Information Structure, Organization, Storage and Retrieval: Information Architecture II

Totally relieved from the hoarse experience the previous week, Ms. Jem came in unexpectedly early on our third meeting. In fact, she was so early that most of the class came in late.

We started with some lectures relating business strategy with information architecture. These two complement each other in a way that a carefully planned business strategy drives in-depth design of information architecture which in turn exposes gaps and infuses innovation in the strategy. Operational effectiveness is necessary for businesses or organization to satisfy the needs of its clients but it is not much to measure the success of its strategy. As stated operational effectiveness is just performing same activities better than rivals perform them. E.g. In a circus parade, a stunt actor jumped into two rings of fire outperforming his rival who could only jumped on a single ring. One of the key lessons learned in BI class is for a business to have a competitive advantage it has to position itself strategically among others- either it performs a totally different set of activities or perform the same activities but in a different way. That is making the elephant jump into the rings of fire J

In continuation of our discussion in Information Architecture, we had this activity critiquing webpages in terms of its informational organization. Although I am somehow accustomed with webpages, this kind of activity caught me off-track because I am not really into critiquing a page particularly focusing on several of its structure. I started making my own webpage when I was in college. I learned my HTML stuff just out of curiosity (webpage design and development was not part of our curriculum). Of course, tools were kind of primitive back then so I contented myself with Notepad and the most ever reliable method of copy-and-paste. Also, there wasn’t much talk about web programming. Internet transactions were basically done through emails. It was only when I graduated that I heard much about ASP, PHP, etc. Unluckily for me, I kinda lost my motivation in learning these web technologies as I was so absorbed with my first job in network administration. But still I am able to come up with a webpage every now and then- the HTML way (with some acquired familiarity in javascripts and animations). The thing is with my limited knowledge in web programming and the likes, but with years of experience in browsing webpages, I’m still able to tell the good ones from the bad ones. My key indicators are its contents and functionalities. When a page even if it’s poorly supported with complexities, as long as it amuses me, or gives me the right information I need, I’d say that it is good. Functionality is secondary as I myself couldn’t come up with a webpage with too much functionality.

Webpages are critical in delivering information. It has to be designed in such a way that it will be relatively uncomplicated for an information provider to give out information and for the information seeker to get information. But it will not be that easy in the near future. The Internet, as we have known it, is a portal of vast information. Information, which in my opinion, will become more of a privilege than of a right- that is, it will be given in a need-to-pay basis. Information will become profitable- those who can pay for it will have access to it, and those who can’t will be sidelined (so much for the right to information). To better blend in with the prepaid culture, I am thinking of a prepaid card where it can get you certain amount of information over the Net depending on the cost denomination of the card. Well, that is just my own way of looking things ahead. In line with its vision to make every possible source of information available online, Google is spending much in acquiring databases, maps, videos/audios, contents, etc. The thing is- will it offer all these information for free?

Anyway, I hope this course will help me further my capabilities and understanding in critiquing a webpage, more especially on the criteria of information structure and organization.

Information Structure, Organization, Storage and Retrieval: Information Architecture

There was a delay in starting the class as Ms. Jem was still under recovery to regain her golden voice and she had to photocopy some materials to be discussed. The idle time gave us some chanced retribution as we spent it browsing the Internet which I feel personally have not been taken full advantage of our batch for some reasons of access policy of the school.

Nevertheless, the show went on..

Our group discussion tackled the subject on Information Architecture (IA). The article gave two definitions of IA, that is, ‘a coherent set of strategies and plans for information access and delivery’, and ‘the structural design of shared information environments’. In relating IA issues to our respective workplaces, our discussion took us on how inefficient some government agencies are in its public information delivery. Evidently, some agencies, in its performance of its mandate, “do not want to share” information with other agencies for reasons of maybe income loss. Take for instance the gruesome agony the people of the republic have to endure in securing a passport. They have to go to at least three different government agencies and pay separately for each agency. Why not share information to ease the burden of the people of the republic? Well, as we already are aware of, only in our country that the future lies in the hands of the politicians. So come this election vote for someone who will champion for the cause of IA! Or at least someone who knows what the initials stand for…

There was one paragraph in the article that caught my attention though that says implementing IA is pragmatic activity with an utmost aim being to provide relevant information to the right people at the right time. Sounds like Knowledge Management? At first I was about to believe that IA is KM but reading further I realized that it is not KM per se but it forms an essential part for a successful KM initiative. Technology helps to fast-track the processing of information. To be able to provide relevant information, it has to be studied and designed to suit its projected requirements. That’s where IA comes in. Building a knowledge database starts with building its information database. So for knowledge to become useful in leveraging an organization’s performance, it has to have ‘a coherent set of strategies and plans for information access and delivery’.

Information Structure, Organization, Storage and Retrieval: The First Gathering

It is now my last term in the pursuit of my masteral studies in APC, and as early as of now I kinda see the light at the end of the tunnel.. Alas, after having been mentally tortured on information policy issues, sleepless nights on beating reports' deadlines, I'm now ready to reap what I have sow.. Nothing can be as fulfilling as having to graduate on this course, be proud and officially become an APC MIMber.. But not quite.

For this semester our courses task voluminous outputs (as always). The first one actually starts to kick in my nervous system as we are already inching halfway and still I have not done much to begin what I have to do.

Then there is MSTORAG, short for Information Structure, Organization, Storage and Retrieval. Looking through the course outline, this one also needs a lot of paperworks. But first things first. Impression on the subject: interesting. I do have this stand that storage media won’t be too much of a concern in the future (even now) as technology advances unravel the limitless boundaries of webspace. With the rise of the Internet and wireless interconnections, world history will soon be written in bits of 1s and 0s. Or to mention it radically, the day will come when a person’s life will only be worth that of a thumbdrive.

So what’s interesting if storage won’t be much of a problem? I think what will really count is how to be able to organize all these information in such a way they won’t tangle up in the websophere so that making use of them will make living an informed life much easier. That’s what I think this course is all about. If there’s more to it, I would think it’s the paperworks :)

Another interesting thing, there’s Ms. Jem. Alas, a lady professor! Just when I thought MIM is an all-male teacher show. Personally, I think the management should consider adding more lady professor in its MIM roster. Why? Well, just to keep the balance. And, to keep the class to be more focused on the subject? Especially the boys. I mean the guys.. the gentlemen at the back.. It might just help...

In our first gathering, it turned out in our group activity on data collection that there are differences in which organizations treat data, but it is perceived that it is equally important in building up the overall information efficacy and reliability. Processes may vary depending on organizational needs but the practices are generally the same. Data use in systems as those involving technology are more specific so its collection has to compliment its informational structure.

A question was raised on how to “inject” a DBA with the different data types and /or procedures to be used in a certain project (I didn’t actually get the question, but more or less it sounded that way)? Well, personally I think a DBA should be involved in all walks of the project development stages. He/she should know what data are to be needed in the system, from its creation to its termination. It will save time on project schedules if the DBA already knows his data concerns in every aspect of the project stages.