Here is what I’m working with:
talkgroup is a slow, ephemeral, multilingual, and data-enhanced virtual conference (a webapp with chat and forums) for collaborating with others. Crafted by maiki.
Now I’ll explain a great portion of those words.
What is talkgroup?
This is version 3 of talkgroup, and the former two are now archives that are slowly being processed.
It is a domain I use for talking to folks, basically. About anything.
I build the tools I want to use, and because corporate social networks are aligned with different values than mine, I end up building my own social networks as well.
This version is dope! I might still use the version number, since I’m framing this as a “virtual conference”, but because of some of other attributes, I won’t need to archive the platform any longer: ephemeral is a key attribute here. 
Slow?
Yes, and maybe also calm. Slow and calm. To start.
The idea is not to introduce yet another distraction to your life. The platform will be configured to only notify someone if they want to be.
It also refers to the growth of the conference. We are not trying to collect new members; instead we want to ensure that everyone who joins has an enjoyable experience.
It will be invite-only, and based largely on participation from people who are trained to use the platform.
Ephemeral?
Yeah… I’m going to solve a bunch of problems with storing my friends discussions indefinitely: I’m not! 
Here are ways to communicate with others, and what happens to those messages:
- Chat messages will be removed on a relatively short cycle, no more than 30 days; I hope to have a way to auto-archive chat threads into topics, but manually doing so is a way to extend a chat conversation
- Topics will eventually be closed (based on relevant criteria, and hopefully automation-enabled); on a regular basis, all closed topics will be made personal messages
- Personal messages will be deleted manually by folks, with reminders to export data, automation that makes sense, etc.
Because all data will eventually fade away, it means if someone is not active on the site, it will be removed as an inactive account with no content on the site. 
And this is fine! One point of the conference is to show people the how and why of using a platform the way we do. 
Multilingual?
The platform will have tools that hopefully encourage people to express themselves in whichever language they prefer; we have automatic translation tools based on locale, as well as inline assistance for understanding nuance and context.
The goal is to practice in the space where we are not creating language silos. We benefit greatly from having shared languages with broad global reach. We also benefit from people expressing ideas and feelings in their preferred language!
So we will encourage both the automated tools for translation, as well as developing the practices that allow us to communicate across languages, cultures, space, and time.
Data-enhanced?
This will make more sense as one experiences it, but basically it’s the idea of building a platform that uses data to enhance the human experience rather than distract.
This concept includes:
- the services and technology used for the platform
- transparency and documentation
- guidance and new practices
- knowledge building
Virtual conference (a webapp with chat and forums)?
I’m describing it as such for two reasons:
- A virtual conference is easier to explain what it is, even tho…
- it’s really just a webapp with chat and forums
If you read the stuff I’ve got planned you may notice: so many steps to get there!
But for folks joining the conference, it should be super easy to understand. And I can explain two things: chat and forums. I got this!
The rest is details, hidden behind the curtain. And when folks join they will already have a sense of what to expect.
Collaborating with others?
Well, every conference needs a theme, ne? 
I thought, if I was hosting a conference, what big idea would I reach for?
And it’s this: I wish everyone had the opportunity to learn how to collaborate with others in a supportive space.
Having a direction is useful, as we can measure our success against this, and can imagine how our decisions affect our goal.
Crafted by maiki?
Yeah… I would not normally reference myself like that, but this conference is hosted, and I promote transparency.
I didn’t know what I had done, at first. Designed? Developed? Dreamed? 
I chose “crafted” because this is an endeavor that lands near but outside science or art. And in the end, when folks look at the shape of it, they’ll think, “This was a maiki-thing, huh?”
Okay, since the platform will be invitation-only, this project definitely needs a landing site explaining that paragraph… not sure if there is more to it.
I mean, I could kinda write up a paragraph about each sentiment for the landing page.