Today's Deep-Dive: Linkwarden

Welcome back, everybody, to another deep dive.

We are going to look at something

I think we all struggle with, and that's information overload.

Drowning in save links.

Can never find that one thing you need when you need it.

Well, hopefully today, we can take a look

at something that can help you.

But before we get started, big thanks

to our sponsor, SafeServer.

They make sure this very software is hosted securely

and efficiently, and they can help you, too,

with digital transformation.

Check them out at www.safeserver.dste.

Yeah, I think that's something that everyone struggles with

in this day and age.

And so the product that we're going

to be taking a look at today that can help with this problem

is Linkwarden.

So it's self-hosted, open source.

You can think of it almost like your personal evolving

library of web content.

It's really interesting, because one of the problems

that it tries to tackle is this problem

of what they call link rot, which is you save a bookmark

and then you go back to it a month, a year, five years later,

and oh, the page is gone.

Oh, tell me about it.

Happens all the time, especially with the older articles

or more niche websites, things like that.

Yeah, exactly.

So what Linkwarden does is it actually

tries to solve this by not just saving the bookmark

or the link, but it saves the content.

So it will take screenshots.

It will save it as a PDF.

It can even save a readable version

of the web page, which strips away all of the extra web

design and things like that.

So it's almost like you have a backup of the entire page.

Exactly.

So you always have a copy of it, even if that website disappears.

That is clever.

But let's say I've saved hundreds of these articles.

How do I actually find the one that I'm looking for?

Well, I think this is where the organization side of Linkwarden

comes in.

It has collections, subcollections, tags.

You can kind of structure it, I guess,

the way that your brain works.

OK, so no more, like scrolling through this infinite list

of bookmarks.

Yeah, exactly.

And then it also has a really powerful search function,

full text search, that searches the contents of all the web

pages that you've saved.

And they've even got some AI stuff in there, too,

so that it will automatically tag things and suggest

keywords for you.

OK, that's pretty cool, pretty useful.

What if, like, I'm working with somebody,

like a partner on a project or with some colleagues,

how does that work with sharing research and stuff?

Yeah, so that's where the collaborative side of it

comes in.

You can share your entire collection with someone.

You can, you know, they've got granular permission.

So you can control who can edit and who can just view.

And it's not just internal collaboration.

You can even share collections publicly.

So you can imagine, you know, if you are a researcher

and you have a collection on a specific topic,

you can just share it publicly for anyone to see.

That is neat.

So instead of sending emails back and forth,

you've got this kind of central location

where everybody can see what's going on.

Exactly, much easier to manage.

Perfect.

OK, well, I hear there's a bunch of other features.

So let's dive into those.

What else does this thing do?

Yeah, let's dive into some maybe of the lesser known features

that might surprise you.

So for starters, they've got light and dark mode.

Always a plus.

Always good, especially if you're doing late night research.

And then if you want to integrate it nicely

with your browser, they have a browser extension

so you can save things really quickly.

You can even synchronize your bookmarks

across different browsers.

OK, hold on.

How do you do that?

So there's a tool called Flockus that allows you to do that.

And it basically acts as a bridge between Linkwarden

and your web browser so that no matter which web browser you're

using, you've got all of your bookmarks synced up.

So if I'm using Firefox and Chrome,

I don't have to keep them separate.

Yeah, exactly.

It keeps everything consistent for you.

And they've also got some important export capability.

So if you're coming from another bookmarking tool,

you can easily migrate everything over.

That's super convenient, I bet.

OK, what about some of the more techie features?

I know I saw on the website something about API keys

and SSO integration.

Yeah, yeah.

So they definitely have some options for power users.

So SSO integration, which is single sign-on.

So you can just use your existing logins

for other services to access Linkwarden as well.

So you don't need to create another password.

Oh, nice.

One less password to remember.

Yeah, exactly.

And then API keys allow developers

to build integrations with other software.

You can imagine if you want to automatically save articles

from your favorite blog or sync it with some other project

management tool, the possibilities are endless.

OK, so some serious customization

you can do there.

Yeah, definitely.

You know, I was looking at the website.

They've even got custom icons for the links

or the collections or whatever.

Yeah, definitely.

It's a really popular feature, especially

for people who are more visually oriented.

Yeah.

Helps to personalize your Linkwarden experience.

And then one of the other things I wanted to mention was,

they actually have RSS feed subscriptions built in.

OK.

Yeah, so a little blast from the past for some.

Yeah, exactly.

But it's still a really powerful tool.

If you want to keep up to date on certain websites

without having to manually check them all the time,

you can just use RSS feeds, and Linkwarden

integrates this really nicely.

OK, cool.

Cool.

This is already a lot, and we're just getting started.

One thing I'm really interested in

is the fact that this is open source.

So what does that actually mean for the average user,

and why should they even care?

Yeah, that's a great question.

So open source just means that the source code of the software

is publicly available for anyone to inspect and modify and even

redistribute.

And so this fosters this culture of transparency

and encourages collaboration within the community.

OK, so it's more about being part of a community

than just using this piece of software.

Yeah, exactly.

