With the last 3 posts in this space we’ve delved into collaborating with WorkFlowy. To get the collaboration ball rolling, one has got to share a list. But what if you’re not ready to collaborate? What if you’re a recluse and you like it that way? Well, there’s a little something for everyone with shared WorkFlowy lists. Let’s get to it…
0. First things first – The default state of shared outlines
Did you know that you can set the default/ “first-view” state of your shared outlines? In other words, you can determine which lists are expanded and which are collapsed when an onlooker sees a shared outline for the first time. This is how:
- First, expand and collapse the parts of the outline you’re about to share until it looks exactly the way you want people to see it once they’ve clicked a shared link.
- …then hover over your list’s bullet (or zoomed-in list title) and click “Share” (and then “Share” again in the popup dialog box). Grab that link and share it.
- A couple more pointers to cross your T’s and dot your I’s.
1. Less is more – Shared lists for extra stuff
If you’re a blogger you may want to include this one in your repertoire…
You may have noticed that with the more recent posts I’ve been including extra information in shared WorkFlowy lists. You’ll see what I mean when you click on “A couple more pointers…” above. Those who are interested can go off the beaten path and get some extra tips and cues – and add the outline to their WorkFlowy accounts if they wish.
When you’ve got a bunch of technical points that might not be pertinent to your entire readership, this serves to declutter a post and make it a tad less long-winded. Tell me you don’t love me already 🙂
2. The marketing gurus call it “Content Upgrade”
Many online writers offer free, extra content which expands (upgrades) on an article you may be reading. To get your hands on it, you’ll most likely have to sign up for a newsletter by registering your email address. If you can’t get enough of a particular blogger/ writer – it’s one of those win-win thing: You get useful information mailed to you once in a while… and the writer gets to discretely pedal his/ her wares – which may also be incredibly valuable.
I opt for a sort of hybrid of the above model… I don’t want people to have to obligatorily sign up for anything to get extra content related to a specific post – however, you will most likely see something similar to the following if you follow a shared list link I post:
You see that promotional bar at the bottom of the shared list? For that, I’m using a “freemium” service called “Sniply”. I think it’s great for promoting your own content and it’s not too in-your-face. You can customize the background color to make it less obtrusive. If you click on what they call the CTA (Call To Action), you’ll be redirected to where the creator wants to take you. Currently, I want to take people to a sign-up form like so:
TIP: I’ve seen people using shared WorkFlowy lists together with Sniply on Social Media. If you have some sort of a promotional page that you’d like to direct people to, you can bypass the blogging scene (if that works for you): Social Media + Shared WorkFlowy list + Sniply. All you need to focus on is sharing a list that people might find useful. Perhaps a cheat sheet like this exhaustive Unicode list or the entire Bible in WorkFlowy.
3. ?demo lists – Knock yourself out
By adding “?demo” to the end of any shared list’s URL, it becomes a… demo list. One can shuffle lists around and edit anything to your heart’s content. And… when the page is reloaded, the list goes back to default.
This gives anyone the ability to go wild and test things out. You can create entire nested outlines with tags, navigable internal links, etc… but the slate is wiped clean when the page is reloaded:
Go ahead and tinker with the very same outline in the above GIF. You can go all Wreck-It Ralph… and then back to square one. I’m sure your mind is already racing with all kinds of use cases for this one!
4. Share a list with yourself
I’ve shared a couple of my own lists with myself. Editable shared lists, that is. The idea behind this not-so-looney dynamic is speed. The speed of loading a shared list in a new tab. Here’s one of my use cases…
I’ve never felt the need to have more than one WorkFlowy tab open at a time. Not until relatively recently. Now I have a “Notepad” list that loads real quick in a new tab when I hit a custom keyboard shortcut:
When you load WorkFlowy in a new tab, it will load all of your lists (That’s why it’s so blazing fast to get around)… so it’ll take a couple of seconds depending on how large your entire account is. Now when you load a shared list, it loads just that list and no other. So it loads quicker than normal – even with my background image. That there makes it practical enough for me to temporarily open a new tab with my “Notepad” when I want to jot a random idea down. I can then shut it down if I want when I’m done.
I also like giving my “Notepad” outline a different look and feel with narrower margins. If you’d like to set up something similar, you’ll (1) want to take a look at a post entitled, “Background Images for Both Light and Dark WorkFlowy Themes.” and (2) create an additional Stylish style specifically for your shared list:
Finally, if you’d like to set up a custom keyboard shortcut that opens a shared list in a new tab, one possibility would be the “freemium” PhraseExpress. You can then create a new phrase and tell it to open a specific web page: Options gears > Automation > Open a web page. Insert your shared list URL and choose a Keyboard shortcut:
What, where, who, how?
Just in case you’d like to find all of the shared or embedded lists in your WorkFlowy account, these search operators will come in handy (hit Esc[ape] and pop them in the search box):
- is:embedded – will find other people’s lists you’ve added to your account
- is:shared – will locate all of your lists you’ve shared with others
Your turn…
I’d (we’d) love to hear about how you’re using shared lists for use cases both big and small 🙂
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