How I Use Tags in Obsidian // EP 7 Mastering Obsidian
FromSergio
8 min, 43 sec
The video provides an in-depth understanding of how to use tags in Obsidian to manage notes effectively.
Summary
- The purpose of the video is to help viewers decide if tags are beneficial for their use in Obsidian.
- Tags group notes into themes, which can be status filters or types of notes, offering a way to categorize information.
- Tags create an indirect connection between notes as opposed to the direct connection made by linking notes.
- The video explains that tags are not necessary for everyone, particularly for those with smaller vaults of less than 100 notes.
- Two use cases are given for tags: as a pre-map layer for organizing topics before they warrant a full map of content, and for easy searching of notes using multiple tags.
Chapter 1
The video begins with an introduction to tags in Obsidian and their potential benefits.
- The video aims to help viewers decide if tags are useful for them and to provide inspiration on tag usage.
- Tags in Obsidian are a means of filtering the vault by grouping notes into common themes or status filters.
- Themes for tags can be varied, such as 'inbox', 'ongoing', 'working', 'analyzing', 'finished', or by note type like 'MLC', 'evergreen', 'quotes', 'literature', 'philosophy', etc.
Chapter 2
The segment explains the difference between tagging and linking notes in Obsidian.
- Linking notes creates a direct connection indicating that the notes have a specific relation.
- Tagging notes, on the other hand, categorizes them under a specific theme without implying a direct relationship.
- Tags function more like categories, simply indicating a relationship to a particular theme.
Chapter 3
The video advises on the appropriate situations for using tags in Obsidian.
- Tags are not a necessity for everyone, and their utility depends on the size of the user's vault.
- For vaults with less than 100 notes, tags may not be substantially beneficial.
- The video suggests that tags are more useful for those with larger, more complex vaults.
Chapter 4
The first use case demonstrates using tags as a preparatory step before creating a full map of content (MOC).
- As vaults grow, it becomes challenging to manage a large number of MOCs, especially for topics of transient interest.
- Using tags as a pre-MOC layer allows for organization without prematurely creating a full MOC.
- The video shows how to enable the tag pane in settings and use nested tags to create a structured tag system.
Chapter 5
The video demonstrates organizing tags within Obsidian for efficient note management.
- The presenter explains how to enable the tag pane and demonstrates tagging notes within a specific theme such as photography.
- Nested tags are used for organizing pre-MOC content, allowing for a more structured approach to tagging.
- The graph view in Obsidian can be used to filter notes by tags, visually displaying the connections between tagged notes.
Chapter 6
The second use case presented is the use of double tags for simplifying the search process.
- Double tags can be used to easily locate notes that fall under multiple categories, such as 'photography' and 'evergreen'.
- The search function and graph view in Obsidian support searching by multiple tags, which is useful for large vaults.
- Tagging notes consistently is key to making the search process efficient.
Chapter 7
A warning is provided about the potential pitfalls of excessive tagging in Obsidian.
- Users coming from traditional folder structures like Evernote may over-tag, which can lead to a cluttered vault.
- Obsidian's support for nested tags can exacerbate this issue by tempting users to create complex tag hierarchies.
- The presenter advises mindfulness to avoid turning tags into a folder-like structure.