I think it's a really powerful concept.

And this community involvement has actually

led to some pretty incredible things.

For example, there are now community develop apps

for iOS and Android.

Oh, wow.

So you can actually access your Linkwarden library

from your phone or tablet really easily.

And there's also a really cool extension

called Starwarden, which lets you save starred GitHub

repositories to your Linkwarden account.

So if you're a developer and you're on GitHub,

you can star repos and it'll save them into your library.

That's awesome.

So I mean, just to kind of take a step back,

we've talked about all these features and everything.

But why is this important?

It's more than just a bookmarking tool, right?

Yeah, exactly.

I think it's about making your information,

turning it into an asset, building a personal knowledge

base, and taking control of your data

and ensuring that it's always accessible to you.

Yeah, I think that's a really great point.

And the collaborative aspects too.

Imagine if you have this curated knowledge base

that you can share with other people

and you can all work together to build

these comprehensive resources.

That's where it gets really powerful, I think.

Exactly, yeah.

And I think this is really a paradigm shift in terms

of how we think about bookmarking, right?

It's not just about saving links.

It's about curating and preserving your knowledge

for the long term.

It's almost like in the past, you

might have had a physical library, right?

You would go and check out books.

This is like your own personal digital library

that you can customize.

That's a good way to put it.

OK, well, we are starting to run out of time here,

so I think maybe we should take a quick break.

And when we come back, we can talk about some real world

examples of how people are actually using this tool.

Yeah, that sounds great.

I'm looking forward to it.

All right, we'll be right back after this short break.

It's interesting, as we were talking about the features,

I was thinking about how much the idea of bookmarking

has changed.

It's not just about saving a link anymore.

It's really about curating and preserving that knowledge.

Yeah, no, it's a good point.

It's like we've gone from like marking a page

to building this personal archive of information.

Exactly, and think about how much information

is lost every day.

Websites disappear.

Content gets updated.

Links break.

And this is sort of a way to safeguard against that.

Yeah, yeah.

It's like freezing a moment in time

that you can always go back to.

Right, it's like your time capsule for the web.

That article that you want to read again,

or that research paper, or even just like a funny meme

that you saw years ago.

And the fact that it's collaborative, I think,

adds a whole other dimension to it.

You can share this curated knowledge with other people,

build communities around shared interests,

even work together to build a comprehensive resource

on a specific topic.

Yeah, for sure.

I mean, it's definitely a far cry from emailing links back

and forth, or trying to manage a shared folder.

This kind of streamlines the entire process.

Yeah, for sure, for sure.

So I'm curious, what are some of the unexpected ways

you've seen people using this?

I mean, we've talked about research, collaboration,

but I bet there's some really creative use cases out there.

Oh, for sure.

I've seen people using it to curate travel itineraries,

build mood boards for design projects,

compile evidence for historical research.

That's cool.

Yeah, there's a real sense of community and innovation

within the Linkwarden user base.

So yeah, lots of different ways people are using it.

It sounds like people are really kind of taking it

and applying it to their own needs and interests, which

is really cool.

Yeah, for sure.

I think that's one of the beautiful things about open

source software.

It's very adaptable and can be molded

to fit a variety of purposes.

Right.

It's like you're giving people these building blocks,

and they can create whatever they can imagine with it.

That's a great way to put it, yeah.

And then because the code is open,

anybody can contribute to the development of it.

So it's constantly evolving and being

shaped by the needs and desires of the people who are using it.

Right, that makes a lot of sense.

I mean, it's interesting, right, because we

live in this world where we're just constantly bombarded

with information from all directions.

So having these tools that let us curate, preserve,

and share that knowledge in a meaningful way

it's pretty essential these days.

I agree, yeah.

It's almost like, as we're talking about this,

I'm realizing that this isn't just

a tool for managing information.

It's almost like a tool for learning and personal growth.

Yeah, for sure.

It's about building your own personal knowledge base

and connecting with other people who share your passions.

Yeah, that's a great point, empowering people to not just

passively consume information, but to actually

be active participants in this knowledge economy.

Yeah, so I mean, I think as we kind of wrap up this section,

maybe a good challenge for the listeners.

Think about how you currently manage information.

Are you drowning in bookmarks?

Do you struggle to collaborate?

Are there areas of knowledge you're passionate about,

but you haven't found a good way to explore?

I mean, if any of those resonate with you,

I think this might be a really interesting tool to try.

I agree, yeah.

I encourage everyone to give Linkwarden a try.

It could be the tool that you need to transform

your relationship with information

and really unlock a whole new world of knowledge

and collaboration.

And remember, you can always start with a cloud offering

if you want something that's really easy to get

started with.

For sure.

Or you can dive into the world of self-hosting

if you're feeling a little more adventurous.

Exactly.

Either way, you're joining a community

of passionate individuals who are committed to preserving

and sharing knowledge, which is a pretty cool thing

to be a part of.

It is.

Yeah.

And it's interesting.

We always talk about the downsides of technology, right?

Information overload, constant distractions,

feeling tethered to our devices.

