TQM & LOs LO11400

Michael McMaster (Michael@kbddean.demon.co.uk)
Fri, 13 Dec 1996 01:53:37 +0000

Replying to LO11364 --

"How does the Net differ from offset printing (Gutenberg)?" is a
great question. The sense in which it doesn't differ is that they
dramatically broaden access to information and provide new ways of
accessing that information. Most important, the expanded
distribution of information generate emergent new thinking and ideas
beyond even those who are literate.

Another important difference is that they both decrease the element
of authority and power which limited information and rigid access
structures encourage.

Where they differ is that going to a library is very cumbersome for
access to large volumes of information - particularly if on diffent
subjects. The form requires linear access and generally one must go
through a great deal of material (in a single book) to get to what
one wants. Also, one must follow the author's logic and there is
very little convenient crossreferencing access.

The Net provides new possibilities for skimming and thus accessing
much more much faster. It also provides hyperlinks and various means
for obtaining related information, returning to the base, branching
off again, etc.

Very significantly, it removes the authority of authorship. Through
hyperlinks and similar approaches, anyone can provide their own
pathway through a great variety of material using their own logic,
structure, etc and make that available.

--
Michael McMaster :   Michael@kbdworld.com
web:http://www.vision-nest.com/BTBookCafe/TIA/TIAmap.html
"I don't give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity 
but I'd die for the simplicity on the other side of complexity." 
            attributed to Oliver Wendell Holmes 
 

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>