Keeping Found Things Found: The Study and Practice of Personal...

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 448 pages
• Published by: Morgan Kaufmann
• Edition: 1st Edition November 16, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0123708664
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0123708663
• Book Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Weighs: 2.1 pounds

Product Review
"Keeping Found Things Found is the missing manual for 21st century literacy. We're at the epicenter of a rapidly expanding universe of personal information. Books, music, photos, videos, email, contacts, calendars, wills, bills, records, and receipts: how can we keep our piles and files from spiraling out of control? William Jones has the answer in this important book about finding our memories and organizing our lives. A must- read for designers, developers, librarians, and anyone else who cares about the future of information interaction." -- Peter Morville, Author of, Ambient Findability, and Information Architecture for the World Wide Web

Today, software can deliver unprecedented support for managing our ever more copious information. This landmark book provides detailed knowledge of behavior and technology that is essential for effective design and use of these productivity tools. --Jonathan Grudin, Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research

"This is an important book. Its theme is powerful and timely. The treatment combines keen observation, practical insight, and broad vision in way seldom seen." --Clayton Lewis, Professor of Computer Science, University of Colorado

Product Review
"A must- read for designers, developers, librarians, and anyone else who cares about the future of information interaction." -- Peter Morville, Author of, Ambient Findability, and Information Architecture for the World Wide Web

"Today, software can deliver unprecedented support for managing our ever more copious information. This landmark book provides detailed knowledge of behavior and technology that is essential for effective design and use of these productivity tools." -- Jonathan Grudin, Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research

"This is an important book. Its theme is powerful and timely. The treatment combines keen observation, practical insight, and broad vision in way seldom seen." -- Clayton Lewis, Professor of Computer Science, University of Colorado

Reader Reviews
As someone who lives in fear of losing everything on my computer, this book and its eye opening discussions on personal information management (PIM) left me empowered to take more control over my own personal information for ease of future retrieval and storage, but also to control who else will have access to it. The book gave me a new perspective on PIM and on the information that(constantly) flows into and out of my life. My information - email, digital docs, photos, music, bookmarks, whatever - has a life of its own and a life cycle. Information comes in. Sometimes it's useful. Sometimes it's not. Sometimes (too often!) it just gets in the way. But I never really thought of my information as something to be actively managed. And not just to avoid bad things like identity theft or data loss. But also for good things like working smarter and in ways that better leverage my time. Many people already have a PIM system or tool that works for them and their specific needs, but one of the real assets of this book is in helping you deconstruct the constant flow of information even before you start making determinations of what info to keep, what to chuck, who can have access to it, and where it should permanently reside. Jones describes some really useful tools and practices to help become savvier about what information comes at you and what information you send back out and all with a focus on helping you manage your time, energy, and personal information better and smarter. I especially liked the books metaphors. I certainly feel as if sometimes I'm in a "sea" of personal information. How much of this I can control remains to be seen. I also liked the idea that PIM is about "weaving together" my personal information or building a structure in which the various kinds of information can be integrated into a coherent whole. I went into reading this book with many questions about my own PIM tactics and techniques and the book certainly did a great job of answering them through anecdotes, scenarios, current processes, and the "what next" sections that take the extra step to show what is up and coming in the future to address my problems and concerns. This book is written to speak to me, as well as a much more seasoned manager of information. You get the full spectrum of PIM, from the history and theoretical background to the current gadgets and fun, new tools that are changing the face of PIM. I would have never imagined that one day I might be wearing jewelry that was really a complete telecommunications system or that all my daily transactions, communications, scheduling, and information keeping could be done on a single, handheld computer or PDA. It is that full spectrum, from past to present to future, that makes this book both jam-packed full of pertinent and useful information while also being fun and exciting to read.