The Future of Bi-Directional Note-Taking Apps is Auto-Tagging

For linking to go mainstream, auto-tagging needs to be standard

On the surface, Obsidian and Roam Research are the hobbyist bi-directional linking applications in the market.

They do their job very well and present an array of features that matter to so many of their users and their workflows.

However, for the average Joe, the complexity of learning platform like Obsidian/Roam can be quite daunting and un-attractive for someone who dabbles in the productivity space.

So, when will we see a mass market bi-directional note-taker?

Evernote, one of the largest — more widely known note-taking applications have expressed interest in this realm of bi-directional linking — a few times in the last few months.

⌕ Why would be important for Evernote to add this?

Well, Evernote do still remain the mainstream go-to note-taker, despite their lack of innovation, and they do control a large part of the market in note-taking consumption.

If Evernote were to add bi-directional linking, then the chances of global adoption — as the normal — would be much more likely. Seeing as they have a very big influence on the traditional note-taking space.

🤔 Will we see a new entrant take lead?

But as a sole bi-directional note-taker… there’s yet to be a new entry that has overly impressed me, apart from Hypernotes from Zenkit — a very early days impression — gives me the hint that they could well become the Obsidian/Roam for the masses.

Thanks to the nature of the complexity of Obsidian and Roam Research, it can feel hard to grasp linking, however, Zenkit’s Hypernotes doesn’t have as many of these teething pains.