[Sigia-l] Information Architecture 3.0

[David Malouf]

Stewart, I just want to take this piece on:
<< Being an IA is NOT all about organising information!  And this is
why many have been trapped in a web of confusion - the job title now
poorly defines what an IA does but is now the defacto label that is
understood by others that defines a user eperience specialist.  I for
one am not looking to change this, just be aware what the label is
USED for. >>

This is so not true. I don't know what you do for a living and I don't
know you at all, but the truth of the matter is that outside the
agency world, the title IA is not all that prevalent and even many
agencies are beginning to remove the title IA from their work:
Digitas, Modem Media, R/GA to name a few. Why? I don't know for them,
but I can hypothesize that they see that IA doesn't speak to the fact
that they are doing more than structuring information as the title
suggests and as the history of the discipline and practice has been,
but telling stories around the behavior and use of systems within
context. Since Bill Moggridge in the late 80's and early 90's this has
meant IxD.

Then! I don't think that people in IAI want to agree with you either.
The IDEA conference in Oct was an example of how IA practice is used
outside the web sphere. It was great from what I've heard.

Last point ... If IAs are about the web, then what happens when there
is no more Web? What happens when the very nature of the hyperlink
advances to the point where there is no single network? Where there is
no browser? For the sake of IAs I hope that
1. you keep reaching out to understand your roots and explore the
disciplines of others
2. you move beyond the web space

-- dave