Maps of Content Skill
Workflow Position
[Topic or area needs better navigation]
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personal:obs-mocs <- YOU ARE HERE
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[Scope: Topic | Project | Area | Tag]
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[Gather Related Notes] -> By tag -> By folder -> By backlinks
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[Organize Structure] -> Categories -> Timeline -> Hierarchy
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[Generate MOC]
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Output: Hub note with organized links + Suggested connections
Overview
Map of Content (MOC) generation that creates navigational hub notes without restructuring your vault. Provides the navigational benefits of Zettelkasten while preserving your PARA methodology.
Key Features:
- •Creates hub notes that organize links to related content
- •Multiple organization strategies (category, timeline, hierarchy)
- •Works with PARA folders and tag prefixes
- •No file renaming or restructuring required
- •Automatic detection of related notes
- •Updates existing MOCs with new content
Primary Value: 80% of Zettelkasten navigation benefits, 0% of the destructive migration.
When to Use
- •Topic has grown to 10+ notes without clear navigation
- •Starting a major project (proactive structure)
- •Area of responsibility needs better overview
- •Tag has accumulated many notes
- •Before sharing a collection of notes
- •After obs-research identifies a theme cluster
When to Skip
- •Small topic - Fewer than 5 related notes
- •Already has MOC - Just update the existing one
- •Temporary notes - Meeting notes don't need MOCs
- •Linear projects - Some projects are just task lists
The Process
Step 1: Define MOC Scope
Ask the user:
What would you like to create a MOC for?
Options:
- •Topic - A subject area (e.g., "Data Governance", "Python")
- •Project - A specific project from
1-Projects/- •Area - An area of responsibility from
2-Areas/- •Tag - All notes with a specific tag (e.g.,
#r/prompting)- •Custom - Provide your own scope criteria
Wait for answer before proceeding.
Step 2: Gather Related Notes
Based on scope, collect all related notes:
For Topic:
- • Search by topic keywords
- • Find notes with relevant tags
- • Include backlinked notes
- • Check resource folder (
3-Resources/)
For Project:
- • All notes in project folder (
1-Projects/[name]/) - • Notes with project tag (
#p/[name]) - • Related meeting notes
- • Related resource notes
For Area:
- • All notes in area folder (
2-Areas/[name]/) - • Notes with area tag (
#a/[name]) - • Related project MOCs
- • Relevant resources
For Tag:
- • All notes with the specific tag
- • Child tags (if hierarchical)
- • Notes that should have the tag but don't
Present findings:
## Notes Found for MOC: "Data Governance" **Total:** 28 notes ### By Source | Source | Count | Examples | |--------|-------|----------| | Tag: #r/data-governance | 12 | Framework, Standards, Metrics | | Folder: 3-Resources/ | 8 | Books, Articles | | Project: BCBS239 | 5 | Mapping, Requirements | | Backlinks | 3 | Meeting notes | ### By Type | Type | Count | |------|-------| | Resource notes | 15 | | Project notes | 8 | | Meeting notes | 3 | | Daily notes | 2 | ### Potential Additions Notes that might belong but weren't captured: - [[SQL Data Validation]] - Related to data quality - [[ETL Pipeline Design]] - Implements governance
Step 3: Choose Organization Strategy
How should the MOC be organized?
- •Categorical - Group by theme/subtopic
- •Hierarchical - Parent → Child → Grandchild
- •Chronological - Timeline of creation/events
- •Status-based - By note status (active, reference, archive)
- •Mixed - Combination approach
Most MOCs use Categorical with some Hierarchical elements.
