One thing leads to another.

Monday, March 17, 14

Today we have access to more information and content than ever; and yet, I’m

concerned that this isn’t making us more well-rounded, more knowledgeable, wiser.

Monday, March 17, 14

I’m concerned that our emphasis on “the stream” -- news / timely information / ephemeral content --

leaves us knowing where we are now...

Monday, March 17, 14

...but not how we got here or where we’re going. We need to look at the bigger picture.

Monday, March 17, 14

Search helps us find items we’re looking for.

Monday, March 17, 14

Search helps us find items we’re looking for.

Social media ties us to each other and helps surface information we care about.

Monday, March 17, 14

Search helps us find items we’re looking for.

Social media ties us to each other and helps surface information we care about.

Websites and blogs provide organizations and individuals with publishing platforms.

Monday, March 17, 14

Search helps us find items we’re looking for.

Social media ties us to each other and helps surface information we care about.

Websites and blogs provide organizations and individuals with publishing platforms.

Sites like Wikipedia, Quora, Yelp!, Flickr, and others allow people to create, collaborate

Monday, March 17, 14

But they're all so separate.

Monday, March 17, 14

For example, if we hope to understand “civilization”, it helps to understand the long journey from hunter/

gatherer to clicker/tapper.

Monday, March 17, 14

To do so, we can turn to all kinds of information.

Monday, March 17, 14

COLLECTIONS

STUDIESDISCUSSIONS

DOCUMENTS PHOTOS

To do so, we can turn to all kinds of information.

BOOKS

VIDEOS

INFOGRAPHICS

Monday, March 17, 14

Much of this content lives on the Web in one form or another.

Monday, March 17, 14

But while they are parts of the same story, they are frequently not connected.

Monday, March 17, 14

They are buried within separate websites from different organizations.

Monday, March 17, 14

They are buried within separate websites from different organizations.

Monday, March 17, 14

MixTrail provides a platform for people to connect the best content from across the Web into

meaningful, usable, linear collections.

Monday, March 17, 14

+ + + +

MixTrail is a content connection system.

Monday, March 17, 14

+ + + +

MixTrail is a content connection system.

Monday, March 17, 14

MixTrail lets you create, share, and follow trails of information across the Web.

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What is a Trail?

Monday, March 17, 14

At it’s most basic, a trail is a series of sequential pages connected by a user around a topic.

Monday, March 17, 14

Many topics are multi-layered, multi-sided and multi-faceted stories.

MixTrail nurtures deeper understanding of a topic by connecting the best content

Monday, March 17, 14

Trails are created by humans.

Trails are intentionally limited in length, nudging users to create concise, meaningful collections.

(Trails need to be of manageable length to be helpful.)

Monday, March 17, 14

Viewing a Trail

Monday, March 17, 14

Initially, a viewer sees a trail summary.Monday, March 17, 14

The viewer moves through the pages within the trail.Monday, March 17, 14

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The viewer can open a trail preview panel.Monday, March 17, 14

Monday, March 17, 14

Finding a Trail

Monday, March 17, 14

MixTrail is conceived to fill a gap within the Web ecosystem; therefore, it is not a closed garden. Trails are intended to be search-friendly and as accessible

as any webpage.

Monday, March 17, 14

Trails can be explored on MixTrail.com...Monday, March 17, 14

...found via search...Monday, March 17, 14

...found via embed......found via embed...Monday, March 17, 14

...discovered using a browser extension...Monday, March 17, 14

...or found based on similarity to other trails.Monday, March 17, 14

Creating a Trail

Monday, March 17, 14

Someone who creates a trail is called a Trail Guide. He or she maintains the trail and monitors the

content to make sure that the information remains current. Trails are living, not static.

Monday, March 17, 14

Name your trail.Monday, March 17, 14

Describe it.Monday, March 17, 14

Browse for pages to include on your trail.Monday, March 17, 14

Add the page.Monday, March 17, 14

Describe the page. Monday, March 17, 14

Edit and rearrange the trail.Monday, March 17, 14

Publish it!Monday, March 17, 14

All your trails are collected on your Trail Guide page.Monday, March 17, 14

Maintaining a Trail

Monday, March 17, 14

Just as a trail in the woods becomes overgrown without use, a MixTrail and it's content can become

outdated or be superseded by better content. Nurturing good content is a key aspect of MixTrail.

Monday, March 17, 14

Feedback is collected at the trail and page level.Monday, March 17, 14

Likes and dislikes create two channels of feedback.Monday, March 17, 14

You are asked different questions if you dislike it.Monday, March 17, 14

Trail Guides can review all the feedback.Monday, March 17, 14

Aggregated feedback on webpages included in trails would be collected and could be made available to

the page's author, serving as a nudge to create better content.

Monday, March 17, 14

Following Trails

Monday, March 17, 14

Remember, the big goal of MixTrail is to foster deeper understanding of topics. Users can follow a trail, chart their progress, and receive notifications

when the Trail Guide has modified the trail.

Monday, March 17, 14

When you follow a trail, your progress is tracked.Monday, March 17, 14

A page that's been read is indicated as such.Monday, March 17, 14

The status page shows you how complete you are and indicates when content has changed.

Monday, March 17, 14

Platforms

Monday, March 17, 14

Web

Mobile - mobile interface / reader functionality

Tablet - reader / Trail Guide app

API - make available an API allowing other tools to compile trails through this platform.

Monday, March 17, 14

One thing leads to another.

Monday, March 17, 14