In the last post, I argued that topic-based navigation systems generally fail for users. Topic-based navigation has some merits, such as allowing users to see topics in context, to discover other topics through browsing, and to provide one perspective on the organization of the material, but topic-based navigation shouldn’t be the only means of navigating the content. Another way to allow users to find your … more »

Techcrunch says the New York Times’ ethics policy of distance and objectivity contradicts their acceptance of David Pogue as an Apple fan boy. Journalists must maintain more distance and objectivity. This criticism reminds me of the case of Chez Pazienza, a CNN blogger fired for expressing views on his blog that contrasted with CNN’s more conservative outlook. This is perhaps a subtle danger of blogging: … more »

Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: The Story of Success challenges assumptions about innate genius and natural-born talent. Through a series of detailed examples, Gladwell explains away these gifts by attributing them to practice, timing, circumstance, upbringing, culture, and opportunity. In other words, those really smart, successful people we admire—Mozart, Bill Gates, the Beatles—weren’t born with natural talent. Instead, they had the right upbringing, were in the right … more »

One of my readers sent me a link to today’s New York Times article on blogging titled “In Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Til They Drop.” I find it touching that someone would think of me while reading the article. Actually, I read a sneak peak of the article in yesterday’s Blog Herald. It made me think hard about how much I’ve been … more »

Alan Houser, principal of Group Wellesley consultants, makes an insightful observation about non-leader blogs: …Much of the really appealing blog content is being generated by former “non-leaders” — those who have valid, insightful opinions, and who have become recognized in our profession through their blogs. (see comment | see Alan’s blog) In other words, people who don’t hold high-up leadership positions are often the ones … more »