Step 4: Generate MOC Structure
Categorical MOC:
--- type: index tags: [r/data-governance, moc] title: Data Governance MOC date created: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS date modified: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS cssclass: dashboard --- # Data Governance > A collection of notes on data governance principles, practices, and implementation. --- ## Overview - [[Data Governance Framework]] - Core principles and approach - [[Data Governance Maturity Model]] - Assessment framework --- ## Regulatory Requirements ### BCBS239 - [[BCBS239 Index]] - Project hub - [[BCBS239 Data Mapping]] - Lineage requirements - [[Data Lineage Requirements]] - Technical specs ### Other Regulations - [[SOX Compliance Notes]] - [[GDPR Data Requirements]] --- ## Implementation ### Data Quality - [[Data Quality Metrics]] - Measurement framework - [[SQL Data Validation]] - Validation patterns - [[Data Quality Dashboard]] - Monitoring ### Technical Patterns - [[ETL Pipeline Design]] - Integration approach - [[Data Catalog Structure]] - Organization --- ## Learning Resources ### Books - [[Book - Data Management]] - [[Book - Data Governance Fundamentals]] ### Articles - [[Article - Modern Data Governance]] --- ## Meetings & Decisions - [[Meeting - Data Council 2023-11-15]] - [[2023-12-01 - Data Ownership Discussion]] --- ## Related MOCs - [[BCBS239 MOC]] - Project-specific - [[Compliance MOC]] - Broader context - [[Technology MOC]] - Technical implementation --- ## Quick Links | Need | Go To | |------|-------| | Framework overview | [[Data Governance Framework]] | | Current project | [[BCBS239 Index]] | | Quality metrics | [[Data Quality Metrics]] |
Project MOC:
--- type: index tags: [p/leanix, moc] title: LeanIX Project MOC date created: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS date modified: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS cssclass: dashboard --- # LeanIX Project > Architecture integration project - mapping enterprise applications. **Status:** Active **Due:** 2024-02-15 **Team:** [[Person - Alice]], [[Person - Bob]] --- ## Project Documents - [[LeanIX PRD]] - Requirements - [[LeanIX TRD]] - Technical design - [[LeanIX Architecture Diagram]] --- ## Working Notes - [[LeanIX API Integration]] - [[LeanIX Data Model]] - [[LeanIX Testing Approach]] --- ## Meetings ### Recent - [[2024-01-14 - LeanIX Standup]] - [[2024-01-12 - LeanIX Architecture Review]] ### All Meetings - [[2024-01-14 - LeanIX Standup]] - [[2024-01-12 - LeanIX Architecture Review]] - [[2024-01-08 - LeanIX Kickoff]] --- ## Decisions | Date | Decision | Note | |------|----------|------| | 2024-01-08 | Use REST API v2 | [[2024-01-08 - LeanIX Kickoff]] | | 2024-01-12 | Batch sync approach | [[2024-01-12 - LeanIX Architecture Review]] | --- ## Resources - [[LeanIX API Documentation]] - [[Architecture Integration Patterns]] --- ## Timeline ```dataview TABLE date as "Date", title as "Note" FROM #p/leanix SORT date DESC LIMIT 10
### Step 5: Finalize and Save **Save location:** - Topic MOC: `3-Resources/[Topic] MOC.md` - Project MOC: `1-Projects/[Project]/[Project] MOC.md` or `1-Projects/[Project]/Index.md` - Area MOC: `2-Areas/[Area]/[Area] MOC.md` - Tag MOC: `3-Resources/[Tag] MOC.md` **Post-creation:** > "MOC created: [[Data Governance MOC]]" > > **Included:** > - 28 notes organized into 6 categories > - Links to 2 related MOCs > - Quick reference table > > **Suggestions:** > - Add links FROM relevant notes TO this MOC > - Consider adding Dataview queries for dynamic content > - Review and add any missing notes --- ## MOC Maintenance ### Updating Existing MOCs When called on an existing MOC: 1. Scan for new notes matching the scope 2. Identify notes that should be removed (archived/deleted) 3. Present changes for approval 4. Update MOC with new sections/links ```markdown ## MOC Update: Data Governance **New notes found:** 5 **Archived notes:** 1 **Suggested changes:** ### Add - [[New Data Quality Report]] → Data Quality section - [[2024-01-15 - Compliance Review]] → Meetings section ### Remove - [[Old Framework Draft]] - Now archived ### Reorganize - Move [[SQL Data Validation]] from Resources to Implementation Apply these changes?
Advanced Features
Dataview Integration
For dynamic MOCs, include Dataview queries:
## Recent Activity ```dataview TABLE date-modified as "Modified", title FROM #r/data-governance SORT date-modified DESC LIMIT 5
All Notes by Type
TABLE type, status FROM #r/data-governance GROUP BY type
### MOC Networks Link MOCs to each other for vault-wide navigation:
Technology MOC ├── Data Governance MOC │ ├── BCBS239 MOC │ └── Data Quality MOC └── Architecture MOC └── LeanIX MOC
--- ## Output ### Success Message ```markdown > "MOC created: [[Topic MOC]]" > > **Stats:** > - Notes included: X > - Categories: Y > - Cross-links added: Z > > **Next steps:** > - Review and customize categories > - Add links from key notes to MOC > - Consider Dataview queries for dynamic content
After Creating MOC
- •Review organization - Adjust categories to match your mental model
- •Add backlinks - Key notes should link back to the MOC
- •Set up navigation - Add MOC to vault home/dashboard
- •Schedule updates - Re-run periodically to catch new notes
- •Link MOCs together - Build your MOC network
Key Principles
- •Navigation not restructuring - MOCs organize links, not files
- •PARA-compatible - Works with your existing folder structure
- •Incremental improvement - Start simple, add complexity as needed
- •Living documents - MOCs should be updated regularly
- •Entry points matter - MOCs are how you find things later
- •Less is more - A focused MOC beats a comprehensive mess