Informavores

Michael Agger writing in Slate introduced me to a new word today.

The word is Informavore. It means "people who forage in information fields." Agger uses this description to profile people who look for what he calls an "information scent." We graze for information and when we find a set of appealing facts we stop and consume them.

He cites Jakob Nielsen who is a "usability expert" when it comes to eye-tracking reseach, web design erros and banner blindness.

Stick with me.

In a nutshell here is what he says. Eye tracking studies show that online readers tend to ignore large blocks of text. Shorter is better.

Font size matters.

Monitors matter.

Eye rest is essential if you are an informavore.

Brevity is an art.

It caused me to stop and think. Most of my reading is done in front of a screen, that includes my time in the Word. Agger and Nielsen are right....I tend to graze when I read. Maybe it is my attention span, but I think it is that the material has to be laid out in a user-friendly manner if I am going to stop. There can't be a lot of busy-ness accompanying the text. There needs to be a Dragnet moment..."just the facts ma'am," when it comes to holding my attention. Long paragraphs tend to distract me in my search for kernels of truth and bullet points. If the narrative is to long, my tendency is to skip over it and keep grazing in hopes of catching the "information scent." As I am writing, I realize that this paragraph is getting long and you may already be looking for the next thought so here it is...

Be a Ludic Reader. I met one today at lunch.

She is a "pleasure reader" who enjoys reading for the simple joy of entering into the text and the narrative. She enjoys the tactile feel of paper. No computer screen for her. She loves holding a book in her hand.

If you are an informavore, it is time to go on to the next information field!

The end.