links for 2011-03-21

"The duties that a community manager would have, cannot and should not be delegated to others in the newsroom who otherwise lack the background and professional experience that a professional community manager would have. It's very tempting, especially in the current economic climate. But doing so would ultimately do more harm than good."

Four sets of slides from Karen outlining the evolution of computer interaction design history. Break out for use when the hype cycle is telling you that putting your news stories on an iPad is like "when paper was first invented"...

PDF report on different approaches taken by governments on releasing data

"In an effort to further develop my data journalism skills I've been exploring communities of practice in search of technical help, feedback, advice and inspiration.  As a journalist who doesn't code (yet) I'm finding it daunting to infiltrate a field dominated by programmers and already cross-skilled reporters whose expertise level surpasses mine.  It's useful to read online forums, but difficult to contribute when the ethos of the group requires posting specific, practical questions and answers about issues beyond my skill set."

Julie Starr with a round-up of 'metered access' comment and punditry

"Concrete was poured into an giant underground ant megalopolis, which acts as a mold. After the concrete hardened, scientists carefully excavated it to reveal the structure of the ant's elaborate 'city-state'". [via @Paul_Haine]

Datajournalism, Blackadder, and Rick Waghorn - an explosive mix

Awesome post. Particularly for the fact that it says "pirating software" is a badge of honour or a "real" designer. I mean, who cares about "real" developers earning a living. I just suffered irony overload...

"The reality is that Rajib Karim is not a "British Airways bomber" because he did not actually bomb anything. His only "crime" is "thought crime", that is, he only thought about committing the act of bombing a plane. The plans found on his computer could just as easily have been the plot for a novel as a plot to commit an act of terrorism."

"Finally, the biggest step that news organizations can take to help increase the value of Twitter to a broader audience is to be more aggressive in recommending follows. I've met too many people who've tried Twitter, then drifted from it, mostly because they just didn't find enough interesting people to follow. In a breaking news situation, it's our jobs as journalists to find the best sources in the community and listen to what they have to say."

"We no longer feel grateful to the media for allowing us to Have Our Say; we feel indignant if they don't. The stopper had been jammed in the neck of the bottle for so long that this new opportunity to vent online began in a relentless fashion and remained that way. We witnessed and participated in a brutal upturning of decades of unpublished and, in some cases, unpublishable Letters to the Editor; now we could express ourselves in a forceful fashion without prefixing it with the word "Sir""

Oh dear lord it all comes flooding back. [via @stuartcurran]