Springnote

Infobox Website
name = Springnote
favicon =



caption = Screenshot of Springnote
url = [http://www.springnote.com/ Springnote]
commercial =
type = Online notebook
registration =
owner = NCsoft
author = Openmaru
language = English
Korean
launch date = March 28, 2007
current status = Beta
revenue =

[http://www.springnote.com/ Springnote] is a free WYSIWYG wiki-based online notebook web application developed by Openmaru, a studio of game company NCsoft. Springnote takes the fundamentals of wiki in terms of collaboration, fast and easy editing, wiki markups, keyboard shortcuts, and linking to provide an online notebook web application that is aimed towards everyone. Springnote can be used for a wide variety of purposes - from writing notes, organization, scheduling, and group projects, among many other possible scenarios. Springnote is always in write-mode, enabling users to immediately edit pages that are saved through an autosave feature. Springnote also acts as a work space where you can easily share and access other users' pages through a community of user-generated content.

Springnote was launched first in South Korea in March 2007. The English version of Springnote was launched the following October and is currently released in open beta.

History

Company

Springnote was developed by Openmaru, a studio of a South Korean based game company NCsoft, in March of 2007. While NCsoft is popular for producing and publishing MMORPGs like Lineage, Lineage II, and Guild Wars, Openmaru is a studio of NCsoft that is dedicated in developing and offering new Internet services and web applications.

Openmaru was established by NCsoft in August 2006.

Name

The name Springnote comes from the combination of two words ? "spring" and "note". Springnote uses the word "spring" as a verb where one thing (or idea) springs from another. "Note" comes from the user’s perspective on note taking in their notebook. A notebook could be used for various tasks, yet it all depends on what user wants. Thus, the words "spring" and "note" together imply for notes that continue to spring, or in other words for notes to be linked to one another. [cite web
title = Why is the service name called "Springnote?"
work = Springnote
date = 2007-10-12
url = http://helpcenter.springnote.com/pages/487266
accessdate = 2008-05-28 ]

Launch

on March 2007. Springnote was released as an open beta service where much of the feedback from beta users was implicated in later releases. [cite web
title = Release Notes - Springnote Help Center
work = Springnote
date = 2007-10-12
url = http://helpcenter.springnote.com/pages/759034
accessdate = 2008-05-28 ]

Months later, Springnote attended the Web 2.0 Expo in Tokyo in November 2007 to launch their first release succeeding their original beta version released in March 2007. This was Springnote's first time promoting and exposing Springnote to the public. Springnote had a booth and also presented at a Launch Pad session. [cite web
title = TechnoKimchi at Web 2.0 Expo Tokyo!
work = TechnoKimchi
date = 2007-11-15
url = http://technokimchi.com/entry/Meet-me-at-the-Web-20-Expo-Tokyo
accessdate = 2008-05-28 ] Through this conference, Springnote received feedback on Springnote and also insights on how to refine Springnote. [cite web
title = Springnote presenting Web 2.0 Launchpad
work = Openmaru
date = 2007-10-19
url = http://technokimchi.com/entry/Meet-me-at-the-Web-20-Expo-Tokyo
accessdate = 2008-05-28 ]

Springnote also attended the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco in April 2008 as a diamond sponsor for further promotion and possible partnership opportunities with other US based companies. Springnote gave a presentation on how Web 2.0 applications (like Springnote) are transforming the entire country. [cite web
title = Speaker: Taewoo Danny Kim: Web 2.0 Expo San Francisco 2008
work = Web 2.0 Expo
date = 2008-04-22
url = http://en.oreilly.com/webexsf2008/public/schedule/speaker/9586
accessdate = 2008-05-28 ] Springnote's large booth attracted many and received excellent feedback and responses from conference attendees. [cite web
title = SpringNote - Wiki-based Online Notes |
work = zedomax.com
date = 2008-04-24
url = http://zedomax.com/blog/2008/04/24/web20-expo-2008-springnote-wiki-based-online-notes/
accessdate = 2008-06-09 ]

