Sharing a Note

Sharing a study note is simple—just a few taps to create a shareable link. This guide walks you through generating share links, choosing visibility options, and managing your shared notes.

Sharing Your First Note

To share a study note:

Understanding Visibility Options

Public Sharing

When you choose Public, your note:

• Appears in Notesmakr's public note directory
• Can be found through in-app browse/search features
• Gets indexed by search engines (Google, Bing, etc.)
• Can be discovered by anyone interested in the topic
• Displays in search results when people search for related keywords

Best for:

• Helping the broader learning community
• Building a portfolio of study notes
• Contributing to open educational resources
• Topics you want to be easily discoverable

Unlisted Sharing

When you choose Unlisted, your note:

• Is accessible ONLY via the direct link
• Does NOT appear in public directories
• Is NOT indexed by search engines
• Can only be found by people who have the exact URL

Best for:

• Sharing with specific friends or study groups
• Keeping notes semi-private
• Testing before going fully public
• Selective distribution

The Share Link

Your shared note gets a unique URL in one of these formats:

The URL includes a 12-character share token and may include a readable slug based on your note's title for better SEO.

Link Features

• Permanent — The link doesn't expire as long as sharing is enabled
• Unique — Each shared note has a different 12-character token
• SEO-friendly — Slug-based URLs (when available) help with discoverability

What's Included

When someone visits your share link, they see:

• Simplified content — Your Feynman explanation of the material
• Original content — The source material (if simplified version doesn't exist)
• Note metadata — Title and creation date
• Import button — Option to import the note to their own account (creates an independent copy)

What's Private

These items remain private and are NOT shared:

• Study tools — Flashcards, quizzes, and mind maps
• Personal annotations — Typed notes, handwritten drawings, voice recordings
• Highlights and underlines — Your text markups
• Study progress — Study time, comprehension levels, last studied dates
• Tags and organization — Your personal categorization
• Profile information — Unless you enable "Show Author Name"
• Edit capabilities — Viewers can only read (read-only mode)

Sharing Methods

Once you've generated a link, share it via:

Copy Link

Copy the URL to paste anywhere:

• Email
• Text messages
• Slack/Discord/Teams
• Social media posts
• Class forums or learning management systems

Native Share Sheet

Use your device's built-in sharing options:

• iOS: Share to Messages, Mail, Notes, etc.
• Android: Share via WhatsApp, Gmail, Drive, etc.

QR Code

A QR code is automatically generated on the share page for:

• Printing on study materials
• Displaying in presentations
• Easy mobile scanning

Social Media

Share directly to:

• Twitter/X
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Reddit education communities

Managing Shared Notes

View Share Statistics

On the share page, you can see:

• View count — How many times the link was accessed
• Import count — How many users imported the note to their account

These statistics update in real-time as people interact with your shared note.

Edit Visibility

Change a note from unlisted to public or vice versa:

1. Open the share page for your note
2. Select a different visibility option:
   • Unlisted — Only accessible via direct link
   • Public — Indexed by search engines and discoverable
3. The change takes effect immediately

Show/Hide Author Name

You can choose whether to display your name on shared notes:

1. On the share page, find the "Show author name" checkbox
2. Check it to display your name publicly
3. Uncheck it to remain anonymous
4. This helps give credit to your work while maintaining privacy if desired

Stop Sharing

To make a note private again:

1. Open the share page for your note
2. Toggle the sharing switch to OFF
3. The link becomes inactive immediately

Updating Shared Notes

Edits Sync Automatically

When you edit a shared note, changes appear on the shared link when viewers refresh the page—no need to regenerate the link.

What updates:

• Simplified content — Your updated Feynman explanation
• Original content — Any changes to source material
• Title — Updated note title

What doesn't update:

• The share URL stays the same
• Viewer access isn't disrupted
• Study tools don't sync (they remain private)

Best Practices for Updates

• Fix typos and errors as soon as you find them
• Add improvements without worrying about breaking the link
• Notify frequent viewers if you make major content changes (optional)

Sharing Etiquette and Guidelines

Give Credit

If your note heavily references a specific source:

• Mention the source in your note's description
• Include citations where appropriate
• Don't claim others' work as your own

Respect Copyright

Only share content you have the right to share:

• Your own original explanations are always okay
• Publicly available information (with attribution) is generally fine
• Private class materials or copyrighted textbook content may not be appropriate

Be Accurate

Double-check facts before sharing publicly. Others rely on your note to learn correctly.

Stay Respectful

Keep language appropriate and inclusive. Your notes represent you to a wide audience.

Monitor Reports

If viewers report inappropriate content using the flag icon, take it seriously and review your shared notes to ensure they meet community standards.

Promoting Your Shared Notes

Want to help more people discover your notes?

Optimize Your Title

Use clear, searchable titles:

• Good: "Photosynthesis Explained Simply – Biology for High Schoolers"
• Bad: "My Biology Notes"

Write Clear Content

Focus on making your simplified explanation as clear and helpful as possible. The quality of your explanation is what makes your note valuable to others.

Share on Relevant Platforms

Post to:

• Reddit education communities (r/studytips, r/biology, etc.)
• Study Discord servers
• Class group chats
• Twitter/X with relevant hashtags

Include Context

When sharing, explain:

• What the note covers
• Who it's for (grade level, course, exam prep)
• Why you created it

Troubleshooting Sharing Issues

Share Link Not Creating

• Network issue — Ensure you're connected to the internet
• Try again — Close and reopen the share page
• Check note content — Make sure your note has content to share

Link Not Working

• Check sharing status — Verify sharing is still enabled (it wasn't stopped)
• URL copied correctly — Ensure the full URL was copied (no truncation)
• Viewer's internet — Confirm the viewer has an active connection

Content Not Updating

• Refresh the page — Viewers may need to refresh to see updates
• Cache issue — Wait a few minutes for content to propagate
• Browser cache — Try opening in incognito/private mode

Privacy and Security

Who Can See Shared Notes?

• Public — Anyone on the internet
• Unlisted — Anyone with the direct link

Can Viewers Edit My Note?

No. Shared notes are read-only. Viewers can copy the note to their own account (creating a separate copy), but cannot modify your original.

Can I Track Who Views My Note?

You can see aggregate statistics (total view count and import count) but NOT individual viewer identities (privacy-protected).

Can I Unshare Anytime?

Yes. Toggle sharing off at any time to immediately revoke access. You can toggle it back on later if needed.

Next Steps

Once you've shared your note, check out:

• Viewing a Shared Note — See what the viewer experience looks like

Start sharing and contribute to the learning community!