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Kevin Rose’s idea for a new blogging platform called Tiny

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Re: Kevin Rose’s idea for a new blogging platform called Tiny

#21
This seems to me like it would distract me from writing, and distract me from reading -- both are things that seem pretty relevant to my information consumption and production habits.

I produce content that's read by people who you have to wear a tie to meet with. I hate wearing that damned tie, and the last thing I want to do is have to start wearing it for my blog.

Re: Kevin Rose’s idea for a new blogging platform called Tiny

#22
This isn't an idea for a platform, but rather an idea for a feature you could bolt on to Wordpress or Medium. It's an okay idea, but to be honest, the whole premise of video seems distracting. The world does not need more blogging platforms; Wordpress, Medium, Ghost, Tumblr, Google+, Typepad, etc.

What if you like to write blog posts in your underwear or write them naked? I doubt that would fit in with the context of the article you are writing. Rose is a smart guy, but this idea however is not a smart idea and I know Rose is a lot smarter than that. Tiny needs to offer more to justify calling itself a blogging platform other than the ability to have a video of the author penning the post.

As a blogger myself I sometimes write posts over the space of weeks and months before I publish them, I rarely sit down and write a post from start to finish then hit publish in the space of a day or few hours. I'm not saying Tiny is a bad idea, but I'm not saying it's a great idea either.

Re: Kevin Rose’s idea for a new blogging platform called Tiny

#24
This is not new. When doing literary analysis, it's often key to take into account information about the author and their setting, particularly to abstract subtle meaning from the text. It would be really compelling if there was a streamlined way to provide the text in context of the author and their world, therefore giving the text greater meaning. What Kevin Rose has presented grossly falls short of this idea, unless I'm underestimating the value of a blurred selfie.

To provide an alternative solution, consider a blogger that writes frequently. As a start we could probably use some basic data analysis to find most frequently used words, entities, and similar features.

A different solution that doesn't rely on previous writings could instead rely on the author's schedule. We could look at the schedule to provide interesting anecdotes. For example, say the author is writing a review on a Duke Dumont concert. We could use their schedule to show to that they've been to X related concerts with the last Y days. Or even slightly less related information, such as the author just finished a work out before writing and could be tired, or checked in at Chipotle frequently within the last week, so they have quesodillas on their mind. These are fairly abstract examples, but I hope they get the point across.

Re: Kevin Rose’s idea for a new blogging platform called Tiny

#25

What I want to understand is why this is such a compelling concept that I'd want to blog using it (or read a blog on it) vs all the other options out there. I'm just not seeing the allure.

The only allure is that it's Kevin Rose attached to it. The idea is terrible and will flop.

Not only do people not want to watch the very boring process of content creation, but the content creators will not want people watching their (as viewed) awkward, stop & start, process of generating. We're all pretty weird when put under a microscope, and not many people like to be under a microscope. There is no doubt an extraordinarily small market for this, as some will go for it, but it's the equivalent of watching paint dry.

Re: Kevin Rose’s idea for a new blogging platform called Tiny

#26
I don't see how it necessarily offers a "window" into someone's soul to have a blurry webcam running on them. The webcam probably won't add anything to the context of a post, and more likely than not the image is either going to be someone staring into the screen or an empty chair when they're not there.

The process of watching a writer write is not as insightful as, say, watching an artist paint.

There may be something to combining video and text into some kind of blogging system - because I could almost see it working on mobile with pictures of just about anything else. You write a post, you take some video, it just goes.

But this just seems superficial and even a bit vain. Also potentially dangerous. Digital blurs can be removed after all, can't they?

Re: Kevin Rose’s idea for a new blogging platform called Tiny

#27
But people act differently when a camera is running and it won't represent the true moment they are trying to capture. I think it is a fun idea for a new type of interactive content though. If the person you watch is a slow typer that would be a quick viewing.

Re: Kevin Rose’s idea for a new blogging platform called Tiny

#30
Interesting concept. It will definitely help with readership loyalty as readers will be more emotionally engaged with the author.

As people have noted, it would make a great feature, rather than a whole new platform.

Please create this for Wordpress! :) I am happy to donate some money to help build this.

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