Dear All,
I had a tag-line idea, mentioned it in the hangout (but got it wrong!)
*as complex as you need, as simple as you dare *
There could then be two lists presented side by side
1) all the cutting edge technical details to assure developer types,
computer scientists that TW is not a toy
2) the simple offer to the user. an update of a card index, a personal
wiki, a research tool, a private tool with encription
This idea comes after reading the Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda [1],
(and watching too much Madmen - the US TV series about advertising- over
Christmas)
Maeda writes that users of technology appreciate different balances of
complexity and simplicity during their experience. The perception of this
changes, is like a piece of music, i has a rhythm. The complexity should
unfold in pleasing ways, and the simplicy and smallness add to a sense of
preciousness, while the complexity allude to infinite possibilities.
The method of thinking about complexity in TW has a history though the
history of the wiki itself: Ward's Wiki, Pattern Languages etc. TW
marketing division doesn't have to reinvent the wheel: the wiki way is the
way to tame and manage complexity, it jsut happens that TW is a
particularly Zen like and elegant implementation of a wiki. (Perhaps there
is not enough made of this -- Jerm's finely developed sense of modesty and
all that)
Here are some further thoughts I had in light of reading this book. The
first might be controversial.
*1) Tiddler is for dev: don't expose the new user to it: call it a note,
a slip, a card, something that can be easily translated. *
I was looking at Google translate for Zettel (part of ZettelKasten)
note
Anmerkung, Note, Notiz, Kenntnis, Ton, Zettel
label
Etikett, Aufkleber, Beschriftung, Schild, Aufschrift, Zettel
paper
Papier, Paper, Arbeit, Zeitung, Blatt, Zettel
slip
Beleg, Rutsch, Ausrutscher, Zettel, Unterrock, Fehltritt
card
Karte, Karton, Ausweis, Pappe, Blatt, Zettel
notice
Bekanntmachung, Ankündigung, Mitteilung, Benachrichtigung, Notiz, Zettel
piece of paper
Zettel, Wisch
ticket
Ticket, Fahrkarte, Karte, Fahrschein, Flugschein, Zettel
form
Form, Formular, Gestalt, Art, Vordruck, Zettel
memo
Memo, Notiz, Mitteilung, Zettel
leaflet
Broschüre, Prospekt, Merkblatt, Flugblatt, Blättchen, Zettel
receipt
Eingang, Erhalt, Empfang, Zugang, Quittung, Zettel
chit
Zettel
docket
Zettel, Prozessliste, Warenbegleitschein, Etikett, Urteilsregister, Quittung
handout
Handzettel, Almosen, Broschüre, Flugblatt, Zettel
coupon
Coupon, Gutschein, Kupon, Bon, Talon, Zettel
handbill
Flugblatt, Handzettel, Zettel
ballot paper
Stimmzettel, Zettel
A tiddler can be all of these things, but its best left as language for
technical conversations. In these conversations Tiddler is a good design
choice. It's unique and reduces ambiguity.
Another tool, The Brain uses the term thought for it's Tiddler. I found
it infuriating, the choice gets in the way of language. The language
getting out of the way is important but in every day speak, a new entry
or new note suffices. We don't need to make distinction at the level of
using TW to make connected notes.
From experience, when I have started to talk about TW with non TW fans, I
tiddler does not help. I have felt a little uneasy when saying it in
business contexts. (It doesn't translate well to US English either)
*2) Restrict the amount of characters in title and body - a route to
customising*
The notion of encouraging writing small chunks of text is not instantiated
in the design. I can write a Tiddler of million words if I like.
Restrict the user, then, if she want to loose the restrictions teach her
how to. The feeling of freedom versus the feeling of constraint - the user
chooses
3) Craft in customising.
TW is easy to customise, and there have been reported theraputic joys of
tiddling - tinkering with a TW. This is wonderful of course, and the
outputs of the TW Way mean that there are charming TWs out there in the
wild.
Craft is an intermediate step: its not science or art. It's a vernacular
creativity.
An analogy to knitting or sewing: the crafter wants a pattern to knit of
sew to. They don't want to know how to make and design the pattern - that
is for professionals.
*4) think of TW as a luxury item - (not an Apple product though!)*
What would TW look like if Bang Olufsen designed it? If Prada designed it?
*5) Small is Beautiful*
OK... economist E. F. Schumacher made the term famous [3] in his book
its often
used to champion small, appropriate technologies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appropriate_technologies that are believed
to empower people more, in contrast with phrases such as bigger is
better. - Wikipedia
TW can *embody* this idea (in the sense Maeda uses it) - I think TW would
have a great following amounts people who share similar values to the TW
community, those who espouse cooperation over competition for example.
There's a Shumacher college for this type of thing [5]
(I
