Information Overload

As I finished up the final projects for two masters' classes, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by downloading, reading, uploading, creating, googling, citing, accessing, chatting, responding, posting, and AAAHHHH! I decided to get some information about information overload and discovered a site called the "Information Overload Research Group." Their subtitle is reducing information pollution.

Reducing my information pollution was precisely what I needed. It couldn't hurt. IORG, here I come--CLICK! . . . . . . I found info on members, blogs, their mission, officers, resources, previous news items, the 2009 annual meeting, the fall conference in Palo Alto, CA (for more details click here), and more about IORG!

Feeling a bit fragile, I decided to keep it simple, start slow. Ah Ha! The Tip of the Month. Forgive me, but it's just too good not to share with you in full:

When sending someone a meeting request, phrase the subject and location so they make sense to all parties to the meeting. For instance, if Jill sends Jack a calendar item that says "Meeting with Jack - my office" it will be quite meaningless when viewed by Jack on his calendar. Always include both names and an absolute address - as in "Jack/Jill on budget proposal - Jill's office".

Excellent. This is clear, concise messaging. If you ever have to send me a 'meeting request,' you probably should know that my 'absolute address' is THE LIBRARY. By the way, did you know that Jack had a calendar? That piece of information had previously eluded me.

We all know that one website leads to another, and before I knew it, I arrived at Information Overload Killer, a site selling the solution to all my problems. With this product, I can do more than reduce information overload, I can kill it!

But first I decided to take their test to see if my money would be well-spent. Question One: Are you exasperated and at your wits end? Question Two: Are you frustrated? Question Three: Are you overwhelmed? Question Four: Are you ready to put your fist through the computer screen? yes, yes, yes, Yes!

Let me get my debit card. Scrolling down to the end of the screen, I was asked what I would expect to pay for my resurrected sanity -- $250? $175? $97? $52? Information this good is hard to come by--I'd spring for any or all of the above. The actual price? Just $10. WHAT? TEN BUCKS? You can't get valuable, extensive information for a pittance. Back to the virtual drawing board. CLICK! . . . . Thank goodness our students never experience this phenomenon!