ReadWriter : Task Automation and Feedback Support for Bloggers with Inline Syntax [ [ ] ]

This paper presents ReadWriter, a novel blogging interface that enables task automation and offers on-demand writing feedback. Bloggers can express any writing-related help requests in natural language inside double brackets. ReadWriter interprets a blogger’s requests and assigns them to a diverse group of contributors: software search agents, an anonymous crowd, the blogger’s social connections, and readers. The entire cycle of creating a request, checking status, reviewing results, and applying to a draft occurs inside the blogging interface. Design goals are to help writers maintain flow by automatically managing housekeeping tasks, and to engage readers earlier on in the writing process. Analysis of collected requests identified distinct categories of tasks people expect from the system. Five bloggers in the lab study found the tool easy to learn and use, and exhibited various usage patterns during a writing task. ACM Classification: H5.2 [Information interfaces and presentation]: User Interfaces. Graphical user interfaces. General terms: Human Factors