Perhaps I should not have used the word “centralized”. My goal is to offer a space for folks to use as a backchannel that has lots of functionality.
What I’d like to do is create a web-based IRC spot, whereas folks can drop by and chat all they like and not have to register for anything. No registration, no password, no privacy concerns, just chat. Just backchannel.
I am thinking IRC because it is an already-established network and I would merely provide a gateway. This way we can prevent all the trouble of IRC clients and frustration. Imagine if at the blogger’s cafe folks could just hit up edublogosphere.com and start chatting.
I like it because there’s no need to be someone’s contact, no need to download Skype, no need to hook up to twitter. It’s just easy, accessible, and requires no effort.
It doesn’t even require a download. Now, for those who want, they could use an IRC client just as easily, and perhaps more easily. See, flexibility.
So that’s my thinking thus far, now comes the implementation. I found ONE that I like, that’s clean enough for my taste. We’ll see if I can manage to get it installed. This is where I am stretching my knowledge, so I’ll have to learn this one on the way through it.
I’ll keep you posted!
Justin Medved says:
I’m interested !
Looking forward to seeing what takes shape.
23rd September 2007 at 2:26 am
Mark Wagner says:
I know this probably goes without saying, but be sure to let us know when you’re ready for beta testers. I love this idea. Thanks for putting in the work.
23rd September 2007 at 10:03 pm
Edublogosphere.com comes to life! | Crucial Thought says:
[...] blogged a while back about edublogosphere.com and what to do with it. There was a comment buried in the moderation [...]
23rd September 2007 at 4:58 pm