Alan Rusbridger: Why Twitter matters for media organisations
In an extract from his Andrew Olle lecture, the Guardian editor-in-chief sets out 15 things Twitter does effectively
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/nov/19/open-collaborative-future-journalism
Read Alan Rusbridger's lecture in full
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/nov/19/open-collaborative-future-journalism
This snippet of wisdom is related to achieving simplicity in designs. I am storing it here as much for your convenience, as for mine.
Just saw this on Amazon: 'Simplicity' by Edward De Bono (Paperback) for $0.01 http://amzn.to/9XmwYQ
De Bono's Simplicity Principles
A long while back, I stumbled upon a snippet of wisdom. Fortunately, I wrote it down, because the website that held this info is down. I have managed to track down the source to a Mr. Edward de Bono. His book, “Simplicity“, is available at Amazon.
The snippet of wisdom is related to achieving simplicity in designs. I am storing it here as much for your convenience, as for mine.
Simplicity Principles
You need to put a high value on simplicity
To get simplicity you have to want to get it. To want to get simplicity you have to put a high value on simplicity.You must be determined to seek simplicity
People quite like simplicity if it does not cost anything but are usually unwilling to invest resources in making something more simple.You need to understand the matter very well
If you do not seek to understand a situation or process, your efforts will be ‘simplistic’ rather than simple. Simplicity before understanding is worthless.You need to design alternatives
It is not a matter of designing the ‘one right way’. It is more a matter of designing alternatives and possibilities, and then selecting one of them.You need to challenge and discard existing elements
Everything needs to justify its continued existence. If you wish to retain something for the sake of tradition let that be a conscious decision.You need to be prepared to start over again
In the search for Simplicity, modify if you can – start afresh if you cannot.You need to use concepts
Concepts are the human mind’s way of simplifying the world around. Warning: If you do not use concepts, then you are working with detail.You may need to break things down into smaller unitsThe organisation of a smaller unit is obviously simpler than the organisation of a large unit. The smaller units are themselves organised to serve the larger purpose. You need to be prepared to trade off other values for simplicity
A system that seeks to be totally comprehensive may be very complex. You may need to trade off that comprehensiveness for simplicity.You need to know for whose sake the simplicity is being designed Read more at noscope.com
A shift of complexity may mean that a system is made easier for the customer but much more complicated for the operator.
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. ~Albert Einstein
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. ~Confucius
The pleasures of ignorance are as great, in their way, as the pleasures of knowledge. ~Aldous Huxley
A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance. ~Saul Bellow
Simple and Ignorant
About
Chris Brogan is President of New Marketing Labs, a new media marketing agency. He works with large and mid-sized companies to improve online business communications like marketing and PR. Read more about Chris...
A lot of what I do is simple. I help people figure out simple business models. I seek out simple ways to connect buyers to products and services. I seek simple ways to explain complex things. I love simple. Simple is how I get paid, more often than not.
A lot of what I do is ignorant. I don’t know the answers. I look at the blankness of my experience in an area and I find ways to understand and learn. I love ignorance. Ignorance helps me figure things out from a whole new perspective than the “experts.”
It’s funny how often we criticize things for being simple or ignorant. I make quite a decent living from both.
Related posts:
Read more at www.chrisbrogan.com
- Simple Is Best
- Simple Calls to Action
- A Simple Blogging Formula
- Why Simple Still Wins
- The Beauty in Simple Stories
