Discussion and the like
I think it should be possible to have meta content for every item (but not required), and hidden by default so it does not clutter the main content.
Meta content of different kinds:
-
Read-only (votes, views, info from profile page, close status, revision history, etc.),
-
Threaded discussion of the content (similar to comments)
-
Seeking consensus on changing/building content (and/or formalised voting on decisions about it)
-
Off topic
-
Say hello to user (subject to blocking)
-
“See also” (like the hot network list)
There could be views that collect the same kind of meta content, say all current/open discussions for tag wikis.
The site
The slogan for the site could be: The place for professionals and learners alike
The site could have several corners that are qualitatively very different, not based on the same model (as Stack Exchange mostly is). I am thinking mostly of Stack Overflow here, but it could probably also apply to other facts-based sites (mathematics, English, physics, etc.)
I think the differentiation should be that we will (also) have a corner that is designed for learning, especially for beginners. One of the artefacts from that corner should be a set of FAQs (e.g. in Usenet style) that both serves that very purpose and also serves as a very quick and efficient introduction to a beginner (or new to it) in a field.
There is a huge untapped market here and the expectation (whether justified or not) of a place for beginners creates a lot of tension on Stack Overflow and also creates the image of Stack Overflow as a “toxic” place (unfair or not). A lot of contributors have a wish of teaching others as their motivation for contribution, including Jon Skeet.
The artefact from the normal Q&A is curated questions/answers, maintained/kept up to date and of publication quality (on the level of Wikipedia or better)
The site should not be free for all: The barrier for participation should be the willingness to put in an effort (those with the minimum-effort attitude are not welcome).
Possible corners (only the first two for MVP):
-
Knowledge repository
Q&A as we know it
-
Human search engine / learning
-
Especially for beginners seeking advice, pointers to resources,
drafting a real question that can be put in the Q&A corner, homework help, etc.
-
Content hidden from search engines
-
A safe place, without voting
-
An artefact could be FAQs, in the style of Usenet’s (before AOL destroyed it)
-
Chat
For very quick interaction (meta type stuff is covered elsewhere)
-
Blog-type content
Longer
-
Shooting the breeze
-
Meta place
Governance, feeds from the different sources, voting on big issues, moderator elections
-
Professional services market (yes, controversial)
Support for micropayments.
-
User pages
Including support for structured content (for instance, Trello-like)
(Meta: OK, I had to stop myself before it became too long. Take it as a set of ideas, rather than a well-developed whole.)