“When the subject is information work, it’s never a mistake to start with some insights from the person who coined the term.” —tried-n-true scribblers’ axiom
Let’s follow that adage and see where it takes us.
Below are some key points taken from a favorite Peter Drucker article. (Incidentally, the ace business management consultant and all-around sage, also coined the term “information worker.”)
In a 1992 Wall Street Journal op-ed piece headlined “Be Data Literate—Know What to Know,” Mr. Drucker advised executives to regularly ask themselves these questions:
- What information do I need to do my job?
- when do I need it?
- in what form?
- from whom should I be getting it?
- what new tasks can I tackle now that I get all these data?
- which tasks should I do differently?
Questions originally asked of mainframe and Windows 3.1 information workers, are still well worth considering some twenty years further into the information age. Likewise, today’s mobile, hyper-connected, post-Web 2.0 era information workers may benefit by noting a few other questions, Drucker pointedly added:
- what information do I owe?
- to whom?
- when?
- in what form?
<Reader’s Note: hyperlink to the full article below>
Before we return to those focusing directives, here’s a few words regarding what this scribbles ‘n bits weblog is about.
Like its sister site, scribblers.com, the Scribblers Media blog explores and and tries to better understand information systems. And how individuals and teams can better use various information systems to get stuff done. (That and related matters are sometimes referred to around here as “digital work style skills and practices.”)
Said another way (and getting back to Drucker’s questions), this weblog is largely about the getting and giving of task-related information. With a special interest in the FORMS the task-related information takes.
Today, of course, more and more of the information we use to do our jobs is digital information. (At least at some stage in its life cycle.) Which means there’s all kinds of incredibly easy and amazingly powerful ways to transform and transmit it. And more devised daily. Suffice it to say here that this scribbles ’n bits blog will probe various such information tools and channels. (Reader tips and suggestions always welcome!)
We hope, dear valued scribbles ‘n bits blog reader, you find our themes/topics/subjects of interest. And some value in some content. (Chances are good, you’ll at least find interesting and valuable links and references!)
To get a sense of upcoming scribbles ’n bits blog posts, check out some scribblers.com workshop archive pages. Look for stuff mentioned under “workshop highlights” and “more workshop takeaways” (e.g., that Michael Kinsley comment on the then-new blogging phenomenon; two highly recommended sources for training and exercising information design skills). And as you may have already figured, repackaging, repurposing, and reworking content is itself a recurring meme here.
Goodness gracious—where are our manners sometimes! Almost forgot: Welcome everyone to Scribbles ’n Bits, the official weblog of Scribblers Media!
And, as always, THANKS for your attention!
External links of relevance and possible interest:
- Mr. Drucker’s books (at Amazon.com)
- Peter Drucker (wikipedia entry)
- “An American Sage” (Wall street Journal tribute featuring a collection of excerpts of Drucker-penned WSJ articles (paid subscription required))
- “Be Data Literate—Know What to Know” (full article courtesy EFM at http://azcost.net/