Am I the only one who thinks Information Architecture is a great textbook? It is incredibly practical and clearly written, and prudent in its use of jargon. I'm finally putting names on concepts that have beenthere all the time - (global, local and contextual embedded navigation systems, example). And the idea of utilizing user search queries to help revise your label system is so obvious that Homer Simpson's exclamatory comes to mind.
I made web site a long time ago for the Rockford YMCA and now I am going back to revise the site incorporating the info from IA Chapter 6. I wish I'd read the book years ago.
DMCG
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
More free stuff
Hey, guys! I'm beginning to feel like my Polish grandma--obsessed with free stuff. I'm not, really, but if you can get it for free... Anyway, for those of us who are not graphic designers or illustrators (and even those who are) and who could use a hand in furnishing the graphics for their web sites, here are a couple good, free image sources. (I know from experience that just googling "free stock images" gets a lot of conspicuously UNfree stuff!) My personal favorite is the stock.xchange, which will give you a selection of free images along with some for a price. Please note the usage guidelines; some of the images request that you contact the artists to request permission--and although that kind of thing is usually not a big deal for school projects, I know most of us have real websites that will eventually be published to the web. I hope you find these useful. Cheers!
stock.xchange
image*after
morgueFile
stock.xchange
image*after
morgueFile
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Missing your IA book?
"I wouldn't exactly say I've been missing it, Bob."
I mistakenly grabbed someone else's IA book along with my own at the end of class last week. I'll reunite it with it's proper owner tomorrow night.
I mistakenly grabbed someone else's IA book along with my own at the end of class last week. I'll reunite it with it's proper owner tomorrow night.
Online consciousness and conscience
When reviewing the "thoughts" and suggestions on Facebook and other social networking sites as provided by Cornell University and USC, I imagined that most (if not all) of us felt they were a matter of common sense, especially given the myriad discussions we've had this semester. However, when I consider the audience for which these were intended, they don't seem nearly as pedantic. When I ask my 8th grade students about MySpace and other similar sites, I am amazed by the depth of the naivete they possess. They seem to think that the Internet and the social worlds within it don't lie within the "real world." The freedom (whether real or imagined) within these sites warps students' senses of right or wrong, at least from a social standpoint. Don't get me wrong, I still think more kids than not use these sites in perfectly harmless ways, but the number of people misusing them, intentionally or unintentionally, is increasing.
On a tangential note, we had an interesting discussion during our institute day this past Friday. Our faculty meeting began with a discussion regarding grading policies and the apparent decline in work ethic among our student body as a whole. Theories and anecdotes were bandied about for 20 minutes or so before one of the quiet leaders among our staff was compelled to speak. In his roughly ten-minute monologue, he made a very powerful statement regarding MySpace, YouTube, and the like. He said that the ability to post information, host their own sites, and even manipulate information that is not "their own" is creating a "false empowerment and sense of entitlement" within children not yet mature nor responsible enough to recognize and appreciate the consequences of all of their actions.
On a tangential note, we had an interesting discussion during our institute day this past Friday. Our faculty meeting began with a discussion regarding grading policies and the apparent decline in work ethic among our student body as a whole. Theories and anecdotes were bandied about for 20 minutes or so before one of the quiet leaders among our staff was compelled to speak. In his roughly ten-minute monologue, he made a very powerful statement regarding MySpace, YouTube, and the like. He said that the ability to post information, host their own sites, and even manipulate information that is not "their own" is creating a "false empowerment and sense of entitlement" within children not yet mature nor responsible enough to recognize and appreciate the consequences of all of their actions.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Now that I've read how they work....
I am still in awe of how quickly these social network sites have grown-- how someone simply had an idea and the whole thing took off! I would still like to "lurk" a bit first, especially now that I know nice people (like John B.) do that! I am really curious to check out the sites, but somehow I'm too shy, or nervous, to do so--the way I used to be too shy to talk to people in person! I don't understand why this is, but I am really nervous about weird people doing weird stuff with my name and/or photo, etc., if I were to put these in the wrong place on the web. When I googled my own name, however, the only two accurate matches to myself that came up were my NIU teaching intern information, and a link to an honor I received from NIU's Communication dept. (under my full name), and I guess I'd like to keep it that way. I like Cornell's guidelines for their students, especially their basic conclusion to follow a " 'Golden Rule.' Don't say anything about someone else that you would not want said about yourself." Another interesting notion, that danah boyd pointed out in his/her comparison of MySpace and Friendster, was how MySpace adapted to its users: "Basically, MySpace evolved with its users, building a trusting relationship, figuring out how to meet their needs and cultural desires, providing them with features and really trying to give them what they were looking for. Friendster did not - it fought its users hand and foot, telling them how to behave." Since I've never been on either site, the information d.b. provided throughout his/her? essay/blog has made me feel more comfortable about going to MySpace. I'm more likely to experiment with using these sites now. I guess it's just that being scared of that which you don't understand phenomenon. If only I had the time...