On May 26, 2008, Springnote launched an official website partnership with Yahoo! Korea. Through this partnership, a link to Springnote is now displayed on Yahoo! Korea's homepage. [cite web
title = Springnote & Yahoo! Korea
work = Springnote
date = 2008-05-28
url = http://www.springnote.com/yahoo/event
accessdate = 2008-05-28 ] With the release of Firefox 3 on June 16, 2008, Springnote is featured as a learning tool on the Korean Firefox website. [cite web
title = Firefox - Getting Started
work = Mozilla Firefox
date = 2008-06-19
url = http://ko.www.mozilla.com/ko/firefox/central/#feature-learn
accessdate = 2008-06-19 ]

Springnote is still in beta and plans to officially release Springnote during the second half of 2008.

ervice

Springnote supports OpenID authentication. OpenID is a decentralized, free and open standard that allows Internet users to log on to many different web sites using a single digital identity, eliminating the need for a different user name and password for each site. Springnote supports both OpenID authentication 1.0 and 2.0. OpenID is gaining popularity from many organiziations like AOL, BBC, Microsoft, Google, IBM, VeriSign, and Yahoo! among many other organizations acting as providers.web cite |url=http://openid.net/get/ |title=How do I get an OpenID?|work=OpenID Foundation|accessdate=2008-03-20] [web cite |url=http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/01/18/google-offers-openid-logins-via-blogger/ |title=Google Offers OpenID Logins Via Blogger|date=2008-01-18|accessdate=2008-03-20|work=TechCrunch|first=Duncan|last=Riley] [cite web |url=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2007/02/microsoft_to_support_openid.html |title= Microsoft to Support OpenID |author=Brian Krebs|date=2007-02-06|accessdate=2008-03-01] [web cite |url=http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/23461.wss |title=Technology Leaders Join OpenID Foundation to Promote Open Identity Management on the Web |date=008-02-07] [cite news|url=http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2008/02/openid-foundation-google-ibm-m.html|title=OpenID Foundation - Google, IBM, Microsoft, VeriSign and Yahoo|date=2008-02-07|accessdate=2008-03-19|first=Artur|last=Bergman|work=O'Reilly Media] When initially registering for a Springnote account, those that do not have an OpenID will have one automatically created through myid.net, an OpenID provider created by Openmaru.

Springnote is completely web hosted which requires no separately installation of any software. All Springnote functionality is utilized from a web browser. Springnote currently supports Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 2, and Firefox 3.

Features

Notebook Creation

Springnote allows the ability to create a group of content, conceptually, in the form of a notebook. Users can create 2 different types of notebooks, Personal Notebooks and Group Notebooks, each with its own attributes. While Personal Notebooks have the most flexibility in customization in terms of privacy settings, Group Notebooks are notebooks based on member affiliation. There is no limit on the number of notebooks users can create and each receive 2GB of file storage.

Dashboard

Springnote's Dashboard allows users to view the status of all affiliated notebooks along with statistical information on notebooks. Users can use the Dashboard to navigate to other notebooks or to view recently updated pages from their affiliated notebooks.

View Mode

View Mode is a screen mode designed for easy reading. [cite web
title = Welcome to the New Springnote!
work = Springnote
date = 2008-09-18
url = http://ecus-en.springnote.com/issues/9048
accessdate = 2008-09-18 ] Users that do not have writing access to pages or notebooks will see pages in this screen mode by default, whereas users with writing access follow the default screen mode set to the notebook.

Edit Mode

Edit Mode is a screen mode for users to create page content with. Users have numerous options and tools to choose from in creating, editing, and organizing pages. Edit Mode is only available on pages that a user has writing access to.

pringnote Editor

Always in Write-Mode

One feature of Springnote that is positively praised is having the WYSIWYG editor always in write-mode. [cite web
title = Become a Springnote Beta Tester
work = Kaisyu's Notes
date = 2007-03-18
url = http://kaisyu.blogspot.com/2007/03/springnote.html
accessdate = 2008-05-28 ] Immediately after signing in, users have the ability to set their notebooks to Edit Mode, by default, to immediately edit the page without having to separately push an edit button to start editing.

Back Up

Springnote offers features that allow users to back up their pages and data and save it to their local computer. Pages can be downloaded individually through HTML format or can be downloaded all at once in one ZIP file that contains HTML files.

Blog Posting Support

Pages created in Springnote can be directly posted to an external blog. While TypePad, MovableType, and WordPress blog posting are already integrated in the settings menu, other blogs can also be manually set up for blog posting.

