Tear Here

Things ripped out of last Saturday's papers

My amazing wife Barb hates it when I tear things out of newspapers. Any torn piece of paper is suspect, regardless of what it is. It doesn't matter whether it is an article I think I may like but don't have time to read, an article I have read and want to keep, or an article I think a friend would like. Even discount coupons are questionable. I think Barb sees my behaviour as the first step to becoming a hoarder, just like the people profiled on the TV show "Hoarding: Buried Alive."

I have been a 'tearer' (not hoarder) from  about the age of 13 years old.  I created collages from magazines and hung them in my room. These murals captured things that were important to me, similar to the hobby of scrapbooking. According to Wikipedia, scrapbooking started in the 15th century "as a way to compile information that included recipes, quotations, letters, and poems." As of Thursday, there are 147,257 books listed on scrapbooking on Amazon.com. It feels good to not be the only tearer in the world.

How people interact with written material is an important consideration for my book. Since my audience is time starved, they most likely will seek out specific information based on an immediate need vs. read the whole book from cover to cover. The format I choose will have a direct impact on usability. If the reader can't quickly find the information they need, then they may not take the extra time to find it.

I see my book as a dynamic resource to be written on, bookmarked, and even 'torn.' The format I am writing in should facilitate easy navigation in hard copy format. I am not so sure about the electronic version. How do you enable these kinesthetic experience on a screen?

Phil's Kindle

Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of both formats. I received a Kindle as a present not long ago and I love it. As a new user, however, I find making comments cumbersome. I haven't tried highlighting but I dont' think it is going to be as easy as gliding a marker over a page of paper.

As I get closer to the publishing phase of my journey, I will need to think more about the paper and electronic versions of my book to make sure they are fit for the purpose - quick information based on immediate need.

For now, it is time to figure out how to use the Kindle highlighter.

Phil