Hi Jeff and all, I would like to give this thread a constructive note.
Well written text is not about length, but about structure. Some topics deserve long explanations. Long e-mails are tedious to read only if they have no structure. The right structure allows skimming them without missing any points. A great book on structured writing is "The Pyramid Principle" by Barbara Minto: http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Principle-Logic-Writing-Thinking/dp/0273659030/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205931113&sr=8-2 The book explains how text can be clearly presented by rigorous adherence to a hierarchical structure. -- Claude Knaus On Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:09:04, Jeff Howard <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > The IxDA Nannybot has been relieved of her duties. > > Nassir was covering for me, but I'll stand up and take the hit for > the disruption. Despite what I've been lead to believe by Disney > musicals, nannies are not universally loved. Sorry about that. > > While I was walking home the other day, I noticed a man rest his bike > against the door of a convenience store and dash across the street to > mail a letter. Once he reached the other side, a homeless woman > grabbed the bicycle and walked away. When he noticed what was > happening he ran back across the street and reclaimed his property. > Then something odd happened. The woman became indignant at HIM for > failing to lock his bicycle. She screamed and berated him for his > carelessness before shuffling off. > > That's what the reaction to the trimming issue reminds me of. I > concede that this is a failure of technology. But whatever the cause, > a fraction of the IxDA membership holds it within their power to > improve readability for thousands of other members (particularly > digest readers). Under those circumstances, I didn't expect anyone > to defend their right not to trim. > > Nannybot was modeled after theater advertisements that remind > conscientious guests to silence their cellphones. It was meant to be > a whimsical monthly reminder; something less draconian than the > persistent e-mail headers that Gmail users hated. It's clear that > the Nannybot failed in her task, but I've noticed a handful of > people trimming their posts ironically, so that's a small win. > > My apologies for the disruption. > > // jeff > > > . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . > Posted from the new ixda.org > http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=27177 > > > ________________________________________________________________ > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! > To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe > List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines > List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help > ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
