Tools and tasks

There are countless tools for finding and organizing information, so we would like to point out the interesting or something specific rather than an ambition to offer a comprehensive portfolio of instruments covering the whole group of essential digital competencies.

Of the classic search engines, it is impossible to omit Google or Bing as a representative of the traditional extensive search tools with a global impact. The sound knowledge and ability to use them effectively, including the possibility of advanced search or filtering of results, allows one to find the necessary information effectively. For usability in countries with non-democratic regimes such as China, it is advisable to connect with an appropriately configured VPN. For users who care about their privacy, DuckDuckGo is a suitable alternative. It combines the possibilities of several services simultaneously and - unlike competitors - does not store an IP address (unless necessary) and does not create information bubbles.      

Of the less common search engines, it is worth mentioning Connected papers, which can search for scientific articles and find relationships and connections between them. The authors understand it as an essential tool for analyzing their scientific texts or patent preparation. However, it can also map the community of experts writing on specific topics or explore the authors' relationships. 

Wolfram | Alpha is a search engine that - unlike Google or Seznam - does not return a list of relevant results but tries to offer a structured answer. It does not give it in the natural language that the user should ask but in the form of a structured statement of information on the topic. The result is a response that should comprehensively inform the user.   

When organizing the results, it is essential to mention Pocket, which on the one hand serves to store interesting articles or links for further reading, but at the same time can recommend other content. RSS readers such as Feedly are also based on this principle. Artificial intelligence, which is used in such referral systems, is one of the key trends today.    

Another alternative is bookmarking systems, which had tremendous success at the turn of the millennium but are now somewhat in decline. The best known are Diigo or Raindrop.io, which allow you to sort, describe, and categorize the links that the user saves in them.   

This area includes tools for working with notes, not only for their creation but also for interacting with web bookmarks or sorting, searching, and structuring. The best known is Evernote, whose strong point is multiplatform, good usability on mobile devices and work with tags. OneNote from Microsoft is gradually becoming an important tool, the advantage of which is the ability to easily create combined notes (freehand drawings, photos, tables, text, etc.) and price.

A specific form of information organization is graphic systems, such as Miro, which allow you to place various information artifacts (files, documents, pictures, cards) on the desktop and so create multiple relationships. By putting information in a visible context, it can be understood differently and organized more efficiently.  

To organize files it is possible to use a file manager, such as a multiplatform Double Commander or the more well-known Total Commander in Windows. These systems use sophisticated keyboard shortcuts, work in two panels, or give the user the ability to use advanced filtering or batch file processing. Although less popular today, they are still an essential tool for managing files on a computer that goes beyond the banal possibilities of Explorer or Finder.