Topography over Timelines
Contextual associations. Associative Thinking and Nonlinear Thinking Densely linked note webs with bi-directional linking Exploratory nature like following Wikipedia links to discover new stuff. Timeline-based feeds are restrictive while digital gardens are not
Many entry points but no prescribed pathways — Maggie Appleton
Continuous Growth
Gardens are never finished, they’re constantly growing, evolving, and changing. Just like a real soil, carrot, and cabbage garden — Maggie Appleton
Editability focus Fuzzy and unrefined thoughts that undergo continuous evolution Your research, learning, and refining is shown to the public. An experiment in open learning
- No pressure to get everything right immediately
- Low friction and less effort because you can dump your thoughts in
- Others gain insights into your writing and thinking process
Imperfection & Learning in Public
Imperfection by design. Full transparency Expose your learning process to others. Label your notes based on their state Epistemic system. Meta-reflection on learning and note progress - Lazy epistemic statuses
Playful, Personal, and Experimental
Non-homogenous. Different contextual associations that are highly personal. It’s a personal playspace where contextualization is celebrated
Intercropping & Content Diversity
Nonlinearity in content. Inclusion of multimedia
Independent Ownership
You have full control over your personal digital garden. Avoid walled gardens that go against the motive of developing personal knowledge like X, Facebook, Medium, LinkedIn, and Instagram etc. Learning old-school HTML and CSS is a good thing