A long a convoluted series of thought-trains crashed together to give me this idea for a series of sites that I am now working on. It is mostly written in a notebook, but the gist of it is something I call "social documentation".
It derives from me taking a step back and thinking about what I actually use non-Wikipedia wikae for, and how it is used by others. There are patterns in most wikae software that I like, but as implemented I can't fit on other patterns that I would like. While I was thinking about this I was also considering how I would write documentation for my increasingly large and diverse client base.
I have a recipe in mind: WordPress + BuddyPress + bbPress + a custom theme + some plugins.
In the past I've been dismissive of BuddyPress because I didn't use those patterns, and critical of bbPress because that software didn't work the way I expected. Both projects have matured, and my understand of custom post types and the things that can be done with themes and plugins has grown. Now I think I can work with those frameworks.
And of course I am going to make it really complicated, by running my network of networks with multiple instances of social doc sites, which will share logins but have distinct communities (if I may presume that at least one other person will join me...). So there is that. ^_^
The first site that I will (well, should) focus on will be my work support documentation. That is straightforward in that it is easy to imagine what it looks like. If you've ever used a site that was titled a "knowledge base", there you have it, though I endeavor to make it less boring and more helpful than most kb sites I've used.
After that, though, documentation changes into something for which I use wikae: aggregate logs of role-playing game sessions, notes and tutorials for video games, deconstructions and commentary on cultural artifacts (me talking about a show I just watched), comprehensive reviews on computing devices, and food recipes. Those are all real examples of what I plan to build, each a different site using a similar format, but distinct enough to power its own groups of users.
Most ideas I have don't have as much visual/typographical design involved, so I am not practiced in explaining it. But in time it will become clear, because I practice radical transparency, and I will also be looking for suggestions and design patterns to take.
That's all for now. Stay tuned. ^_^