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Node Types Overview: Choose the Right Node for Every Task

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the different categories of nodes available and when to use each

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Written by Digital First AI
Updated today

Understanding the different node types available in your AI whiteboard is crucial for building powerful marketing initiatives. Each node category serves specific purposes and offers unique AI agents that, when combined strategically, can automate your whole strategic thinking and creation.

Node Categories Overview

The AI whiteboard features several categories of nodes, each designed for specific purposes:

  1. Text Nodes: AI-powered text generation with various specialized models

  2. Image Nodes: Create and manipulate images based on text prompts

  3. Research Nodes: Gather information from the internet or specific sources

  4. Scraper Nodes: Extract structured data from websites and social media

  5. Video Nodes: Generate short video content from prompts or images

  6. Input Nodes: Provide initial content to your workflow

  7. Utility Nodes: Organize and manage your workflow components

Let's explore each category in depth.


1️⃣ Text Nodes

Function

Text model nodes utilize large language models (LLMs) to generate text content, from simple responses to complex documents. Each text model has specific strengths, context windows, and capabilities.

When to Use

  • Content Creation: Writing articles, scripts, product descriptions, marketing copy

  • Information Processing: Summarizing documents, extracting insights

  • Programming Assistance: Generating or debugging code

  • Creative Writing: Stories, poems, dialogues, character development

Best Practices

  • Include clear instructions at the beginning of your prompt

  • Use specific examples when you need a particular format or style

  • Connect to research nodes when factual accuracy is critical

  • Adjust the "Max Tokens" parameter based on how much text you need


2️⃣ Image Nodes

Function

Image model nodes convert text descriptions (prompts) into visual content, with various models specializing in different styles, resolutions, and artistic approaches.

When to Use

  • Concept Visualization: Quickly visualize ideas before professional design

  • Creative Assets: Generate images for presentations, blogs, social media

  • Design Inspiration: Create visual starting points for further refinement

  • Illustration: Produce explanatory or decorative images for content

Best Practices

  • Be specific about style, composition, lighting, and perspective in your prompts

  • Use the style selector for consistent visual aesthetics

  • Connect text model outputs to image nodes to generate visuals from AI-written descriptions

  • For image editing nodes, connect an existing image as input reference


3️⃣ Research Nodes

Function

Research nodes retrieve information from the internet, providing up-to-date facts, data, and insights that can be incorporated into your workflow.

When to Use

  • Fact-Checking: Verify information against current sources

  • Data Collection: Gather statistics, trends, or historical information

  • Competitive Analysis: Research industry competitors or market conditions

  • Content Research: Collect background information before content creation

Best Practices

  • Use specific, focused queries for more relevant results

  • Connect research outputs to text nodes for analysis or incorporation into content

  • Choose specialized research nodes based on your information needs (news, academic, general)

  • Consider using multiple research nodes with different queries for comprehensive coverage


4️⃣ Scraper Nodes

Function

Scraper nodes extract structured data from websites and social media platforms, providing detailed, formatted information about specific online sources.

When to Use

  • Social Media Analysis: Extract content, metrics, and trends from platforms

  • Competitive Monitoring: Gather information from competitor websites

  • Content Aggregation: Collect content from multiple sources

  • Site Structure Analysis: Extract sitemaps and page hierarchies

Best Practices

  • Provide complete URLs including the protocol (https://)

  • Use platform-specific scrapers for social media profiles

  • Connect scraper outputs to text nodes for analysis and insights

  • Use the Deep Web Scraper for more comprehensive website analysis


5️⃣ Video Nodes

Function

Video model nodes generate short video clips based on text descriptions or reference images, creating animated content with minimal input.

When to Use

  • Quick Demonstrations: Create short explanatory videos

  • Social Media Content: Generate attention-grabbing clips

  • Concept Visualization: Animate static concepts or images

  • Prototyping: Quickly test video concepts before production

Best Practices

  • Keep prompts clear and focused on the key visual elements

  • Select appropriate aspect ratio for your intended platform

  • Provide reference images when you want specific visual styles

  • Adjust duration based on content complexity and purpose


6️⃣ Input Nodes

Function

Input nodes allow you to introduce external content into your workflow, including text, images, files, and video links.

When to Use

  • Starting Points: Initiate workflows with specific content

  • Reference Material: Provide examples or guidelines

  • External Content: Incorporate existing assets into your workflow

  • Data Processing: Import information for AI analysis

Best Practices

  • Position input nodes at the beginning of your workflow

  • Use multiple input nodes when combining different content types

  • For text files, consider connecting to text models for analysis or enhancement

  • For images, connect to image edit nodes or description nodes as needed


7️⃣ Utility Nodes

Function

Utility nodes help organize your workflow, add notes, group related components, and manage the presentation of information.

When to Use

  • Organization: Group related nodes for clarity

  • Documentation: Add notes explaining workflow segments

  • Presentation: Format outputs for readability

  • Workflow Management: Create clear visual structure

Best Practices

  • Use groups to collate related nodes in complex workflows

  • Add sticky notes to document your process for others

  • Position utility nodes strategically to maintain clear information flow

  • Use text nodes to create section headers in your workflow


Node Compatibility and Connections

Understanding which nodes work well together is essential for creating effective workflows:

Common Effective Combinations

  1. Research → Text: Feed research data into text generation for informed content

  2. Text → Image: Use AI-written descriptions to generate matching visuals

  3. Scraper → Text: Analyze scraped data with text models for insights

  4. Image → Text (Description): Generate detailed descriptions of images

  5. Text → Video: Create videos from text-generated scenarios

  6. Multiple Research → Text: Combine different research sources for comprehensive analysis


Conclusion

Understanding the various node types, their functions, and optimal applications will help you create more effective AI workflows. By selecting the right nodes for each task and connecting them appropriately, you can leverage the full potential of the AI whiteboard to tackle complex projects efficiently.

Remember that experimentation is key—try different node combinations and configurations to discover the most effective approach for your specific needs. The flexibility of this system allows for countless creative solutions to your marketing challenges.

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