Robert Scoble gives a shout out to the Community Server 2.0 ink blogging efforts going on over at TabletPCBlogs including my Inkineer blog and TDavid’s. I see that Peter Rysavy is trying ink out on his Community Server blog too. Yes, Peter using ink in CS 2.0 right now is a bit clunky. Hard hats are required.
Here’s a challenge with ink blogging in general though: Most people don’t write very legibly and most people can’t draw. So what are they to do with ink?
My answer?
We need better inking tools. We need more focused content.
Here’s what I’m thinking:
It’s OK to have a general, text-oriented blog support inking, but what about a blog for cartoonists? What about an blog-in-ink-oriented art project–an evolving blogosphere art installation? What about a blog that takes you through sample “how to draw” templates so you can track your progress? What about a blog where you can capture and post autographs?
OK. These are big picture blog ideas. Ink can be used just fine to add a little style–a squiggle here, a dash of color there–in any blog post. This may be just fine for most. (Unfortunately, the current build of Community Server beta 2.0 doesn’t do too well here yet.) Everyone can doodle.
I have been enjoying inking over at TabletPCBlogs though. It’s fun to break away from the ASCII world every now and then. Trick is to make the content and the infrastructure compelling enough to draw content creators and viewers back again and again. Through the process of actually inking I’m beginning to see the possibilities.