Get out of my blog, Mom!
Consider the following excerpt from danah boyd's manifesto:
A huge part of the success of MySpace is an age and culture thing. Part of being an American teen is figuring out who you are, how you fit into society and culture, how social relations work, etc. Part of this process involves sharing cultural objects, hanging out and trying out different self-performances to find the one that feels "right" (think Goffman "faces"). There are plenty of adults who are doing this as well, but it is central to youth culture. Youth will always do this, using whatever medium is available to them.
I find the above passage to be particularly striking. The positioning of MySpace and other social networking sites within youth culture isn't surprising, but this is absolutely terrifying. Well, at least that was the knee-jerk reaction. I say this not because I believe the 30+ crowd shouldn't be on these sites, but because I almost never see them there. Am I just oblivious? Are thirtysomethings (and beyond) actually using these things?
We talked about this a lot during our blogging week, but the prospect of potential employers, teachers/professors, parents, etc. finding embarassing information about us on the Internet is scary. And while reports of this information being held against people increase, we've seen MySpace and Facebook respond by allowing users to adjust their own privacy settings. So this sort of armchair detective work is becoming harder to do. So will the people of elder generations have to friend me first? Or can they rely on the six degrees of separation and use my oblivious cousin to make an end-run around my privacy settings?
I have a different take, because I tend to be a lurker. I think most of the non-participants are without malevolent intentions (yes, they might be older than you) who like to see the ways in which others deal with the Internet and themselves. It's much easier to watch others jump in first, after all . . .
But perhaps my Mom did see my MySpace profile before I deleted it. And maybe she wanted one of her own, but this social networking thing might have screamed "kids only" to her. Could that help explain why 40% of MySpace visitors are 35-54, but are largely unnoticed by people my age?
A huge part of the success of MySpace is an age and culture thing. Part of being an American teen is figuring out who you are, how you fit into society and culture, how social relations work, etc. Part of this process involves sharing cultural objects, hanging out and trying out different self-performances to find the one that feels "right" (think Goffman "faces"). There are plenty of adults who are doing this as well, but it is central to youth culture. Youth will always do this, using whatever medium is available to them.
I find the above passage to be particularly striking. The positioning of MySpace and other social networking sites within youth culture isn't surprising, but this is absolutely terrifying. Well, at least that was the knee-jerk reaction. I say this not because I believe the 30+ crowd shouldn't be on these sites, but because I almost never see them there. Am I just oblivious? Are thirtysomethings (and beyond) actually using these things?
We talked about this a lot during our blogging week, but the prospect of potential employers, teachers/professors, parents, etc. finding embarassing information about us on the Internet is scary. And while reports of this information being held against people increase, we've seen MySpace and Facebook respond by allowing users to adjust their own privacy settings. So this sort of armchair detective work is becoming harder to do. So will the people of elder generations have to friend me first? Or can they rely on the six degrees of separation and use my oblivious cousin to make an end-run around my privacy settings?
I have a different take, because I tend to be a lurker. I think most of the non-participants are without malevolent intentions (yes, they might be older than you) who like to see the ways in which others deal with the Internet and themselves. It's much easier to watch others jump in first, after all . . .
But perhaps my Mom did see my MySpace profile before I deleted it. And maybe she wanted one of her own, but this social networking thing might have screamed "kids only" to her. Could that help explain why 40% of MySpace visitors are 35-54, but are largely unnoticed by people my age?
"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." – Wendell Phillips, (1811-1884)
So far, you can tell your personal story on MySpace, Facebook, and other social networking sites. The only controls are those of the marketplace. There’s talk of protecting people from predators and terrorists, but, for now, it’s the Wild West.
But, “copyrighted” content is another matter. Several companies have set up software to screen movies, tv shows, etc. from MySpace and other social networking sites. http://www.dailyherald.com/business/story.asp?id=294752. But, at least The Wall Street Journal’s Walter Mossberg http://www.dailyherald.com/business/story.asp?id=294757 is doing his journalistic best to tell the story and advocate steps to take to achieve a workable solution.
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