Markdown tools have simplified and streamlined how you take notes, draft documents, and organize information. However, no single tool can meet every need regarding collaboration, personal knowledge management, and workflow efficiency.

So today, we're kicking off a series highlighting how HackMD can be used within different workflows. Starting with a Markdown tool you might be familiar with: Obsidian.

Combining HackMD’s collaborative features with Obsidian’s organizational tools, you can unlock a seamless and highly productive markdown workflow tailored to you. This workflow includes collaborative document creation for teams, project planning and organization for communities, and integration of long-term knowledge management into personal workflows.

Let’s dive into what makes these tools unique and how they can work together to transform your workflow.

What is HackMD?

A markdown tool for seamless collaboration

HackMD is a powerful markdown editor that enables you to work together in real-time with your team and wider community (think Google Docs but for developers). Its intuitive interface makes collaboration simple and efficient, allowing you to easily co-create documents.

Leave comments asking for clarification, suggesting edits to wording, or tagging teammates to add their expertise. Whether you're drafting meeting notes, technical documentation, or presentations, HackMD provides the perfect platform for seamless teamwork. That's what HackMD was built for: collaboration.

With privacy and control features like private workspaces and individual access settings, you can rest easy knowing your content is secure while maintaining flexibility in your teamwork.

The perfect companion for building community

HackMD empowers teams and projects to share and develop knowledge not only for their community but with them, as well.

Education groups can use it to collaborate on lesson plans or research summaries published for students or fellow researchers. Online collectives rely on its collaborative features to document and share their whitepapers, community guidelines, and FAQs.

Public sharing links and the ability to invite feedback make HackMD a key tool for community-driven initiatives.

Integrations and Book Mode

HackMD integrates with GitHub to allow developers to manage documentation alongside their codebase. Its Sign-in With ETH feature ensures secure access for decentralized projects, while integration with Arweave offers permanent, tamper-proof document storage for critical information.

Along with robust integration, you can harness Book Mode to transform individual markdown documents into a cohesive, structured format. This feature is particularly useful for creating tutorials, wikis, and training manuals that require easy navigation and readability.

What is Obsidian?

A markdown tool for personal knowledge

Obsidian is a tool designed to manage personal knowledge using markdown. With Obsidian, you can organize your thoughts and create personal repositories of knowledge that are easy to update and reference.

Obsidian's graph view provides a bird's-eye perspective of your notes, helping you visualize relationships and explore new insights into your ideas. Its bidirectional linking system allows you to connect related notes easily and provides another way to explore the relationship between concepts.

Whether you’re managing a research project, planning a novel, or organizing tasks, the ability to link concepts dynamically helps uncover deeper relationships within your work.

Plugins and themes for customization

Along with its intricate organizational capabilities, Obsidian’s robust plugin ecosystem allows users to extend its core functionality with tools for task management, habit tracking, and more. Community-created themes also allow users to tailor the app’s appearance to fit individual preferences.

Bringing them together as one

Combine HackMD’s collaboration with Obsidian’s personal knowledge management

If you prefer to use Obsidian for your personal docs, integrating HackMD and Obsidian can bridge the gap between collaboration and personal productivity.

For example, say you are working on your white paper in Obsidian. Before sharing this idea with your community for feedback, you can use this document to refine your thoughts.

Once you're ready, export it to HackMD, where members can collaborate further by making comments, adding edits, and bookmarking it so they can review it later.

A workflow to boost productivity and enhance project management

1. Kickoff and Collaboration in HackMD: Begin projects in HackMD by drafting initial ideas collaboratively. Invite team members to provide real-time input through shareable links and use suggestion and commenting features to refine the document collaboratively.
   • Example: A team working on a product launch uses HackMD to create a marketing strategy. Each member contributes ideas for social media campaigns, ad copy, and timelines, which are consolidated into a single, cohesive plan.
2. Finalization and Integration in Obsidian: Once collaboration is complete, export the polished document to Obsidian. Use Obsidian’s bidirectional linking to connect the finalized plan to related notes, such as competitor analysis, customer research, or past campaign results.
   • Example: The finalized marketing plan is linked to notes on brand positioning and audience demographics, creating a centralized resource for future campaigns.
3. Iterate and Expand: Return to HackMD for updates or further collaborations. Sync these changes back to Obsidian to ensure your knowledge base remains accurate and comprehensive.
   • Example: After executing the campaign, the team documents the results and lessons learned in HackMD. The updated file is then synced to Obsidian and linked to the original plan for easy reference.

Strategies to sync your notes seamlessly

Maintaining synchronization between HackMD and Obsidian can be achieved through various methods:

1. Markdown exports and imports: You can import documents from Obsidian in a markdown format straight into HackMD. This manual method is straightforward and ensures all content is preserved.
2. Cloud storage integration: Use services like Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive to maintain shared folders that sync automatically. By storing markdown files in these shared locations, you can access updates made in HackMD directly from Obsidian.
3. Third-party tools: Utilize automation tools or custom scripts to set up workflows that automatically sync content between HackMD and Obsidian.

By combining HackMD’s real-time collaboration with Obsidian’s robust organizational features, you can create a workflow that boosts team productivity and supports long-term knowledge retention and management throughout your community.

Moving Forward

The combination of HackMD and Obsidian offers a unique approach to managing collaborative and personal productivity.

HackMD enables teams to brainstorm, draft, and refine content in real-time, while Obsidian provides a structured and organized space to store and link that knowledge for long-term use.

Integrating these tools can significantly elevate your workflow, whether you are part of a fast-paced team or an individual looking to enhance your note-taking and project management.

Get started today to embrace the combined power of HackMD and Obsidian.