offer of other Zettels users. Allow yourself to become inspired by what is appearing. If you are not satisfied with this offer, simply unsubscribe.

Have you got a good idea or found something interesting? Something which is not in any particular thematic context, but which is certainly not only of interest to you? Do it like in real life, put it up on the pinboard. This feature is open to all Zettels users.

The Zettels services pinboard and subscriptions allow users to contact each other by e-mail. You may prefer to close such opened doors. On the personal configuration page you will find the option for blocking all contacts to other Zettels users. Or you may opt to activate the spam filter to filter out individual e-mail addresses.

To change your personal user data, please click on your name/e-mail address at the top right, above the note, to access your account configuration. Here you may also change i. e. the background color or language setting. Should you no longer desire to use Zettels, simply delete your Zettels account. All pinboard notes you have submitted and all of your stored data will be deleted; nothing will remain. Attention: It is not possible to restore your notes from a deleted account.

You can import your Google Notebook notes into Zettels. If your notes program offers an export data function, import your notes into Zettels using a prepared MS Access database.

Zettels is not a dead end. Of course, you can export all notes at any time, for example, to a local database. You will find the export functions on the account configuration page. We are currently working on the possibility for you to export notes into a ISO/IEC 13250 XML Topic Map. Please remember to backup the contents of the Zettels notes on your computer from time to time.

In order to ensure that the functions of the notes organizer are easy to create, only those functions are available, which are applicable for each respective location. You will not be overwhelmed with an overload of information. The scope of the functions in your notes organizer adapts to the number and the contents of your notes.

Do not be surprised if initially not all of the functions listed below are available. They will become activated according to your personal usage. For example, if you do not use references, you will not see an icon for the reference notes list. But if you record a reference on a note, the icon will automatically appear for the reference notes list.

1. view note
2. new note
3. update note
4. delete note
5. insert contact details
6. add rating
7. full screen, large characters

1. list of all notes, sorted by date
2. most recently viewed notes
3. next note
4. previous note
5. last note
6. first note
7. random note
8. view several notes at a glance
9. hide note

1. mark memo note
2. all memo notes
3. remove memo note - the note will not be deleted

1. all notes listed in categories, titles sorted alphabetically
2. create category
3. assign a category
4. export notes within a category
5. notes without a category

1. cross references
2. designate note as the cross reference's target note
3. note is marked to create a cross reference
4. insert marked note as cross reference
5. backlink

1. image survey
2. keywords
3. references
4. links

1. enter a copy of your note, live note, subscription note into another user's account or put your note on the pinboard
2. new contact
3. contacts
4. submit note by e-mail
5. spam filter

1. all live notes received
2. designation of your own live note
3. designation of a live note received

1. pinboard
2. copy note to my personal account

1. offered subscriptions
2. booked subscriptions
3. own subscription offer

1. information (this page)
2. log out

For an integration of Zettels on your desktop, we recommend Mozilla Prism. Using Mozilla Prism, you open Zettels directly from your desktop, as you would with any other program. The surface of Zettels Mobile is suited perfectly for this.

Here are some links we have prepared for you, which should make it possible to quickly and easily set up Zettels with Mozilla Prism:

1. Download Mozilla Prism
2. Windows
3. Mac
4. Linux

Install Mozilla Prism and enter the following URL at startup:

https://www.zettels.info/mobile/

If you have been successful, the result will look like the following sample screenshot. You will find the Zettels icon for creating a desktop link here.

If you have not logged into Zettels for more than 150 days, you will receive an e-mail asking you if you would like to continue to use our services. Should you decide that your account and all data are to be deleted, you do not need to do anything. 60 days after receiving this e-mail, your account and all its contents will be deleted automatically. It is not possible to then restore your deleted data. For this reason it is always important that your e-mail address is up to date. If you would like to continue to use Zettels, it is enough to simply log into Zettels once again. That way we know that you wish to maintain your user account.

Zettels offers web content providers the possibility to integrate the Zettels service into their offers. Improve your web service by giving your customers the chance to copy interesting information into a personal Zettels user account. A visitor to your website can then not only print or e-mail your website information, but is also able to store it for him/herself. For this the Zettels icon is added to your web pages.

If you would like to make this free Zettels service available to your customers, write us an e-mail info@zettels.info.

Zettels was born after a discussion between Joachim Richter and the architect Christoph Rütter. What initially seemed like a nifty tool quickly developed into an interesting and larger scale project. “While programming and developing the concept I increasingly discovered the advantages Zettels could offer” (Joachim Richter). In a globalized network it is always a good idea to have access to your own data no matter what equipment you are using or where in the world you currently are without constantly needing to synchronize the various tools you are working with.

At the moment, to be able to introduce this service to you, Zettels is free of charge and does not use advertising. Should the costs for the Zettels service rise, Zettels users can decide whether the account remains advertisement-free by paying a fair price or else advertisements will be integrated and the service will still be free.

Zettels has 630 registered users.

Perhaps you have a suggestion to make concerning changes or improvements in the Zettels service. Please just send us an e-mail. If you find a problem, we would be very grateful to hear from you. We sincerely hope that you enjoy our Zettels service.

Niklas Luhmann: Kommunikation mit Zettelkästen. Ein Erfahrungsbericht. (Communication using note boxes. An experience report.) In: ders.: Universität als Milieu. Kleine Schriften. Haux Verlag, Bielefeld: 1992, S.53-61. (Excerpts)