Bookmarks

From within a user's Springnote account, users can set up bookmarks to go directly to specific pages when clicked. The bookmark panel is set up on the right panel. Users can also set a color to each bookmark.

Collaboration

While concurrent, real-time collaboration features are available in applications such as Google Docs and Zoho Office Suite, Springnote provides a turn-based collaboration system. While a set collaborator is editing a page, a notification on who is editing the corresponding page appears on the screen. When this is turned off, another person will be given access to edit the page.

Customizable Privacy Settings

Each page created in Springnote has its own properties in public/privacy and permission settings. This allows flexibility in terms of the utilization of individual pages. Users can specify each page to be viewed or contributed by a specific person or group.

File Compatibility

Springnote supports the importing of several file formats including Microsoft Word (DOC), OpenDocument text (ODT), Text files (TXT), HTML, and Hangul Word Processor (HWP) files. These file formats are converted into XHTML as pages in Springnote.

Linking and Creating Pages

Creating pages and links to pages are simplified through a link system that Springnote provides. Through a simple keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+Space on Windows), users can create links to either pre-existing pages or non-existent pages. Links to pages within a user's Springnote account are assisted through an autocompletion system. Clicking a link to a non-existent page in Springnote will automatically ask to create a new page.

Multimedia Insertion

.

Organization

One feature that has been praised by many is Springnote’s page organization system. [cite web
title = Organize Your Notes and Projects with Springnote
work = Instructify
date = 2008-05-28
url = http://blogs.learnnc.org/instructify/2008/05/28/organize-your-notes-and-projects-with-springnote/
accessdate = 2008-05-28 ] Page organization is made easy through a drag and drop method resembling the method used in Mac OS and Windows. From the user's Springnote account, all pages can be viewed through a panel to the left similar to Windows Explorer. This panel can be resized or hidden depending on the user's preference. All pages created in Springnote have a static address that is not affected by page renaming or page relocation.

Plug-ins

Springnote supports the use of plug-ins. Current plug-ins available include a slideshow, table of contents, paragraph title search, star rating, and calendar plug-in.

earch

Springnote includes various ways of finding specific pages. Users can search for pages in Springnote's homepage for public pages. Pages searched within a user's account includes an autocompletion feature when searching for page titles.

torage

All accounts in Springnote are allowed to have an infinite amount of pages along with text storage. Springnote also provides each notebook with 2 gigabytes of separate file storage.

Tags

Tags can be assigned to all Springnote pages. Tags can be assigned by keyword or terms associated with the page, thus describing the page and enabling keyword-based classification and easier search of information by folksonomy means.

Templates

Springnote has a wide variety templates that users can choose from when creating pages. Available templates include templates for projects, profiles, monthly calendars, weekly calendars, todo lists, class timetable, reports, meeting notes, etc.

XHTML Support

Pages created in Springnote are saved in XHTML which has the same depth of expression as HTML while also conforming to XML syntax. Thus, text formatting, along with page editing, allows flexibility and simplified formatting. For example, if the location of a user's page is:

::http://"username".springnote.com/pages/1234567

then the actual page in XHTML is as follows:

::http://"username".springnote.com/pages/1234567.xhtml

which can be easily modified and implemented.

Open API

Open API

Springnote has an open API available for developers provided by Openmaru. API documents are also available for Springnote.

Mashups

Besides the plug-ins provided in Springnote, through the available the open API, developers can coalesce data from other sources into a single web application to be implemented into Springnote. Currently available mashups include integration with Windows Live Messenger and Flickr.

Open Source

Xquared

Xquared is an open source WYSIWYG web editor module that is currently being used by Springnote. Xquared is written entirely in JavaScript and is based on XHTML standards, thus requiring no separate installation. Xquared uses Mercurial as a repository and provides various expansion points while also generating valid HTML documents.

ee also

*Openmaru
*NCsoft
*Comparison of Wiki software
*List of wiki software

References

External links

* [http://www.springnote.com/ Springnote]
* [http://blog.springnote.com/ Official Springnote Blog]
* [http://www.openmaru.com/ Openmaru Studio]
* [http://www.ncsoft.com/ NCsoft Corporation]
* [http://www.myid.net/ myID.net]