We communicate through many different discrete channels, protocols and programs. We do this because each offers us different qualities such as privacy, immediacy, formality and intrusiveness. It would be better to just have medium types and channels, and to explicitly choose the qualities we wish to attach. Google Wave is somewhat like that.

3. Not Twitter I don’t get Twitter

4. Immediacy Intrusiveness Intrusive Requested Immediate Deferred Phone TV/radio SMS iTunes IM Email Twitter Web

5. Formality Rich Limited Formatting Formal Kinda Informal TV/radio Wikis Telephone iTunes Blogs SMS Web essays Web video IM Email Twitter

6. Privacy Public Private TV/radio Phone iTunes SMS Web IM Mailing List Email Twitter

7. Transience Transient Permanent Phone iTunes SMS Email IM Web page Twitter TV/radio

8. Media Video Text Sound Picture Structured Message

9. Immediacy + Formality + Privacy + Transience + … + Medium Electronic Communications Applications

10. Immediacy + Formality + Privacy + Transience + … + Medium Electronic Communications Applications … Authentication Authorization References …

11. + Text Twitter = Immediate + Informal + Public + Transient

12. Phone = + Voice Immediate + Informal + Private + Transient

13. TV = + Video Immediate + Formal + Public + Transient

14. + Video Vweet? = Immediate + Informal + Public + Transient

15. + Structured message API call = Immediate + Private + Transient

16. + <Whatever> Comment = Deferred + Informal + Public + Permanent + Re: Immediate Disqus? Intense Debate?

18. Ad-hoc Channels Filtering

19. Private Intrusive <Anything> Daytime Boss Private Deferred Text Evening/Weekend

21. Private Demand Stream Video Private Intrusive Stream Video Structured Message

22. Private Intrusive <Anything> Daytime Computer Cellphone Home phone Boss Private Deferred Text Evening/Weekend Computer

23. UI?