The instant monloguer would look much like an IM application (and might use similar protocols). The difference in the app would be that, for everyone's monlogue but your own, there would be no box for entering text.
The result: somthing akin to blogging, only more transient. Think of it as a little like a text-based radio. You could tune into Radio 4 (popular UK talk radio) and have the 'Today Programme' (polarising but popular breakfast current affairs programme on Radio 4) scrolling up the side of your desktop as you do the early morning shift at the bean-countery. Or set up your own and publish your thoughts as you go through the day. Communal monologues could have multiple contributors, each named or colour- coded like an IM chat.
In summary: like an Instant Messenger but public to read, private to write. Like a blog but faster, more dynamic and much more disposable.-- st3f, Sep 19 2006 Monologist?
Surely this is just a blog interface?-- yamahito, Sep 19 2006 Something like that. The mechanics don't interest me as much as the culture. The mechanics are basic -- you could mock this up with an IRC channel.
In fact the mechanics are so basic that I'm waiting for someone to say. "Baked. This is just an IRC channel with new users set as unable to talk."
I think that there are differences, but that they are subtle and interesting.-- st3f, Sep 19 2006 I think I like the idea - as an added twist, it might be interesting if the person who enters the text, is, once he's committed it to the system, unable to see it themselves. I'm thinking of the 'memory holes' from 1984, only you *hope* someone's reading them. You might be assigned someone random when you sign up. They don't know you, and you don't know them - never will. But you know there's someone who is going to read your most intimate, and anonymous thoughts - whatever they might be at any given moment.-- zen_tom, Sep 19 2006 Perhaps this would be interested combined with blogs. Allow readers who happen to be viewing your website to instantly see as you start writing the next post.-- ironfroggy, Sep 20 2006 a mini-blog really, i don't know the point of it, but it sounds cool-- fuzz2050, Sep 20 2006 When did twitter come out?
If this preceded it, [st3f], you should go for nulling their patent if it exists... but at least taking the credit!-- pashute, Oct 04 2010 text-based webcam ?-- FlyingToaster, Oct 04 2010 Just looked at the wikipedia entry for twitter. That has the public launch as July 15, 2006. I'm not a great one for conspiracy theories so I'm going to assume that's correct. So no, I didn't invent twitter.-- st3f, Oct 11 2010 random, halfbakery