| Overview
How do you find your way in an age of information overload? How can
you filter streams of complex information to pull out only what you
want? Why does it matter how information is structured when Google
seems to magically bring up the right answer to your questions?
What does it mean to be "findable" in this day and age? This
eye-opening new book examines the convergence of information and
connectivity. Written by Peter Morville, author of the
groundbreaking Information Architecture for the World Wide
Web, the book defines our current age as a state of unlimited
findability. In other words, anyone can find anything at any time.
Complete navigability.
Morville discusses the Internet, GIS, and other network
technologies that are coming together to make unlimited findability
possible. He explores how the melding of these innovations impacts
society, since Web access is now a standard requirement for
successful people and businesses. But before he does that, Morville
looks back at the history of wayfinding and human evolution,
suggesting that our fear of being lost has driven us to create
maps, charts, and now, the mobile Internet. The book's central thesis is that information literacy,
information architecture, and usability are all critical components
of this new world order. Hand in hand with that is the contention
that only by planning and designing the best possible software,
devices, and Internet, will we be able to maintain this
connectivity in the future. Morville's book is highlighted with
full color illustrations and rich examples that bring his prose to
life. Ambient Findability doesn't preach or pretend to know all
the answers. Instead, it presents research, stories, and examples
in support of its novel ideas. Are we truly at a critical point in
our evolution where the quality of our digital networks will
dictate how we behave as a species? Is findability indeed the
primary key to a successful global marketplace in the 21st century
and beyond. Peter Morville takes you on a thought-provoking tour of
these memes and more -- ideas that will not only fascinate but will
stir your creativity in practical ways that you can apply to your
work immediately. "A lively, enjoyable and informative tour of a topic that's
only going to become more important."
--David Weinberger, Author, Small Pieces Loosely Joined and
The Cluetrain Manifesto
"I envy the young scholar who finds this inventive book, by
whatever strange means are necessary. The future isn't just
unwritten--it's unsearched."
--Bruce Sterling, Writer, Futurist, and Co-Founder, The Electronic
Frontier Foundation
"Search engine marketing is the hottest thing in Internet
business, and deservedly so. Ambient Findability puts SEM into a
broader context and provides deeper insights into human behavior.
This book will help you grow your online business in a world where
being found is not at all certain."
--Jakob Nielsen, Ph.D., Author, Designing Web Usability: The
Practice of Simplicity
"Information that's hard to find will remain information
that's hardly found--from one of the fathers of the discipline of
information architecture, and one of its most experienced
practitioners, come penetrating observations on why findability is
elusive and how the act of seeking changes us."
--Steve Papa, Founder and Chairman, Endeca
"Whether it's a fact or a figure, a person or a place, Peter
Morville knows how to make it findable. Morville explores the
possibilities of a world where everything can always be found--and
the challenges in getting there--in this wide-ranging,
thought-provoking book."
--Jesse James Garrett, Author, The Elements of User
Experience
"It is easy to assume that current searching of the World
Wide Web is the last word in finding and using information. Peter
Morville shows us that search engines are just the beginning.
Skillfully weaving together information science research with his
own extensive experience, he develops for the reader a feeling for
the near future when information is truly findable all around us.
There are immense implications, and Morville's lively and humorous
writing brings them home."
--Marcia J. Bates, Ph.D., University of California Los
Angeles
"I've always known that Peter Morville was smart. After
reading Ambient Findability, I now know he's (as we say in Boston)
wicked smart. This is a timely book that will have lasting effects
on how we create our future.
--Jared Spool, Founding Principal, User Interface
Engineering
"In Ambient Findability, Peter Morville has put his mind and
keyboard on the pulse of the electronic noosphere. With tangible
examples and lively writing, he lays out the challenges and wonders
of finding our way in cyberspace, and explains the mutually
dependent evolution of our changing world and selves. This is a
must read for everyone and a practical guide for
designers."
--Gary Marchionini, Ph.D., University of North Carolina
"Find this book! Anyone interested in making information
easier to find, or understanding how finding and being found is
changing, will find this thoroughly researched, engagingly written,
literate, insightful and very, very cool book well worth their
time. Myriad examples from rich and varied domains and a valuable
idea on nearly every page. Fun to read, too!
--Joseph Janes, Ph.D., Founder, Internet Public Library
Editorial ReviewsProduct DescriptionHow do you find your way in an age of information overload? How can you filter streams of complex information to pull out only what you want? Why does it matter how information is structured when Google seems to magically bring up the right answer to your questions? What does it mean to be "findable" in this day and age? This eye-opening new book examines the convergence of information and connectivity. Written by Peter Morville, author of the groundbreaking Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, the book defines our current age as a state of unlimited findability. In other words, anyone can find anything at any time. Complete navigability. Morville discusses the Internet, GIS, and other network technologies that are coming together to make unlimited findability possible. He explores how the melding of these innovations impacts society, since Web access is now a standard requirement for successful people and businesses. But before he does that, Morville looks back at the history of wayfinding and human evolution, suggesting that our fear of being lost has driven us to create maps, charts, and now, the mobile Internet. The book's central thesis is that information literacy, information architecture, and usability are all critical components of this new world order. Hand in hand with that is the contention that only by planning and designing the best possible software, devices, and Internet, will we be able to maintain this connectivity in the future. Morville's book is highlighted with full color illustrations and rich examples that bring his prose to life. Ambient Findability doesn't preach or pretend to know all the answers. Instead, it presents research, stories, and examples in support of its novel ideas. Are we truly at a critical point in our evolution where the quality of our digital networks will dictate how we behave as a species? Is findability indeed the primary key to a successful global marketplace in the 21st century and beyond. Peter Morville takes you on a thought-provoking tour of these memes and more -- ideas that will not only fascinate but will stir your creativity in practical ways that you can apply to your work immediately. ""A lively, enjoyable and informative tour of a topic that's only going to become more important.""
