�Electronic Books - A Bad Idea�
�The book is too strong a metaphor: it tends to lead designers and writers astray. Electronic text should be based on interaction, hypertext linking, navigation, search, and connections to online services and continuous updates�.Information must be dynamic and under direct control of the reader, not the author.�
Notes:
This 7/26/98 Alertbox piece was written in response to press coverage of electronic books. Alertbox is a biweekly online column by Nielsen.
While Nielsen declares, �Electronic text should not mimic the old medium and its linear ways,� he also asserts, �Two types of electronic books do make sense:
- Downloadable audio files�
�In both cases, the key point is that the �electronic books� are not intended to be read on a screen: they are traditional paper books and linear audio readings, respectively, are are simply manufactured and distributed in a more efficient manner by using the Internet.�
Obtained from http://www,useit.com/alertbox/980726 on 10/26/98.
Image: http://www.useit.com/jakob/
In Aug. 1998, Contentious Magazine, provides this introduction to Nielsen. �Although he's not yet as famous as Elvis, Web �usability guru� Jakob Nielsen is a well-known figure in many parts of the online media business. Nielsen has conducted pioneering research that examines how people use the Web � what does and does not work well, from the user's perspective.�
Contentious quote: http://www.contentious.com/articles/1-5/qa1-5a