Michiel . van Vlaardingen

Sometimes I have a problem focusing on the work I’m currently doing.  And right at that point it’s very easy to wander and go browse for some news, get your email, etc.      Now the quick solution is:  turn of everything and shut down your internet connection.

It really helps sometimes, but most of the time it doesn’t… Why?  I need internet to work:

• synchronize code with the SVN repository
• work on a website that’s on a remote server
• search for documentation

So what I would really like to have is some  ‘work mode’ tray icon that would block everything except for a few things that I have allowed.   It would be even nicer if I could define different contexts that would allow different websites and connections.

Soon I will write a bit about the extended version of this idea that does a bit more than managing access to websites.

About this series: I believe execution is more important than the initial business idea.   At the same time  I have a lot of those ideas, that will never be executed by a shear lack of time.   That’s why I will start something new on this blog:  I will pitch my ideas here.    If you think it’s a good idea or know a service that already does such a thing, please leave a comment.

Ever tried brainstorming by chat?  You know what happens:  conversation will go into particular details soon and the general picture is forgotten. What I would love to have is a threaded chat where things are ordered by subject in a tree (or mindmap if you like)  so you can easily return to a topic and afterwards the chat log is actually a good and useful overview of your session.

The interface would have a summary tree with markings for active/unfinished/closed topics  and the currently active topic chat in an other pane.     This makes it into some sort of live collaborative mindmapping tool.

Some extras that would be nice:

• pre-programming your meeting agenda as the structure so you know that you won’t miss an item
• mobile version
• From: antirez : @Michielvv about idea #2 maybe also the ability to vote chat messages in real time during a brainstorm automatically removing downvoted.
  — Yes that could be a very nice addition
• Something that works well with a group of people in front of a beamer
  

About this series: I believe execution is more important than the initial business idea.   At the same time  I have a lot of those ideas, that will never be executed by a shear lack of time.   That’s why I will start something new on this blog:  I will pitch my ideas here.    If you think it’s a good idea or know a service that already does such a thing, please leave a comment.

I believe execution is more important than the initial business idea.   At the same time  I have a lot of those ideas, that will never be executed by a shear lack of time.   That’s why I will start something new on this blog:  I will pitch my ideas here.    If you think it’s a good idea or know a service that already does such a thing, please leave a comment.

Idea #1:  One-time chat

Do you run a business online and are responsible for customer contacts?  You will probably recognize this:  you are the man-in-the-middle between a customer and a programmer,  continuously mailing things back and forward.  But you can’t just pass the programmer’s email or IM contact, because your customer would bother them to death for the rest of his life.     Wouldn’t it be great if you could just create a one-time conversation on a secret page where both of the programmer and customer can go  and chat?    The chat log could be mailed to both  afterwards.