February 17, 2005

Paper Outline

After some feedback from Brian, I realized the scope of my paper was too big. Here is an outline (rough though it may be) that will help me focus the paper. Focus is a good thing.

    1. Introduction

    2. Where did we begin and where are we now?

      a. I want to find data (Ideally from the UN/US Government/etc) charting the amount of information we are exposed

        i. I want to prove that there really is more information available today than before

      b. I want to discuss the people that believe that technology solves all issues and answers all questions versus the other extreme – the people who don’t engage with IT at all

        i. I think it’s important to give both sides a (short) voice in the debate.

    3. Limits of information in the ITR
      a. What are the limits of information / are we better off / more productive?

      b. How do we process the information?

    4. Tunnel Vision as an effect of information overload
      a. How our information is divided

        i. No more card catalogue to peruse when looking for paper topics

      b. How our society is divided

        i. Consumer tribes, online communities, market targeting.

    5. Conclusion


Resources for now include:

Shenk, David. (1997). Data Smog: Surviving the information glut. London: Little, Brown and Company.

Brown, John Seely & Duguid, Paul. (2002). The Social Life of Information. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Posted by arosenst at 07:22 AM | Comments (2)

February 13, 2005

Bad Headings and More

Poor Headlines, Lists, and a Website

Poor Headlines

Original: Fort Bragg Barracks to get $30M Worth of Repairs

Better: Fort Bragg Will Receive Repairs to Barracks Worth $30


Original: Police Investigate Shooting at Raleigh Shooting Plaza

Better: Police Investigate Shooting in Raleigh Plaza


Origional: Oscar Nominees Break Bread Together

Better: Oscar Nominees Dine Together


One article on the Web that you think can be improved with the use of lists.

Love Doc: Kissing Is Best Valentine's Gift

BEFORE
Sound a little advanced? Step one: Relax.
"Slowing way down is really helpful, getting really focused, really feeling into your own heart," she said.
Step two: Make eye contact and deliver a message perhaps of love or tenderness.
"Whatever that message is, it needs to be carried into the quality of the kiss," she said.
Step three: Forget multitasking; pay attention.
"Focusing is essential and it means all of you, right down to the curling of your toes needs to be engaged in this," she said.
If after all that, the kiss fails to deliver, maybe you should find another Valentine. A bad kiss, Byrd said, "foretells the kind of disconnect that might be happening should the relationship continue."

AFTER
Sound a little advanced?
1. Step one: Relax.
"Slowing way down is really helpful, getting really focused, really feeling into your own heart," she said.
2. Step two: Make eye contact and deliver a message perhaps of love or tenderness.
"Whatever that message is, it needs to be carried into the quality of the kiss," she said.
3. Step three: Forget multitasking; pay attention.
"Focusing is essential and it means all of you, right down to the curling of your toes needs to be engaged in this," she said.
If after all that, the kiss fails to deliver, maybe you should find another Valentine. A bad kiss, Byrd said, "foretells the kind of disconnect that might be happening should the relationship continue."


A Web page I feel expertly uses all or many of the tools discussed in this module.

The BBC site uses many of the tools discussed this week.

Interface Design
The links are prolific, making information is easy to access. Navigation is simple. Each page within the site is freestanding and links nicely back to others (no dead-ends that I’ve found).
Site Design
This site is a jumping off point for all the other BBC sites and therefore follows the Web Organization structure. Additionally, this site captures the reader with ease. The categories are logical breakdowns and make it very easy for me to navigate. The homepage is a grouping of menu-like lists (which makes since – text sites like this are easy to change, something BBC would want).
Page Design
This page design is simple, balanced with color and text. The pictures are in safe areas and the typography is easy to read and appears web safe in my browsers.

Posted by arosenst at 11:55 PM | Comments (1)