Handling information overload A workshop on methods, technologies, and a measure of sanity May 2009

Plan of attack Introductions Conceptual and historical overview How to use existing tools less insanely Some (possibly) new tools which could help Several methodologies (some in slides, some in wiki, some out loud)

Introductions

Conceptual and historical overview

How to use existing tools less insanely

Some (possibly) new tools which could help

Several methodologies

(some in slides, some in wiki, some out loud)

1. Introductions Hit the wiki! http://nitleresearch.pbworks.com/Handling-Information-Overload or http://tinyurl.com/dyznxo

Hit the wiki!

http://nitleresearch.pbworks.com/Handling-Information-Overload

or

http://tinyurl.com/dyznxo

2. Prodding the problem Too much content Too many venues, services, venues Interruptions and distractions Digital and print Hard to find what’s valuable

Too much content

Too many venues, services, venues

Interruptions and distractions

Digital and print

Hard to find what’s valuable

“ Information Anxiety ” - Richard Saul Wurman (1989) " information pollution " - Jakob Nielsen (2003, http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030811.html ) “ We Have the Information You Want, But Getting It Will Cost You: Being Held Hostage by Information Overload ” - Mark R. Nelson (2004, http://www.acm.org/crossroads/xrds1-1/mnelson.html )

“ Information Anxiety ” - Richard Saul Wurman (1989)

" information pollution " - Jakob Nielsen (2003, http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030811.html )

“ We Have the Information You Want, But Getting It Will Cost You: Being Held Hostage by Information Overload ” - Mark R. Nelson (2004, http://www.acm.org/crossroads/xrds1-1/mnelson.html )

“ email bankruptcy ” - Sherry Turkle (2002, NYTimes, “In Lost E-Mail, a Dividend”) " email apnea ” - Linda Stone (2008, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-stone/just-breathe-building-th_b_85651.html ) “ The Library of Babel ” – Jorge Luis Borges (1941) The battle for eyeballs – hallmark of our time

“ email bankruptcy ” - Sherry Turkle (2002, NYTimes, “In Lost E-Mail, a Dividend”)

" email apnea ” - Linda Stone (2008,

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-stone/just-breathe-building-th_b_85651.html )

“ The Library of Babel ” – Jorge Luis Borges (1941)

The battle for eyeballs – hallmark of our time

Historical antecedents But first, a bit of media literacy criticism: “ [T]his discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in the learners' souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves. …”

But first, a bit of media literacy criticism:

“ [T]his discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in the learners' souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves. …”

Antecedents And: “… The specific which you have discovered is an aid not to memory, but to reminiscence, and you give your disciples not truth, but only the semblance of truth…”

And:

“… The specific which you have discovered is an aid not to memory, but to reminiscence, and you give your disciples not truth, but only the semblance of truth…”

Antecedents Even worse: “… they will be hearers of many things and will have learned nothing; they will appear to be omniscient and will generally know nothing; they will be tiresome company, having the show of wisdom without the reality.” -Plato, Phaedrus (370 or so BCE) Jowett translation

Even worse:

“… they will be hearers of many things and will have learned nothing; they will appear to be omniscient and will generally know nothing; they will be tiresome company, having the show of wisdom without the reality.”

-Plato, Phaedrus (370 or so BCE)

Jowett translation

Early modern information overload, 1685: “ We have reason to fear that the multitude of books which grows every day in a prodigious fashion will make the following centuries fall into a state as barbarous as that of the centuries that followed the fall of the Roman Empire…”

Early modern information overload, 1685:

“ We have reason to fear that the multitude of books which grows every day in a prodigious fashion will make the following centuries fall into a state as barbarous as that of the centuries that followed the fall of the Roman Empire…”

“… Unless we try to prevent this danger by separating those books which we must throw out or leave in oblivion from those which one should save and within the latter between what is useful and what is not.” -Adrien Baillet, Jugemens des sçavans sur les principaux ouvrages des auteurs (Paris, 1685)

“… Unless we try to prevent this danger by separating those books which we must throw out or leave in oblivion from those which one should save and within the latter between what is useful and what is not.”

-Adrien Baillet, Jugemens des sçavans sur les principaux ouvrages des auteurs (Paris, 1685)

One response to too much information: the humble marginal annotation Glossators (Franciscus Accursius, Denis Godefroi) Then the Geneva Bible

One response to too much information: the humble marginal annotation

Glossators (Franciscus Accursius, Denis Godefroi)

Then the Geneva Bible

Managing texts, readers (Early English Books Online)

Managing texts, readers

Antecedents Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Rime of the Ancient Mariner - second edition, 1817 (Virginia e-text)

Another response to overload Cyclopedia (Ephraim Chambers, 1728) Encyclopedie (1751-1772)

Another response to overload

Cyclopedia (Ephraim Chambers, 1728)

Encyclopedie (1751-1772)

Another response to overload Cyclopedia (Ephraim Chambers, 1728) Encyclopedie (1751-1772) (Another precursor, lacking the technology: Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae, 636)

Another response to overload

Cyclopedia (Ephraim Chambers, 1728)

Encyclopedie (1751-1772)

(Another precursor, lacking the technology: Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae, 636)

Back to the future Before the blogosphere “ hupomnemata … consisted of notebooks or aide-memoires in which one could write down examples and relfections, in order to work on the self, and to produce the truth about oneself...”

Before the blogosphere

“ hupomnemata … consisted of notebooks or aide-memoires in which one could write down examples and relfections, in order to work on the self, and to produce the truth about oneself...”

Back to the future “ In other words, by writing down things learned, one can create a "treasure" constituting "reminders" which one might need to call upon when one's memory is weak... “ Jeremy W. Crampton, The Political Mapping of Cyberspace (2004, 91-92)

“ In other words, by writing down things learned, one can create a "treasure" constituting "reminders" which one might need to call upon when one's memory is weak... “

Jeremy W. Crampton, The Political Mapping of Cyberspace (2004, 91-92)

3. How to use existing tools less insanely Email practices Folders Search Tags Notifications? Alerts Send less Send to fewer Processing routine Not continuous Minimize contact “ dashes” (43folders) or quick kills Serious To-do folder

Email practices

Folders

Search

Tags

Notifications?

Alerts

Send less

Send to fewer

Processing routine

Not continuous

Minimize contact

“ dashes” (43folders)

or quick kills

Serious To-do folder

How to use existing tools less insanely Calendars Not a good place to stash some to-do’s Useful tool for some tasks What works best for you? Say it!

Calendars

Not a good place to stash some to-do’s

Useful tool for some tasks

What works best for you?

Say it!

5. Methodologies Getting Things Done “ Inbox” process Task atoms Weekly review Lists Projects tasks

Getting Things Done

“ Inbox” process

Task atoms

Weekly review

Lists

Projects

tasks

Social filtering Take advantage of others’ passions and time Crowdsourcing variant Practice: building up trusted sources Practice: contributing

Take advantage of others’ passions and time

Crowdsourcing variant

Practice: building up trusted sources

Practice: contributing

Automatic aggregation Google News

Google News

Automatic aggregation Google News

Google News