Readwise 👉 Tana Integration is here! But do you want it?
The READWISE to Tana Integration has been one of the most requested features of Tana. Does that mean everyone needs it? No, not really.
Generally speaking, the folks who are early adopters of new technology may be more likely to be voracious readers than the general crowd. Thus, they are more likely to be enamored with tools that help them highlight books and articles and send them to Tana for further elaboration. (And let’s face it, they are more likely to be enamored with any new tool!).
So, although current Tana users are thrilled to have the integration - it may or may not be for everyone. So, before we dive into the integration (another issue), let’s deconstruct what Readwise is, what you might use it for and why, and what other alternative you have. Then you can decide for yourself.
(If you just can’t wait and want to dive into the INTEGRATION, I highly recommend Lukas’ Readwise to Tana Video.):
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TABLE OF CONTENTS for
2023.09.11.v8.web.211.0.0
What is Readwise?
What Else Does it Integrate with?
What other sources can I export to?
Tana’s Integration - what’s so cool about it?
How do I get it, and how much does it cost?
How do I import Readwise and other things into Tana?
I like the idea - but are there free ways to get my highlights into Tana?
What is Readwise?
Readwise is a software application that collects highlights you make from numerous sources. That collection can then be exported to your knowledge graph or other notetaking systems. This Readwise export includes a link to the original reference (web article, Kindle book, etc.), which, if you’re like me, is great when you can’t quite recall why you highlighted something! Or even better if you’re an academic and need more details regarding the source.
And it’s much more.
Within Readwise, the following features help you retain what you’ve highlighted.
Flash Cards - question answers
Mastery Cards - fill in the blank
Themed Reviews
Automatic emails
Statistics
If you use READWISE within your knowledge graph, you may be able to do most of the above within your graph. So, those features may or may not be of interest to you.
What else does it integrate with?
You can import from various sources, including*
Up next
Some of these import sources work seamlessly and automagically; some require an upload via IOS Sheets or other manual intervention; some may require a Chrome extension, and others require an email to a special address. But regardless of the method, they are all effective. Integrations change frequently, so check the site for more current info.
What other sources can I export to?
In addition to Tana, you can export to:
Notion
Obsidian
Roam
Logseq
Reflect
RemNote
Heptabase
Mailbrew
Markdown
CSV
Each export can be configured to your specific format (to some degree) but does require some understanding of Readwise’s formatting syntax (and for basic things, this is easy). That said, the default export formats are more than adequate for most beginners.
What’s so cool about Tana’s integration with Readwise?
Search across all
books, videos, podcasts, PDFs, scans, articles
— EVERYTHING —
in one place.
Now that’s value!
It’s more about what you can do with the READWISE highlights once it gets into Tana. That’s where the magic begins.
With Tana’s data structure (think supertags), you can take notes on your highlights and take advantage of key Tana features such as auto-initialization and fields using options and instances.
Just importing READWISE highlights gives you the info you didn’t have before.
For example, through the Tana magic of Live Search, you can search for “motivation” and find all highlights where “motivation” was used. Or maybe get a list of all books you’ve read by a specific author, or on a specific topic, or was tagged with a particular tag.
If you’re a writer, thinker, creator, parent, researcher, or just a curious person - think of the value that these kinds of searches — across all books, articles, PDFs, podcasts, etc. — can bring to your everyday life:
Child sick - search for everything you’ve read/listened to over the years on the common cold
Think a recession is coming - search for recession and recall what the experts have suggested for your portfolio during this time.
Remember you have read about something… but where was it? Do a search on a keyword, concept, tag, or author, and you’ll probably find it.
How do I get things into READWISE and TANA?
Here is a quick image of my workflow:
Are There Free Ways to Get My Highlights into Tana?
But yes, there is a cost to Readwise (see below). So, if you don’t want to or can’t pay for Readwise, and you’d still like to have your highlights in Tana, you can accomplish all of this manually.
For example, for your Kindle highlights, you can export your NOTEBOOK, but it can only be done on mobile (not desktop). This article is a significant how-to to export your highlights for various platforms.
If you use hypothe.is for your web highlights; you can share each highlight to your email and then cut and paste it into Tana.
Other sources have similar processes. As you can see, they are very time-consuming, and most limit your ability to export everything at once.
There are some benefits to this friction. It forces you to look at your highlights again, cull out things that don’t matter after rereading, and thus, may reduce the amount of unnecessary info imported into your Tana graph. Also, reviewing your highlights is a great way to reinforce what you’ve learned.
How do I get READWISE, and what does it cost?
Check here for the official current pricing, but as of this time (8/22/23), there are three pricing tiers:
Free for 30 days
Readwise Lite - $4.49 per month billed annually or $ 4.99 per month if billed monthly
Readwise Full - $7.99 per month billed annually or $8.99 per month if billed monthly
Only the READWISE FULL pricing option includes the Tana integration. But it also includes Readwise’s READER, one of my “must-have” apps.
READER is a “read-it-later” app (think: Instapocket, Pocket, or Omivore) where you can push web articles, books, pdf, X (Twitter), Medium, YouTube videos, RSS Feeds, newsletters, etc. to the app to read later. Your highlights in READER then flow directly to READWISE.
For me, READER, by itself, is worth the $7.99 per month (annual bill). So, the READWISE Full option is a no-brainer for me.
For you? YOU do YOU.
I’m not an affiliate of READWISE and have not been compensated in any way for this article. But Readwise does offer you ONE FREE month if you use this link to sign up for READWISE (again, I don’t get a thing). So, if you’re not currently a READWISE user and are interested in taking advantage of the free 30 days and getting an additional free month (two in total), then use the link.
WRAP UP
Since the last edition, Tana has made the following announcements. Here’s what’s in it for you:
Tana announced a new look and feel for panes -
You can center your content on a pane or use full-width
Breadcrumbs are included at the top of each pane
Node name more prominently displayed
Node name pinned to the top when scrolling
Drag and drop an image to the node header - easy peasy!
You can now RESIZE Columns in TABLE VIEW! See this quick Video for details.
Lots of bug fixes, including a personally irritating one where searching for short strings with separators, like a: a or e:) slowed down Tana (or I’d add, even crashed it).
This brings us to the end of this issue. Additional resources related to topics in this issue are listed below.
NEW TANA Resources
(since the last edition):
Resource Table of Contents:
How I am using Tana. You need to try to understand.
Tana is the GOAT - Thread by @aaronste1nke on Thread Reader App
I'm not an expert at Tana, nor do I work for them.
As a passionate volunteer and avid user,
I research these deconstructions to help me learn,
but I write them to help you learn from my mistakes.
I've done my utmost to ensure the accuracy of this information,
including extensive testing and review
by other Tana users more experienced than I am.
That said, I'm human.
I sometimes get it wrong.
(Please don't tell my husband I admitted that ☺️).
If you find an error or have questions- please comment below,
Use my exclusive Substack subscribers-only Chat (including free subscribers),
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