Fresh content is the new marketing currency and we need ways to produce content without recreating it every time. Legacy approaches have left room for new tools to create, publish, and maintain content, both online and offline. Enter Markdown.
Our changing content consumption habits
We used to read on laptops or monitors but now we read on tablets, mobile screens and everything in between. Simple, legible, attractive content fits these needs.
Print is not dead, but should serve and service online content
We will have print for a while but the core content should be the same as online. Layouts may need to differ, but if I publish a web page, an attractive printout should be a built-in option. Markdown helps make this happen.
Markdown Basics
Markdown was launched by John Gruber in 2004. In his words,
Markdown allows you to write using an easy-to-read, easy-to-write plain text format, then convert it to structurally valid XHTML (or HTML).
Using Markdown across content creation, presentation, and publication applications gets us closer to a write once, publish everywhere content system.
Markdown also has “just enough formatting” with simple heading styles, ordered lists, quote call outs, links, and pictures that it can be portable and flexible for re-use with existing web pages, publication styles, and layouts.
For the most basic Markdown syntax, see the bottom of this post.
Markdown Friendly Applications
Markdown Editors
There are almost as many Markdown editors are there are note taking applications. But there were plenty of those too until Evernote came along.
StackEdit is my go-to editor. Browser-based and able to sync with Dropbox, it does almost everything I need and nothing more.
StackEdit also has a long list of “Publish On…” options including Blogger, Dropbox, Github/Gist, Google Drive, Tumblr, and Wordpress.
However, there are a few cases where I’ve needed capabilities beyond StackEdit, hence the following additions to my list.
Mou bills itself as the web developers’ Markdown editor for Mac OS X.
When using multiple client-side Markdown applications, a desktop-based editor is helpful. As an example, the DeckSet presentation application can easily call the Mou desktop editor, but I have not found a way for it to call the online StackEdit editor.
For Markdown conversion, iA Writer for Mac filled a great spot for me in converting to Microsoft Word. iA Writer also has dedicated iPad and iPhone applications.
Collaborative Editors
Most of the focus for Quip is on collaborative editing and messaging for documents. However, they have always allowed a simple cut and paste of Markdown from the web view, and now specifically callout Markdown in the “Export To…” options.
Markdown Presentations
Deckset is a Mac desktop application for Markdown presentations. The lightweight structure makes it super speedy. And while it is definitely a different experience than creating in PowerPoint, the flexibility is powerful.
While not necessarily Markdown specific, Slides is a fantastic online presentation tool that supports Markdown. I have only started exploring the possibilities here.
GO’s Take
Markdown has been around for 10 years yet is still unknown outside of technical and developer circles. However with content consumption patterns changing, and the need for fresh content rising, perhaps we’ll see a surge in Markdown’s adoption.
Markdown Examples
Markdown supports basics headings,
Heading 1
Heading 2
Heading 3
And emphasis like bold or italic or both.
- Bulleted Lists like this
- And this
And this
- Numbered Lists like
- This, and
- This
And quotation call outs,
This is the most important thing ever said :)
Image insertion,
And much, much more.
If you are curious to see the Markdown behind the prior section, I can use the code insertion features of Markdown here
# Markdown Examples
Markdown supports basics headings,
# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
And emphasis like **BOLD** or *Italic* or ***Both***.
- Bulleted Lists like this
- And this
- And this
1. Numbered Lists like
2. This, and
3. This
And quotation call outs,
> This is the most important thing every said :)
Image insertion,
And much, much more.
[end of post]
