Products/Brainstorming/Writing

	THIS PAGE IS A WORKING DRAFT
	The page may be difficult to navigate, and some information on its subject might be incomplete and/or evolving rapidly. If you have any questions or ideas, please add them as a new topic on the discussion page.

How can we improve the process of writing on the web?

Some random brainstorming...

Never ever ever lose my work

I currently do not trust my browser as a writing tool because I have lost too much work over the years due to browser crashes, misclicks, power outages, etc. My browser should never ever ever ever (ever) lose my data no matter what happens. It should always auto-save everything and make it possible to retrieve no matter what happens to my browser. Until I can trust my browser to not lose my work, it will never be a primary writing tool.

Full-screen mode

I would like my browser to make it possible for me to invoke a gorgeous, configurable, distraction-free, full-screen writing mode akin to Omm Writer or WriteRoom on any website, any time. I want to be able to configure fonts, colours, etc.

Full-tab mode

Full-screen mode is one thing, but I'd also like to have a full-tab mode (like the new WordPress "Fullscreen" mode) on any website, any time. Same font/colour config set as above.

Spelling

Autocorrect my spelling as I go, but make it clear which words have been autocorrected (highlight flash or underline or something). Autocorrect has to be easy to turn on and off, and it should be easy to toggle the highlights on and off.

Dictionary & thesaurus

It would be really great if I could have a dictionary and thesaurus easily available while writing so I didn't have to change apps or drop out of full-screen writing mode in order to look stuff up. Ideally these would be configurable so I could pick my own (or multiple) dictionary/thesaurus services based on preferences, language, etc. (Partner with Oxford? Other providers? Pop-up mini-windows for other websites? Mini-apps? Right now I do this by using the dictionary app on my Mac Dashboard, but I'd like that to be webbier and configurable.)

Link checking

Make it really, really easy for me to check that all the links I've included work and go to the right place. Browsers should be good at that.

Markup

Make it easy to do markup, in spite of where the content is going. Rich-text WYSIWYG as much as possible, and just drop in the correct markup at the end (html, bbcode, mediawiki, etc). Whether I'm on a wordpress site or a web forum or a wiki, I should be able to write and format things in a rich-editing environment, and my browser will simply drop in the correct markup when I'm done. I don't want to have to learn multiple markup systems, I just want to be able to write.

Media

Simplify the process of embedding photos, videos, slidedecks, etc. regardless of the services I use for these (flickr, youtube, vimeo, slideshare, etc etc.)

Social & sharing

If I'm posting to my blog or something and I want to share my post/comment/whatever with my various social networks, make it super easy to auto-tweet/facebook/g+/whatever the link -- my browser should make that insanely easy, I shouldn't have to go to each site one-by-one afterwards and post to them individually.