[Sigia-l] Redundant information and content

[Derek R]

Hello Thomas,

The funny thing about content is that it is contextual. Which means any
decisions you make about it must, necessarily, take into account what
the content 'represents.' This is why we call it content -- because it
*has* meaning or significance. 

Following from this, to *abstractly* make decisions about your content
-- in other words, to 'ignore' the content you are making decisions
about in favor of a desperate search for some 'rule of thumb' or
'9-point plan' to absolve you of responsibility -- will result in a
solution no more valid than throwing-the-bones or consulting the
I-Ching.

Therefore, in short, when you ask:

>| (A) better to keep content mutually exclusive to one area
>| so as not to cause confusion or is it  (B) better to allow 
>| access to the content from where ever it may be relevant. 
>| If B, is it better to link to the content in one area or to have 
>| it live in multiple areas? 

One can only answer "It depends" -- since, to do otherwise would be
absurd, not knowing the particulars.

If you ask "It depends on what?" one can only answer, "The content, of
course!" since to do otherwise would be selling some snake-oil remedy or
methodology which claims solutions *without* having even *looked* at the
problem.

I understand there are businesses out there who make 'abstraction' the
center of their processes, but we must understand them and their
processes as being no more valid than the 'abstraction' the mystic
undertakes looking 'deep' into their crystal-ball -- none of this has
anything to do with the *reality* of your situation! 

But, nevertheless, the mystic does provide you with a conciliatory
feeling you can walk away with having held-hands together (a feeling
that everything has been addressed, when in actual fact, you have been
duped).

I also understand that, within the scope of management, you may have
only passing interest in real solutions and, to the contrary, may be
perfectly satisfied with a conciliatory feeling which 'covers-up' and
pacifies.

Nevertheless, the moral of the story is that if you have a content or
content-related problem, you better look at the content first (this
requires labor), before subscribing to miraculous theories which claim
to hold solutions to problems they haven't addressed. 

*All is attention* -- 'abstraction' being the opposite of this (i.e.
negative attention).

HTH
_______________________________________________

"Abstraction is no positive act: it is simply the negative of
attention." 
  -- Sir W. Hamilton
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=abstraction