"Personal Message System 2.0" or "two stories"

The article is devoted to the system of personal messages, but only in a new format, which, in my humble opinion, is more suitable for the web 2.0 value system.
I will say no more, at least try!

I want to tell you two stories: funny and sad . For many years, months, weeks and days I have not been visited by ideas. Generally none. Even the most stupid.

The funny story is that at least some idea has finally come to my head, and I am glad about it. I enjoyed the whole year. And even more!
')
The bad news is that in a year I haven’t done anything with this great idea, haven’t told it to anyone, and haven’t shown it to anyone. Sadly, but it is a fact.

Jokes - jokes, and fun - an hour! Today I will tell you all the most intimate things, but an attentive reader, what the hell is not joking, will take something useful out of this narration.

Entry (interesting - later)

Even the lazy one already knows that a new iPod Nano, an iPhone 3g, and something else has come out. He also knows that there is a crisis in the courtyard of the so-called “Generation P” “Generation Web 2.0” crisis . There is a lot of controversy over what Web 2.0 is, I will give a list of the most important (in my opinion, of course) differences of this very Web 2.0. So,

1. Content is filled by site visitors (users).
2. Users can add especially liked posts (articles, comments, etc.) to their Favorites list.
3. Users can add other users to their friends list.
4. Users can communicate with their "friends" through the private messaging system.
5. Interface pribludy, such as rounding corners, shadows, midtones, pastel colors, and the universal desire to simplify the design (for better assimilation of information).

And now we’ll dwell a little more on item 4 ( Users can communicate with their "friends" through the private messaging system ). It would seem that there is so difficult? There is a lot of complicated things, and these are not even technical problems (because now, if you wish, you can write anything you like), but rather problems of the very meaning of the universe: “we do what everyone does, and we don’t give a damn what otherwise it will be more convenient for the user. ” There is no one to blame for this, but this does not change the essence of the matter.

Stay in touch and I will tell you what solution I see. I will show a few pictures, and based on them I will try to concoct a “something” convenient and beautiful.

Actually, interesting

A little higher, I promised to show pictures. We have them. These are screenshots of several sites where a typical (and not so) personal messaging system is used. Then I will try to highlight the strengths, mistakes, and concoct something of their own, taking into account all the amendments.

To freedom, to the light!

All of us beloved Habrahabr


Many previously beloved Mamba (she is Dating. Mail.ru, Dating. Rambler.ru, etc)


And, finally, the last picture - the website BestPersons (no need to remember here about the security of the site, it is here as a "positive hero")

Debriefing flight

What is common in all these screenshots? That's right, the personal messages page is everywhere shown (which is quite logical, I promised to tell you about them =).
And in each of these examples there are pros and cons, given that you can concoct something adequate to the harsh reality. I will not paint everything (I tried, but somehow I reluctantly =), I will simply list what I (personally) would like to see on a similar page:

1. No drop-down windows, no-ki!
2. Tree-leading discussion (makes it possible to divide the discussion into several semantic branches, which is very convenient for communication, which is different from the discussion of yesterday's drunkenness, etc.)
3. Displaying the entire history with a specific user on the current page (merging Inbox and Outbox)
4. Display a list of all friends on the current page (on the one where we already have the whole history of communication with the selected user)
5. Displaying a notification icon on the status of each response (read / unread)
6. Opportunity to withdraw not only the list of friends, but also all users (without forgetting about item number 1!)
7. Updating the whole thing with ajax, and the more often the better.

After all this, it becomes clear that the Habrahabr format is most suitable - we will take it as the basis of our (my) “dream layout”. Armed with markers and colored pencils, you can get something like this:

No less interesting, but almost the end

One of these days (after constructive dialogues in the comments) I will begin to implement everything described above (for myself, and not only; taking into account comments and suggestions), then the second part of this article will be published (extremely practical), and I dare to leave aside and go away back home =)

Have a nice evening everyone!

Taking this opportunity, I want to say hello to my mother, yesterday was her birthday =)

Orchestra, curtain, finale! ..