Paper vs. PDAs

I have modified for the blog a comment I sent to Sacha Chua in response to her post about using her moleskine to network socially, because she was considering ditching it for a PDA.

She wrote:

Would a PDA be better for this kind of notetaking? I like not having to look at the paper while I'm writing. I can usually read my handwriting afterwards. I can use digital ink, I guess, but it doesn't quite feel the same. Besides, my fountain pen gets oohs and aahs. ;) (Yes, I'm silly!) Sure, I have to copy information out again, but that reinforces the links. (And I don't have to worry about battery life...)

Still, I'll try firing up my iPaq again and seeing if that works for me. Could it be any better than my beloved Moleskine, my little black book? =) I want to meet more people and learn more things and make more connections between others. My Moleskine's a terrific tool for the job, and I love how it feels, too: cream paper, red-black ink... It makes me happy, and it makes getting to know people so much fun. =)

In response I wrote:

I think you will be disappointed if you try to use an electronic notetaking method over paper. You really already made the argument against the switch yourself. Paper and pen are less distracting, never run out of power, and simpler to use for notes like you are trying to do. You want the flexibility to jot a networking note anywhere, anytime, very quickly at the time it is in your brain. I've been through various handheld computers trying to do what you're describing, and I was surprised how much I fell in love with my Hispter PDA that I made from a stack of notecards. I've since converted my Hipster cards into pages in my Moleskine pocket edition and it goes with me everywhere. For someone like you, your Moleskine won't be the only place you keep your ideas and you'll often need other resources to take action (like sending an email), but the ease of use of paper and a nice pen (mine's a Fischer Bullet Space Pen) means you're more likely to capture the idea/conversation/contact in the first place. Like you said, copying it to another resource (an online to do list, an email server, etc.) reinforces the item in your head and can be done when you have more time. Use your iPaq for databases, highly detailed contact info, and maybe your calendar. Program your email address into your cell phone and send yourself short SMS reminders about other emails ("lynn meeting" to remind yourself to email lynn about that meeting you wanted to schedule the next time you sit in front of your email). Keep the Moleskine.