Write.as

Write.as is a clean and distraction-free web-based writing and submission platform with built-in support for federated web services like Mastodon. Started in 2015, the platform aims to give users privacy in online writing. A clear statement of principles emphasizes privacy, data freedom and open web advocacy.

Write.as has both $0 and subscription services. There are discounts for teachers. Write.as is one of a number of related products with the stated goal of maintaining data privacy while being simple and straightforward to use (snap.as, draft.as, submit.as). An open-source version for teams or classes can be self-hosted: writefreely

Use cases

Write.as proposes educational use cases at Write.as for teachers, including anonymous writing submissions, a class blog, or individual student blogs.

Accept written submissions anonymously

This is the simplest use of write.as and requires no sign-up by students. Students simply write an anonymous document and use the automatically-generated link for sharing.

Create a class blog

A teacher can moderate a class blog with students submitting work through the related submit.as service.

Create individual student blogs

Students can create their own blogs, publish to the "fediverse" automatically, and learn basic css and javascript in modifying their blog.

Create a static blog-based course website

As an alternative to Jekyll or Hugo or other static site generators, or as a quick, minimal, and lightweight alternative to Wordpress, and as a very lightweight alternative to a traditional LMS, write.as can be used to create a simple class website.

How to use it

The markdown-based editor can be used without an account for anonymous document creation and document sharing. There is a how-to guide for Getting Started. Further guidance and videos are at using.write.as. There is an active community forum for troubleshooting and for more advanced issues.

The platform (with a "Pro" subscription) allows tailoring the site through custom css and custom javascript. (Note that custom javascript requires that the page have an address that is one of the options other than the default write.as/[your site name here]. Users can use their own custom domain. The primary functionality of the site is as a blog, but static pages can be created by pinning posts. Posts can be shared automatically via mastodon and there are straightforward integrations for sharing to twitter and select social media platforms.

Replacement for

• Google Docs
• draftin