What is OneNote?

This is the most asked question in the Microsoft Office Suite that I hear. People see it in their programs file but never open it and have never took the time to learn what it is

I often compare OneNote to SharePoint. SharePoint was first introduced in 2001 but it sat stagnant for the majority of its first 5 years of life. In 2006, Microsoft saw a boom in sales and now it is just starting to really take off (13 years later). Companies are finally realizing the power and potential of SharePoint. OneNote is going through the same "Slow Growth" process.

OneNote was first released in 2003 and began its life as primarly a tablet application. In 2007, it started to gain a little popularity with the PC and now it will work across almost any platform; PC, Laptop, Tablet, Android, iOS, Symbian, Windows Phone and more.

So, exactly what is it?

My definition of OneNote is simply this: OneNote is everything notetaking!

• It is a sticky note
• It is the back of your hand
• It is the grocery store receipt you grabbed because you needed something to jot a note down on
• It is every document you have in your file cabinet
• It is every document you have stored in you computer
• It is the contacts list in your phone
• And so on.....

OneNote is a digital version of a combination of your file cabinet, desk top, notebooks and hard disk files. As we get a little deeper into this progam, we will really start to see the similarties of OneNote and the above mentioned items.

OneNote is the ultimate collaboration program for coworkers, students, project managers, families and anyone else who has a need to share notes. 

• You can keep OneNote to yourself on your computer or share OneNote across either a network or the internet. 
• You can record video and audio directly into your notebooks and then you can search the recordings for key words. 
• You can share a notebook with multiple users and then you can all work in the same notebook, on the same page and at the exact same time.
• You can protect sections of your notebooks so that the notebook is still shareable but certain sections aren't accessable without the proper permissions.
• Add web content directly into your pages.
• Sync your notebooks between devices.
• There's an app for that... Yep, you can get the mobile app and manage notes from isle 6 at the grocery store.
• There's a certification for OneNote now too. Microsoft added OneNote to their Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification.

Over the course of this blog, I hope to show you everything you will need to know to become as proficient as possible in using OneNote. I will start at the very beginning with the interface and hopefully never end. We will cover:

• Getting Started
• Creating Notebooks, Sections and Notes
• Organizing Notes
• Integrating With Other Office Apps
• Collaborating
• Using OneDrive (Formerly SkyDrive)
• Tips and Tricks
• Do's and Dont's
• And Hopefully Get Even More Great Ideas From Our Followers. (We Encourage Your Engagement)

Let's see if we can get some followers and start having some fun!