How Do You Manage Complexity in Pin Mapping with TiddlyWiki?

I’ve been exploring TiddlyWiki for a while now, and it’s been fascinating to see how flexible it can be for organizing and connecting ideas. Recently, I came across the idea of using pin mapping as a way to visually represent relationships between my notes, and it’s been both exciting and challenging to implement.

Pin mapping, in its simplest form, involves placing markers—like pins—on a visual representation, often a geographical map, to denote points of interest. It’s commonly used to “drop pins and share locations online,” but I found inspiration in adapting this concept for my notes. Instead of physical locations, the pins in my TiddlyWiki represent key ideas, concepts, or resources. This approach feels intuitive, as it allows me to visually map connections and revisit them with ease.

However, I’ve been grappling with some questions. When creating a pin map of ideas, how do you decide which concepts deserve to be pinned? I sometimes find myself unsure whether to pin small, detailed ideas or stick to broader topics. Is it better to focus on highlighting a few central pins, or does it make sense to create a denser map with more detailed connections? I’d love to know how others approach this balance.

Another issue I’ve noticed is that as the pin map grows, it can start feeling cluttered. The visual clarity that initially drew me to this method can get lost when too many pins are added. Have any of you encountered this, and if so, how do you handle it? Are there specific methods or plugins you use within TiddlyWiki to keep your pin maps clear and manageable?

I’ve also wondered about using tags or categories to differentiate between pins. For instance, I thought about using colors to indicate the type of idea each pin represents, but I’m not sure if that would add clarity or just create more complexity. Have any of you tried something similar? If so, what has worked for you?

Lastly, I’d like to hear from others who have experimented with visualizing connections in TiddlyWiki. Do you find pin mapping adds value to your note-taking process? If you’ve tried a similar approach, how do you keep it practical and useful without it becoming overwhelming?

Looking forward to hearing your ideas and experiences!

How do you pin?
I’d assumed it was tagging but it sounds like you are using a separate mechanism.
Interesting stuff.

What to pin and tag…it depends!

I’ve more tags than some people deemed healthy, but it drives my table of contents and tidgraph plugin to link topics.

I’m sure many of the more enlightened people here can give greater insight! :slight_smile:

This sounds like a similar concept to one I have raised previously, affinity mapping. The linked topic may give you some ideas - as well as some good criticism of the notion as visualisation can be a limiting factor to seeing all the connections.

As for specifically tackling this concept, TiddlyMap and TW-Whiteboard will probably get your the closest. Unfortunately, they are large, complicated and often have issues between updates, as well as numerous open bugs. I don’t blame the developers for that - they are hobby projects downstream of an already complex project. However, I have run into these bugs myself and won’t look to integrate them into my wiki as long as these issues stay around. I can get most of the value from text and dynamic tables (using Shiraz) alone.

Why not just use WikiLink, and let Echarts generate a map.

TidGi app’s default template has this, because Obsidian’s user usually advertise this to show powerfulness of Obsidian so we must also have it.
You can also install it from CPL.

Isn’t this a modern Pin Mapping? Like modern police may use Palantir software to find criminals.

I use excludeFilter="[is[shadow]] [is[system]] [field:calendarEntry[yes]]" excludeTitles="任务 APrivateContent 想法 公开 人事" on the widget to exclude tags that has too many related nodes, to make the graph clean.

Full widget call is

<$echarts $tiddler="$:/plugins/Gk0Wk/echarts/addons/TheBrain.js" aliasField="caption" levels="2" graphTitle="The Barin View" $height="100%" excludeFilter="[is[shadow]] [is[system]] [field:calendarEntry[yes]]" excludeTitles="任务 APrivateContent 想法 公开 人事" focussedTiddler={{$:/temp/focussedTiddler}} />
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