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10 Jun 2006
Focus is everything
Further pondering on the definition of MicroContent, I realised that I should refine it a bit. It is possible to take a very broad view of the definition, such that any file, including macrocontent, would fit. And when you start talking about PDF's, Video, Applications, etc. as MicroContent you know you took a wrong turn somewhere. I had already in my head that I took a wrong turn, but was not able to find that turn. I think I got a bit further now.
One turn is related around the divisibility of MicroContent. In my definition this characteristic states that one can not further divide a piece of MicroContent without losing the meaning of the MicroContent Item. The other turn revolves around the focus of MicroContent. In my definition MicroContent should have a clear focus, a single meaning.
Let's look at a large PDF-file, say 100 pages. Such a file might have focus, it might be a report around a well defined subject. However there are undoubtedly many subjects in such a large file, that one should talk about multi-focussed Content. In such a large file the conclusion is what it is all about. One should take that out of the PDF-file. This suggests that such a large file can be cut up into multiple Items. A conclusion is something that can be read and grasped in a short time-span. So the shortness of the message of MicroContent is of importance.
Look at a HTML-file. As it is a file many characteristics of my MicroContent definition do fit. However it goes wrong again with the focus and divisibility. Often a web-page contains many MicroContent Items, which dilutes the focus. As it contains multiple Items, it can be cut up, one can divide it.
A total different beast is an application that can be spread around with an appcast. An application has focus as it serves a single purpose and it can not be divided up into parts. However an application has no message, it is not content, it can not convey something to the viewer.
In this way we can go through various files to see whether it is MicroContent. Seeing whether there is focus is key, the message should be small, one should be bale to get the message in a short time-span, say 5 minutes. Anything above is no longer MicroContent. Thus a 2-page PDF might be MicroContent, whereas a 20-page PDF no longer fits. The same might be true for a blog-item, which spans many pages and which no longer has a clear message.
I rather have a clear demarcation between Macro- and MicroContent, but that is unrealistic. There is a grey line. And only through vague words like focus and meaning one can try to put an Item on either side of line. And in case of doubt we should not be fundamentalistic and say that any file has the potential to be MicroContent.