CommunityTool

[Heroman]

Another (likely psychically absorbed) tool idea...

CommunityTool; instead of something new, steal access to it!

I was thinking of a tool, well maybe more of a bridge, for allowing general community chats. It basically would be an interface to existing communities (like IRC, IM, Jabber, even OpenRPG, etc) to allow you to be part of that room/forum from your CommunityTool app. It would allow for chat and maybe even interpret a special MapTool styled URL for activities.

In example, your bring up your CommunityTool (maybe it interfaces with the PlayerTool and the chat (if not entire ChatTool, heck it could even just be a tab)). You jump onto a IRC channel, like maybe a freenode.net #maptool common room. You can chat, etc. You want to make a pickup game. Your server running, you drag (something) from your maptool onto the chat area, it sticks in a maptool://GameName (if using a central game list) or maptool://server:port as a url in the chat. Normal people can see it, maybe save it if they download MapTool. Others there via CommunityTool can click on it and it will connect up their maptool.

You could even take advantage of the service's capabilities (like if the service allows file download, tie it into the ideas for PlayerTool).

Basically, don't reinvent the community areas, interact with them but under the glorious umbrella of CommunityTool...

-hm

[dLANbandit]

kind of like Blizzard has BattleNet, HalfLife2 has Steam?

Only this would take advantage of the free services already out there?

[trevor]

You mean like Meebo ? heh