[WEB4LIB] Re: Digital Metaphors

[Rich Greenfield]

One interesting aspect of the static/fluid distinction is the greater
importance time will play in identifying what exactly is under discussion.
In a
pull (as opposed to push) model of publishing where the reader experiences the
latest multimedia article version by reading or downloading it from a remote
server (on which the article is periodically or continuously updated), any
reference to that article will have to be time-stamped so that people have
some
sense of what the citing-party actually read/experienced. 

The irony is that while continuously updated web-based articles - whether they
have embedded multimedia  or not - may lead to better informed readers, they
can also lead to mass confusion as to what is being "cited." In the
traditional
academic environment, so heavily dependent on recognizing "precedent" in the
origin and use of ideas, fluid resources will wreak havoc. As discussed in an
earlier thread, this is why the widespread adoption of version-control
software, with time-coded rollback features, will be important in the long
term. Version control seems to be a standard part of major document management
systems. Medical publishing, where liability can attach to the accuracy and
timeliness of information, has been a leader in implementing such systems
(because the industry also has the money to pay for them). 

Gerry, a motion picture/still frame analogy might be good.

Rich

At 07:46 AM 5/17/99, Carlton Brown wrote:
>--- Gerry Mckiernan <GMCKIERN at gwgate.lib.iastate.edu>
>wrote:
>
>[...]
>>        I am also interested in any other metaphors
>> that other have
>> used or would be appropriate for characterizing The
>> Digital.
>
>I've always differentiated between media and
>information when describing "the digital" by using 
>the pipeline or conduit metaphor.
>
>A web site and its internal and external links are a
>digital medium or conduit for the delivery of
>information in digital form. I think it is entirely
>appropriate to describe the digital _medium_ as fluid;
>but whether or not the information delivered via the
>digital conduit could be considered fluid depends on
>the nature of the information.
>
>Consider the periodic table of elements on a web site
>as an example of (reasonably) static information in
>digital form. The web site or digital document
>delivering the information may be considered "fluid"
>but not the information itself.
>
>A stock portfolio on a website is an example where
>both medium and information are fluid. Stock prices
>change by the minute, and the end user even has some
>control over how that information is structured on the
>display.
>
>I've found the conduit metaphor to be a useful tool
>when designing or describing the web interface goal,
>delivering information. I've found that frequent (more
>than once yearly) substantial changes in site design
>(digital conduit), tend to inhibit an end user's
>ability to locate content (digital information) until
>they can adjust to the new structure.
>
>Carlton Brown
>Fuqua School of Business Library
>Duke University
>===
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***************************************
Rich Greenfield, Technology Coordinator
Alaska State Library, P.O.Box 110571
Juneau, Alaska 99811 
Tel. 907-465-2928; Fax 907-465-2665
richard_greenfield at educ.state.ak.us