(2002-04-11) b

DavidNess on Instant Outlining and Live Blogging. He hates them both. Seitz is particularly interested in both outlines and Wikis. As a result he is experimenting with merging the two cultures, and his web site shows it. So far I fail to have anything about his linking the two approaches strike me as particularly productive, but I am happy that he is experimenting with this approach. Ouch. Though I'd call this site a merging more of WebLog and Wiki than of OutLining and wiki. See Intro Page. Wikis have taught us that collaboration with shared documents really works pretty well. As a result the aspect of I/O that requires `messaging' is not as important at it might appear at first. Further, the richness of the wiki can cover some problem areas much better than the more strict hierarchical orientation of the instant outline... Outlines are rather a rigid structure. Therefore, we might at least hypothesize that they might be better for expressing authority than for promoting collaboration. Again, only time will tell. But I do find it tantalizing that in his own descriptions of using I/O to manage project development at Userland, there seems to be a fair authoritarian air about what is going on. Winer's own descriptions of how interactions with the staff are managed leaves me little doubt about how authority flows at Userland, and I wonder if this is separable from the fact that he finds I/O so productive in this situation.