Here at my new job, I need to be succinct and at least a little evangelical about what-is information architecture for web sites. IMHO, IA is the science of creating a structure for 1) getting around a site intuitively, 2) prioritizing the paths that matter most, 3) telling a story about your work through your choices, and 4) making sure that people can move laterally and back "upward" in ways that are also intuitive. It's my experience that #2 and #4 usually get short shrift. And a purist might even argue that they're not IA, but good site design. I believe I would disagree. For a fiesta of definitions, see this cool compilation on Elegant Hack - which looks like a great resource in itself.

This summer Newsvine released a nifty Election '08 app for Facebook to show who you like and feed in the latest news on your gal or guy. But why are the headlines all out of date? e.g., As of now, the Edwards badge has this article as the most recent, but when you click the Edwards tag on Newsvine, you get something else. Same problem with the Obama tag. TechPresident offers automated updates on who's got the most friends on Facebook, MySpace, and more. ... And check out their intriguing delve into whether the Facebook/Obama connection (co founder Chris Hughes) gives BO an unfair edge.

On this, the preported 25th anniversary of the smiley-face emoticon, here are some things I have used this symbol - :) - to mean ... - You're right. I agree with you. That's funny. - No worries. It's cool. - The thing I just said was meant in a positive, supportive way. - I like you. I like that you just said that to me because I like you. And I want to, you know, go somewhere quiet and, you know, do things with you. - Yup. Here we are again with this bullshit. Can you believe these fucking people? - I know you don't like what I'm saying, but I really don't want you to be pissed. (I swear, I try to avoid this one, but I admit I've done it.) - I like that you don't like what I'm saying, and with this smiley-face, I acknowledge that I…