Information architects?

[Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca>]

Bob suggests: <<I would suggest that the title "Information Architect" 
is often used by people who think it sounds better than "writer.">>

While I'll agree that some people use the term pretentiously, I also 
think it serves a useful purpose. Imposing order upon chaos (such as 
the information provided by product developers) is certainly one of the 
things we writers do while writing, but there's much more to 
information architecture than that. As a discipline rather than a 
pretentious title, IA combines usability skills and an understanding of 
cognitive psychology with profound knowledge of access and retrieval 
methods. Not all writers have these skills beyond the level necessary 
to create an effective outline.

The thing to remember about labels is that like all other words, 
they're tools for communication. Speaking as an editor, I'd gently 
remind you that not everyone--including writers--uses these tools 
particularly well. But those who use the tools precisely communicate 
things that the duffers can't communicate.

--Geoff Hart   ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca
(try geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com if you don't get a reply)


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