As we klog, we communicate in structured ways that make sense in our little cultures. Document templates embody knowledge about what, how, when, how much, and to whom information should go.

For example, I have a collection of IT project management templates. Some, like the Flash Report, are weekly reports. Others, like a Project Initiation Document, are more like weblog stories, subject to rounds of editing.

Wish:

Let me template a post the way I can launch a Microsoft Word document with a template.

Think of templates as Shortcuts triggered before editing an item instead of after.

I envision:

Creating a new post with a template.

1. Having a list of templates to choose from.
2. Pressing a New Item button.
3. The editing page opens, with the edit box filled with content from the template.

Creating a new template.

1. Select an existing post to edit, or start a new one.
2. Revise edited content to be generic.
3. Press the "Save As Template" button.
4. See a WYSIWY preview of the template and the Edit Box (like Manila's newsItem editor).
5. Revise the template until its preview is correct (usually stripped of anything non-generic)
6. Continue by:
   • naming the template
   • describing, in a sentence or two, who should use this template and when
   • choosing to share it (with nobody, with my RCS or with the world),
   • creating a new category where all posts with this template belong,
   • choosing one or more existing to categories to default-checkbox when this template is launched
   • Press the "Save Template" button.
7. The template:
   • Now shows up in the New Item list of templates
   • Has an html rendered version for previewing

Sharing my templates.

• My Radio should generate an OPML file listing templates I'm sharing.
• I can see a list of all of my templates on My Templates page.
  • Along with a check box for each so I can:
  • change the "shared with" status
  • delete the template.
• Templates should have an attribute showing where they came from, like themes do.

Getting templates.

• Discovery:
  • Probe a UserLand RCS site for templates
  • Probe another RCS for templates
  • Probe my subscribed RSS sites for templates
  • Probe my neighborhood for templates
• Results are in a Template Gallery.
  • I see a page listing discovered template names, descriptions, sources, revision dates, and a link to a preview page.
• Probe with search criteria
  • show me templates updated in the last n days/hours, containing the word "expense report", in English
• Templates preferences page:
  • Check news RSS subscription sources for template.opml files that change.
  • Discover now.

In the future:

• The templates may be XML payloads, compliant with an industry or application specification. (For example, an SAP purchase request.)
• Before editing, more processing may take place to create a form to capture more strucutured data elements.
• After editing, more processing may take place to copy the data to a template-dictated category (SAP Purchase Requests) or to otherwise distribute the post (perhaps to SAP via SOAP). 

Am I getting this right? Suggestions please. AIM Y! @Ryze

[aka Blue Sky Radio]