The concept is to make it possible to comment directly on visited pages, but since it is not possible to add notes, comments, and whatnot to the webpage itself, the comments must be stored in an other place. The comments could then be showed on the pages as an added layer – maybe generated by a plugin/extension to your favourite browser.
Detached comments would function on as well individual as colloborative levels. All it takes is to apply access rights when adding comments. There are then several ways to access comments:
- per chance; stumble upon notes made by your ‘group’ on Detached Comments
- per rss; subscribe to content and location of comments made by your peers – what would actually resemble a dispersed blog
The furthest extension of the idea is to combine geo-information to comments, making it possible to somehow attach virtual comments to real objects… (Warning: this is idea needs further elaboration…)
Interesting thought! It has also emerged within the Semantic Web-community as some sort of shared annotation. It ought to be a simple project – and someone must have made a prototype on the net. If not this is a solid candidate for Sourceforge.
A Danish software firm has already developed a tool: Try it here: http://www.worldforum.dk/