“A single website is more connected and credible. It is more consistent and cost effective. It is easier to manage and measure.” (Gerry McGovern)

“Too many websites are nearly always a bad idea. Getting your customer to remember one web address is more than enough of a challenge.” (Gerry McGovern)

“Many definitions of information, knowledge, and data have been suggested throughout the history of information science. In this article, the objective is to provide definitions that are usable for the physical, biological, and social meanings of the terms, covering the various senses important to our field.” (Marcia Bates – Information Research 10.4)

“This study examined the effects of line length on reading speed, comprehension, and user satisfaction of online news articles. Twenty college-age students read news articles displayed in 35, 55, 75, or 95 characters per line (cpl) from a computer monitor. Results showed that passages formatted with 95 cpl resulted in faster reading speed. No effects of line length were found for comprehension or satisfaction, however, users indicated a strong preference for either the short or long line lengths.” (A. Dawn Shaikh – Usability News 7.2 2005)

Presentation at WebVisions 2005 July 15, 2005 in Portland, Oregon USA (Thomas Vander Wal)

“People are extremely task-focused on the Web. That means they are much less open to content that is not directly related to the task at hand.” (Gerry McGovern)

“Every reader is new and different. And as long as the user is new, then the experience of their interaction with the product, service, book… is new and different. Every new user breathes new life into what we create and deliver.” (Kathy Sierra – Creating Passionate Users)

“Getting senior management’s attention is about showing how costs can be reduced and/or value created. Content needs to show how it will reduce costs by X percent and increase productivity by Z percent.” (Gerry McGovern)

“The relationship between music and the Internet is a site of perceived possibility and volatility. Stories of music theft, illegal downloads, unresolved court cases, and anti-piracy technologies, are now prominent. Conversely, stories about the creation of real-time music composition, music’s increasing accessibility, the regeneration of music collecting, and the development of virtual music communities have also become prominent. ” (First Monday)

“Web branding is much more about function than image. Great websites put substance before flash. This reflects a knowledge society that has become more rational in how it makes decisions.” (Gerry McGovern)

“For those who manage well, there is a bright and prosperous future. For those who are managed, the future – certainly the income prospects are not so bright.” (Gerry McGovern)

“If any stakeholders complain about their visual prominence in the design, offer to revisit the ordering of the list and bring in the rest of the stakeholders that already agreed to the prioritization.” (Luke Wroblewski – Functioning Form)

“Relinquishing control is a scary prospect because it diminishes certainty. With control comes predictable outcomes that you can bank on. But in this increasingly complex, messy, and option-filled world, we must acknowledge that our customers hold the reins. Attempts to control their experience will lead to abandonment for the less onerous alternative. What we can do is provide the best tools and content that they can fit into their lives, and their ways.” (Peter Merholz – Adaptive Path)

“Some time ago I wrote about the great conference in New Zealand, ‘Better by Design’, and recommended that people would go to their site and look at the slides. I suppose a lot of you did, and I would now like to give you some heads-up for reading even more informational stuff. Peter Zec’s slideshow ‘Return of Ideas’ is now online and I really recommnd you go there and read the slides – it’s killer stuff. Infact it’s 110 pages of killer stuff. Free.” (cph127)

“Writing for how people search and writing quality links are the two fundamental skills of web writing. Think carefully about search behavior and make sure your links are always clear and logical.” (Gerry McGovern)

Audio included – “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” (Steve Jobs – Stanford Report) – courtesy of kottke

“We are in an era of knowledge abundance. Traditional management theory focuses on knowledge scarcity. We need new management strategies to deal with so much communication and so much knowledge.” (Gerry McGovern)

“I’ll leave you with Tufte’s fateful words, ‘Power corrupts. PowerPoint corrupts absolutely.’ Be careful out there… someone could get hurt.” (Kathy Sierra – Creating Passionate Users)

Video download – “On January 12th, 2002 the students of the Design Department at the University of Applied Sciences awarded John Maeda the ‘Cologne Thumper’ (Kölner Klopfer). Recording of the award ceremony including Maeda’s talk. It is 1 hour and 32 minutes long and contains the introduction and John Maeda’s talk.” (sendung.de)

“Where are those who see websites as acts of creation separate from the people who will visit those websites. There are those who see people and create websites to meet these people’s needs.” (Gerry McGovern)