[Sigia-l] Findability

[Nuno Lopes]

Hi all,

I've just joined the list with great expectations about this community.
I've participating on the CMS list (cms-list at cms-list.org) and decided
to join this one also with the objective to learn and share experiences.

My name is Nuno Lopes and I'm a Portuguese independent consultant.
English is not my mother language so apologize upfront for any
grammatical or syntactical error that I may make upfront.

Now about this thread:

As said I've joined the list with great expectations but my first
impression judging by this thread (the largest of the week) is that
there is a lot of politics going on witch in my view just blurs my quest
for truth and value in IA. 

I honestly think "Findability" is a good attempt to abstract
(Classification branch?) what may describe a set of technologies and
best practices whose primary focus is to help user's locate human
readable information in a digital format. But in the other side I don't
see that the abstraction by itself brings any innovative thinking or
capability. Like any good word or acronym it can be used and abused in
an elevator pitch but that does not take value of the abstraction itself
also, so I don't understand what the problem is its possible uses. About
the "stuff" that sustains "Findability", we have been developing it for
years, since the advent of the first computer system. 

So basically I don't mind the use of the word neither I mind its non
use, what I do mind is if people that are pushing the subject claim for
authorship, ownership or even unique higher level expertise on the whole
concepts sustaining it. But I must say that I've not seen any evidence
of such in the article.

Now, "Findability" as of a discipline that people may specialize in, I
have my reservations about the real and useful expertise that would come
out of that. 

Best regards,

Nuno Lopes
Independent Consultant.