Proof of concept digital garden with Obsidian and Blot

Modern personal knowledge management tools like Roam Research (opens in a new tab), Obsidian (opens in a new tab) and Logseq (opens in a new tab) are amazing. They've changed my workflow so much and I couldn't imagine a life without them anymore.

One aspect that still seems underdeveloped though is publishing a web of networked thoughts. These are sometimes also referred to as "Digital Gardens". Some notable ones include Andy Matuschak's notes (opens in a new tab) and Maggie Appletons Digital Garden (opens in a new tab).

In most cases these people have created a custom solution. I've tried that, but it's a big time commitment.

Recently a friend of mine, @nosilverv (opens in a new tab) on Twitter, published a glossary of his mental models in a Google doc. He asked his Twitter friends if someone could help him convert it into a Digital Garden of sorts.

I felt inspired to try a combination I thought might have potential: Obsidian + Blot.im (opens in a new tab).

Obsidian is a markdown-based tool for networked thought. It's not outliner based, like Roam and Logseq. Instead it's file based, which makes is very suitable for web publishing. I used Obsidian to organize the thoughts into different files, make sure the links between the worked and navigate the graph view.

Then I put the vault in a folder which got synced to Blot.im, which turns it into a nice, simple blog which is interlinked in a pleasant way. The result is a Digital Garden with minimal set up. The only cost is Blot ($4/month).