Tips for Using Evernote Effectively

Evernote is an app designed to help you remember everything; hence, the green elephant logo. The Evernote discussion forums provide a great place for users to exchange tips, tricks, and strategies. 
I post there under the moniker "Grumpy Monkey." I have collected links to the most frequently asked questions, outstanding, and otherwise (ever)notable posts. If you know of any tips, tricks, or strategies you think ought to be on this list, please let me know!

General

So, you want to get started with Evernote?
Idoc began the thread "List of personal tricks and tips (for newbies) by Idoc" to share his tricks and tips for new users, and this is the "most-liked" post on the forums.

So, why should I use Evernote instead of some other application like Dropbox?
Here is how the Director of Technical Support (Heather) at Evernote explains the difference between Evernote and other applications that share similar features.

So, you're concerned about security?
Users regularly post on the forums with questions and requests about security. These are valid concerns when using any cloud service. Dave Engberg, Evernote CTO, has this to say about SSL and database encryption (a comparison with bank policies), what Evernote does with your data, and the limits of Evernote security (they are not HIPAA compliant, for example). There are many, many more threads about the topics, but these answers are some of the clearest statements I have seen.

So, you can't decide whether you like tags or notebooks better?
This is a regularly occurring question on the forums, and it looks like everyone offers different answers. I avoid both, but I am probably in the minority. Owyn has some rules and rationalefor his titles and tags. BurgersNFries has great advice for using tags to replicate nested folders. Jbenson2 has advice on how to structure tags, how to keep them short, and hierarchical searches of his tags.

So, you want to contact customer support?
The Director of Technical Support (Heather) has explained how the support system works after you submit a support ticket.

So, you want to know where Evernote is headed?
Evernote will not release its roadmap, but they do listen to their customers, and sometimes provide a glimpse of how things work. Geoffrey Barry (Evernote Community Manager) says Evernote listens to customer suggestions. A community chat with the CEO and other employees offers great insights on things like their progress on the rumored due dates feature. Heather says Evernote is not going the way of One Note, and it is looking for feature parity across platforms.

So, you want multiple notebook levels?
Not yet! I don't use notebooks myself, but I can certainly see why people would. Here is one recent request for the feature.

So, you want to email yourself a note?
Emailing is a surprisingly effective and quick way to get notes into Evernote. The Knowledge Base has answers.

Mobile (Google Android and Apple iOS)

So, you want to change font sizes on the mobile platforms?
Not yet! Evernote Product Manager Xavier Delplanque says he'll put it on the roadmap. The Android platform tends to get updated quite frequently, so it may come soon! I haven't heard any word about iOS yet.

So, you want a default note to open on iOS?
Not yet! We don't have anything like this, but it would be nice.

So, you want note links on the iPhone/iPad?
Not yet! Here are some creative workarounds: preparing your note links on your desktop, copying and pasting note titles, and using random codes.

So, you want a wish list for the iPad?
Grumpy Monkey (yours truly) has several, and this is the latest one.

Mac

So, Evernote on your Mac is too drab? The Director of Technical Support (Heather) at Evernote has a hack for you to bring back some color to the application.

So, you want to backup your files?
The Knowledge Base has answers.

So, you want a wish list for the Mac?
Bogenschlag has one.

Windows

So, Evernote's "instant search" is slowing you down?
Peter has a hack for Windows users here. For most people, it might not be necessary, but once you have a few thousand notes, it is better not to have the search start until you have completed a query.

by Christopher Mayo