--David Weinberger, Author, "Small Pieces Loosely Joined" and "The Cluetrain Manifesto" ""I envy the young scholar who finds this inventive book, by whatever strange means are necessary. The future isn't just unwritten--it's unsearched.""
--Bruce Sterling, Writer, Futurist, and Co-Founder, The Electronic Frontier Foundation ""Search engine marketing is the hottest thing in Internet business, and deservedly so. Ambient Findability puts SEM into a broader context and provides deeper insights into human behavior. This book will help you grow your online business in a world where being found is not at all certain.""
--Jakob Nielsen, Ph.D., Author, "Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity" ""Information that's hard to find will remain information that's hardly found--from one of the fathers of the discipline of information architecture, and one of its most experienced practitioners, come penetrating observations on why findability is elusive and how the act of seeking changes us.""
--Steve Papa, Founder and Chairman, Endeca ""Whether it's a fact or a figure, a person or a place, Peter Morville knows how to make it findable. Morville explores the possibilities of a world where everything can always be found--and the challenges in getting there--in this wide-ranging, thought-provoking book.""
--Jesse James Garrett, Author, "The Elements of User Experience" ""It is easy to assume that current searching of the World Wide Web is the last word in finding and using information. Peter Morville shows us that search engines are just the beginning. Skillfully weaving together information science research with his own extensive experience, he develops for the reader a feeling for the near future when information is truly findable all around us. There are immense implications, and Morville's lively and humorous writing brings them home.""
--Marcia J. Bates, Ph.D., University of California Los Angeles ""I've always known that Peter Morville was smart. After reading Ambient Findability, I now know he's (as we say in Boston) wicked smart. This is a timely book that will have lasting effects on how we create our future."
--Jared Spool, Founding Principal, User Interface Engineering ""In Ambient Findability, Peter Morville has put his mind and keyboard on the pulse of the electronic noosphere. With tangible examples and lively writing, he lays out the challenges and wonders of finding our way in cyberspace, and explains the mutually dependent evolution of our changing world and selves. This is a must read for everyone and a practical guide for designers.""
--Gary Marchionini, Ph.D., University of North Carolina ""Find this book! Anyone interested in makinginformation easier to find, or understanding how finding and being found is changing, will find this thoroughly researched, engagingly written, literate, insightful and very, very cool book well worth their time. Myriad examples from rich and varied domains and a valuable idea on nearly every page. Fun to read, too!"
--Joseph Janes, Ph.D., Founder, Internet Public Library |
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Reader Reviews From Amazon (Ranked by 'Helpfulness') Average Customer Rating: based on 48 reviews. An enjoyable and light read, 2009-03-13 Reviewer rating: This is a brief primer on the field of information architecture (which Morville has written a much longer, and dryer, book about). It breezes through topic after topic with light examples and colorful images, referring to major works along the way that you can look into if something grabs your interest. Don't expect to find enlightenment here, or concrete tips for improving your website's design. But you'll enjoy some wide-ranging stories of how search technologies are changing our information landscape. | You can't use what you can't find, 2009-02-06 Reviewer rating: As a person who appreciates usability and the web, there is one statement that resonated with me when I read Peter Morville's book- "You can't use what you can't find."
Findability refers to the an object's "quality of being locatable or navigable." And this book presents a very deep and informative topic on how people find and retrieve information. While terms like search and search engine optimization (SEO) came to mind when I got a hold of this book, Ambient Findability defied my expectations by delving into more underlying information such human behavior on search and information gathering.
That "unexpected" turn turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It gave me a better insight on how people viewed information and puts SEO in a bigger perspective. Designers will appreciate the chapter called "Push and Pull" where web design elements are dissected from varying viewpoints like marketing and engineering. The book also touches on the taxonomy vs. folksonomy angle, a debate amidst the Web 2.0 buzz.
All in all, Peter Morville's Ambient Findability is definitely a good read and a must for SEO professionals. | Great Introduction to Search & Also Being Found., 2008-09-28 Reviewer rating: This is a great introduction to some of the more important concepts in search and its corollary - beingfound. Finding information, things, or people on the Internet is one of the most important issues for today's researchers and knowledge workers. Similarly, for businesses or others with a message to get across - being found is critical. Being found is the basis for all search engine optimization and search engine advertising.
I found the information in the book regarding large scale databases and what can be found in them and what often cannot, to be worth the price of the book alone. The book also discusses geolocation tagging which is a very important concept that is just now becoming pervasive. The author also discusses folksonomies (a correlated concept to tagging often by the masses - i.e., by ordinary people).
If you are interested in learning about search, about being found, about information architecture, as well as the Internet and some important concepts that need to be understood in order to use the Internet effectively, then I highly recommend this book. | Provocative well written, 2008-06-07 Reviewer rating: I highly recommend this book by Peter Morville. His analysis of Internet user behavior and understanding of information flow make this a must read for anyone doing business on the web. A telling point in the book is when he says that he suggests 'findability' is more important than design, architecture, product sold, etc. His predictions regarding the future importance of findability seem to have been confirmed since the book was published. | Too much terrain, too little time?, 2008-04-15 Reviewer rating: This is a book that I keep coming back to. There are significant pearls but you have to dig hard to find them. It is not clear that the abstract ideas could not have been presented with more clarity, but I suspect that perhaps that is the case.
This book could use an interactive website where the abstractness could have been explored with more concrete practical examples. Yeah, it is not a "how to" book, but ideas need to be grounded so that they can be more readily understood.
Don't get me wrong, I highly recommend the book, but I am withholding the fourth "*" star because I tend to agree with other reviewers that there is something lacking. The book is extremely useful and disappointing at the same. |
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