This is kind of an nice example of where technology can

actually be a really powerful force for good.

Yeah, for sure.

It's about reclaiming that control,

fostering that collaboration, and making

knowledge more accessible to everyone.

Yeah, I think that's a really great way to put it.

It's a reminder that technology is ultimately

a reflection of ourselves.

And we can use it to create chaos and division.

Or we can use it to build bridges and share knowledge

and create a more informed and connected world.

That's a good way to put it.

So dear listener, as you go about your day to day

and you're navigating this massive sea of information,

just remember that you have the power

to choose how you interact with it.

You can let it overwhelm you.

Or you can use tools like this to curate it, preserve it,

and share that knowledge.

And who knows?

Maybe you'll even be inspired to contribute

to the development of Linkwarden itself

and add your own unique perspective

and help shape this evolving ecosystem of knowledge.

Yeah, no, that's what I love about these deep dives.

We start with this seemingly simple topic like bookmarking.

But we end up exploring these really profound questions

about knowledge and collaboration

and the role of technology in our lives.

I agree.

It's always good to have a reminder

that there's always more to learn and more connections

to make and more ways to share what we know.

Well said, well said.

And with that, I think we're going

to wrap up this deep dive into the world of Linkwarden.

Big thanks to Safe Server, our sponsor,

for making these explorations possible.

Remember, you can find them at www.safeserver.de

for all your digital transformation needs.

And to our listeners, thank you for joining us

on this journey.

Hopefully, you found it insightful and inspiring.

And until next time, keep those minds curious

and those bookmarks organized.

OK, so we're back.

And I wanted to dive into some real-world examples of how

people are actually using Linkwarden.

It's one thing to talk about all the features,

but it's another thing to see how people are actually

using these things in their day-to-day.

Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, the theory is important, but seeing it in practice

is really where it gets interesting.

Yeah, so let's start with a simple one.

Imagine you're a student, and you're

working on a research paper, right?

You've got articles from all these different websites

and notes on scraps of paper, maybe some files

saved on your computer.

It's a mess, right?

Yeah, it's a classic problem.

And it's not just students, right?

I think anybody who has done any kind of research

for a project or a presentation or even just

for personal interest can relate to that feeling of being

overwhelmed with information.

Totally, totally.

So now imagine using Linkwarden to bring some order

to all of that chaos.

You create a collection specifically

for this research paper.

Add all those links.

Organize them by subtopic, whatever makes sense to you.

You can even use the note-taking feature

to jot down your thoughts and insights

as you're reading each article.

And if you see a quote that you really like,

you can highlight it in the saved copy of the web page.

Oh, so it's more than just storing the link.

It's like a workspace almost.

Exactly.

And then this is where the collaboration comes in.

Let's say you're working on this research paper

with a partner or a group.

You can actually invite them to collaborate

on this collection with you.

So you can all be adding links and notes and insights.

So you're not like emailing files back and forth

and hoping they got the latest version and all that stuff.

Exactly, yeah.

It really streamlines that whole research

and writing process.

And this applies to not just academic research,

but think about a company that's working

on a new product launch.

They can use it to gather market research, competitor analysis,

design inspiration, anything that's

relevant to that project.

They could even have a collection

for customer feedback, gathering insights from surveys

and support tickets.

That's a great idea.

Having all that information in one central place organized

is really valuable.

And you know what, even for those of us

who like to really dive deep on a certain hobby or area

of interest, I love history.

I could see myself building a collection

on a specific historical event, adding articles, documents,

photos, maps, all that stuff.

You could even invite other history buffs

to collaborate with you on that collection

and create this really dynamic resource that

just grows over time.

That's a cool idea.

And it's not just about gathering all this information.

It's about really curating it, right?

With the tagging and the notes and the highlighting,

you're creating your own personalized version

of that information, which makes it even more valuable to you.

Yeah.

Yeah, absolutely.

It's about turning that raw data into knowledge

and then sharing that knowledge with others

to create something bigger than yourself.

I mean, I think that's the essence of Linkwarden

and really open source in general.

Right, right.

It's about moving beyond the traditional model

of information consumption and becoming

more of an active participant in the creation and sharing

of that knowledge.

Yeah, I think that's a really powerful shift.

Yeah, for sure.

So as we wrap up here, I want to leave our listeners

with a challenge.

Don't think of Linkwarden as just a bookmarking tool,

but think of it as a platform for curating, preserving,

and sharing that knowledge that really matters to you.

Yeah, that's a great way to put it.

Embrace that open source collaborative spirit

and join this community of people

who are passionate about making the world a more informed

place.

Yeah.

And you can find out more about Linkwarden

at the link in our show notes.

We'll include some resources on how to get started,

whether you want to go the self-hosting route

or start with their cloud offering.

Perfect.

And of course, a big thank you to our sponsor, SafeServer,

for making this deep dive possible.

If you're looking for a reliable partner

for your digital transformation needs,

you can find them at www.safeserver.de.

And to our listeners, thank you for joining us

on this exploration of knowledge, curation,

and collaboration.

And until next time, keep diving deep.

And until next time, keep diving deep.