Document Management Systems

Posted by Foolness
Jan 29, 2013 at 03:03 AM

Gary Carson wrote:
Now that you guys have brought it up, I’ve got to admit that I’m not
>sure why I need an “document management system.” I’m not even sure what
>that is.
> >I don’t work with PDFs very much and I have no need to scan documents.
>All I really need to do is keep the documents and other files that I
>create organized so that I can find them again. But really that’s just a
>matter of exercising some discipline, isn’t it? This is something you
>have to do even if you’re using an actual document management system.
> >The one thing that I’m doing now that I wasn’t doing several years ago
>is storing files that I need to keep long-term in OneNote. That’s my
>long-term archive. I just use Windows Explorer to organize everything
>else and every now and then I’ll do a backup to an external hard disk
>which I keep in my safety deposit box at the bank.
> >I don’t really trust online storage services. It’s a privacy/security
>thing, mostly, and I want to keep control of my own files.

For personal or limited pdf usage, one reason you use DMS is because it’s a form of isolater.

Sometimes folders can work if you just need a separator but other times you need to isolate your work into something that if put on a folder, simply does not function as well. Take index cards if you are not using a software like SuperNoteCard.

Another reason to do this is to have a “profile” of what goes into which usb drive.

Finally you can simply treat it like a to-do list/outliner “with an attachment” because many lightweight or simpler software still don’t do this.

Any type of Management System can be basically honed down to one crucial issue:

What do you define as storage and what do you use to “hoist” documents in that storage?

Google Docs for example is a DMS disguised as an “online word processor”.

...however it’s tough to form that picture if you do not pay attention to the fact that you can hoist it as a collaboration software, as a real time novel writing viewer or as a shareable public webpage that is essentially a better blogging interface on a poorer same themed all white no ads no plugins static webpage.