Monday 31 March 2008

Notes from the red book - part 3

Editor A web app not unlike the one I'm using right now to post this. With some additional features.

- Easily add tags Like the little box at the bottom here, it lets you add tags and suggests tags you've already use. Possibly suggests common tags.
- Add links to character pages Allows you to easily add links to info pages you set up that talk about various things, such as characters, places, etc.
- - List of existing pages Lists pages you've already set up, whether they're character pages or other parts of your work (or even other works).
- - Ability to create new pages Allows you to create a link to a page you haven't set up yet and will create a blank page that you can edit at a later date.
- - Find function Allows you to search for certain things within a text and add things like links or tags (so every instance of a character's name can link to their profile page).
- Spell check? An important function. Decision has to be made as to whether it will be provided by the browser or the editor.

Notes from the red book - part 2

Reputation system A system that will give users a certain "reputation" value that will allow other users to see at-a-glance their standing in the community.

- Writing/commenting ratio Shows how many comments a user has left compared to how many pieces they've written. Good comments are more heavily weighted as they are a user participating in the community and helping others.
- - Initial comments Comments posted on pieces.
- - Follow-up comments Responses to comments. Worth less than initial comments.
- - Stats breakdowns (similar to DeviantArt) A page on a user's profile that shows things like how many comments a user has posted, how many of those have been moderated a certain way, etc.
- Similar rating system to Slashdot on comments Allowing users not only to rate comments as good or bad, but also as things like "helpful", "correction" (grammatical or factual), "interesting", etc. Comments gain and lose weight accordingly.

Notes from the red book - part 1

This will be a series of posts reproducing the notes I've made of various ideas I've had for the project that I've written down in my little red notebook. I'll also add additional notes in blue in order to clarify certain points.

Initial Ideas


Writing pages - like Wiki, but not. A website where people can post their writing. It would encourage community and collaborative working, but pieces would only be editable by the writer(s). Some elements of a wiki would be used (e.g. being able to see revisions to a piece)

- Highlight sections + add comments Allowing you to highlight a specific section of a piece and to add a comment to that section.
- Character/place/etc. links Allowing links within a piece of writing to pages that give further details about certain things relating to the "wider world" of the piece.
- Discussion pages? Discussion on comment threads? A question of whether to include some sort of forum where members can discuss various topics. Also, whether to allow comments (on a piece) to be discussed further.
- E-books - various editions Publish certain pieces as e-books (either novels or collections of shorter pieces). Allow these to be revised.
- Scraps section Like on DeviantArt. A place for unfinished/unused pieces that writers wish to post anyway.
- Creative Commons licensing Again, like on DeviantArt or Soundclick. Allow writers to define how their work is used/distributed/etc.
- Donations - pay what you want for digital copies Either charge a certain amount for the e-books or use a Radiohead-style payment model. Or offer them for free and allow users to donate to any writer they so wish...
- Later move on to publishing copies In paper book form. To be covered later in "future plans".
- E-book revisions are free If charging for e-books, allow people who have already purchased an e-book to download a new revision of it for free.