Obsidian.md for Scholars Series

This is the first post in a series that will help maximize Obsidian.md’s potential for scholarly research. I hope to highlight the many functions and capabilities of the program as I navigate my use cases, write my dissertation, and create an open-access notebook (OAN). However, to achieve this goal, step-by-step instructions must first address the basics of the program, given Obsidian’s steep learning curve. But don’t be afraid. Obsidian’s core elements are simplistic, and its basic functionality can quickly adapt to any user's needs and skill level. You do not need to be a coder/programmer. I’m not. See my posts Obsidian.md, Theorizing the Vault, oh and Here on pedagogy.

The format for these static tutorials will be performed as micro-blog posts. This is why I have separated them from the main blog. They will incorporate diagrams and breakdowns of User Interface (UI) fundamentals and maybe, just maybe, video tutorials in the future for the more arduous and complex tasks that would be difficult to write about. I want these posts to be short and sweet in order to keep them engaging and not sound like a new car owner’s manual. The language will be a mixed bag of formal and informal with a sprinkle of jargon (only when absolutely necessary).

These posts will serve multiple functions. First, to help the reader consider how Obsidian can be used to supplement or spearhead academic research. Secondly, to promote Generous Thinking. In other words, it is important to create a framework that encourages and supports scholarly and public collaboration in historical and archaeological knowledge production. Third, I want to make my research as transparent and open as possible so that you, dear reader, can use my research notes openly and freely as outlined by the creative commons that govern this project.   Lastly, to hold myself accountable during my dissertation writing. 

I hope many of you find these posts informative, engaging and entertaining. Please comment, make suggestions, or even, dare I say, provide critical, constructive feedback. As I have noted in the OAN, these sites (Rogue History and Rogue History Notes) are fluid and are contingent on the multi/transdisciplinary research I am performing. Research in Motion in the age of info-glut. How we navigate and create dialogue within these digital prisms of knowledge production are in constant negotiation with our changing world.