Day One: A Brief Look

Recently, a friend of mine, Jarrod, shared the app named Day One on Facebook. After learning that it is a journal/logging app, I decided to give it a try.

For non-Mac users, the only other way to obtain this FREE app is through iPad and iPhone.

Being part of the Mormon culture, journal-keeping is a common trend among its membership. I didn't start keeping a journal until my mission. Frankly, that ended soon after the mission. It was then picked up during the summer of 2011 when I started this blog, but the contents and direction of this blog have since changed to be less and less of a weekly journal.  Given that I currently own a smart phone, I've been digitizing many of my daily routines.

I've been using the iOS version for about a week now and I'm just going to briefly show you its features.

The main menu is simple. Just looking at the screenshot to the left, it is very straight forward. Either large button allows you to start a new post, it's just that one starts you off with a photo and the other starts you off with text. You can choose photos from your library or take one yourself and paste that onto your new entry.

The rest of the lines are self-explanatory as well. The Timeline allows you to scroll through all the entries you've written from a chronological basis. There is a search function at the top of the Timeline as well!

Photos show you all the pictures you've used so far in a two-column fashion.

Tags can arrange from alphabetical to most frequently used. I personally find the "most used" feature interesting because I can then figure out what's on my mind the most.

Calendar offers a different view of the Timeline feature. Similar function goes to Years. As for the Starred section of my journals, I save that honor for my favorite posts.

Some other neat things I would like to point out are the weather and location displays. If you allow Day One app to access these types of information, you can add more details to your entries. Personally, I prefer my location to be general, i.e. Provo, Utah at the moment. The app can go as far as putting up the exact address of where you are drafting your journal entry.

Even though this is a private thing, I think I'll pass on documenting the extreme details of my life.

If you think this app is only capable of plain text and its functions limited to only inside the app, then you are mistaken. Day One is capable of rich text format if you know how to use its Markdown feature. A guide is included in the Settings section, which can be found when you scroll down from the main page.

The Settings page is where you can change the fonts/styles and other minute details to your personal preference. A noteworthy feature is the Export to PDF option. If you are planning on compiling a book after writing for some time, it's a great way to put things together. As for me, I generally e-mail each individual post to myself. In a similar fashion to my sacrament notes, I have a folder in my e-mail account reserved for journal entries.

The app is also kind enough to add the Passcode option to prevent friends and family members from access your personal thoughts. Scrolling down, you'll see that you can link your Foursquare account to the app and Help/Guides section I've briefly touched on before.

The Help/Guide section contains many helpful tips and tutorials that will enable you to use Day One to its potential. I'm still experimenting with the app, so I can't say I've got them all down.

Nevertheless, this app has gotten me to start a journal again. I highly recommend this app! Like I said before, it is FREE! If you are a Mac user, or have Apple devices such as iPad and iPhone, you are in luck.

Overall, I like the simplicity and versatility of the application. The only complaint I have about the iOS version is that I'm not big into typing on the phone. Fortunately, I don't usually write excruciatingly long posts either, so it evens out.

Happy journaling!