eComma, a project worth writing about...

eComma is an innovative project that was partially born out of DIIA's FastTex grant program. Developed by UT student Travis Brown, eComma is the shortened name for eCommentary Machine. This is a web application that gives students, scholars and literature aficionados the ability to collaboratively mark up literature with comments, tags and analysis of text. This unique application enables literature to enter the Web 2.0 in a way that helps others to understand, study and explore timeless texts as well as modern works. The technology driving this project is PHP, XML, mySQL and a model view controller framework(MVC). It is currently being deployed for an exhibit in UT's Harry Ransom Center featuring an exploration of Omar Khayyam's poem the Rubaiyat. eComma is displayed in the exhibit area via a large touch screen monitor that allows viewers to explore the text of the poem, comments and tags. This project is filling a void in the Web 2.0 world better known for its blogs and user generated video and photographs by allowing one of the world's first forms of expression, text, to come alive again in a collaborative and innovative way. Check it out. Its worth writing about :)

PS - This project was seen by visiting NMC Directors at the Harry Ransom Center as part of the 2009 UT campus tour for the Directors.

education, social_web