The role of information architect is featured at Web Worker Daily today:

Web Worker Payoff: Information Architect

From Joost Unveils Stellar Brand Ad Launch Lineup, Partnership With IPG:

Joost is offering advertisers a range of formats beyond the traditional 30-second spot. Ten-second and 15-second pre-, mid-, and post-roll options are all available, all with interactive capabilities for users to delve deeper into ad messages if they desire.

Another alternative is a roughly 5-second "Brought to You By..." "introstitial," according to Elders. "We're going to be doing a lot of experimenting around our three core principles of targetability, measurability, and interactivity," he said. "There are a lot of unknowns, and we really don't know yet what viewing patterns are going to be like."

In addition, rather than interrupting programming, Joost will run ads alongside content known as "hand-raisers," which users can click for more information either within Joost's platform or on a brand's own Web site.

Hand-raisers are a great idea. With the potential to be highly contextual and relevant, the clickthrough from ads to really engaging and useful experiences (with sales at the end or not) could be really amazing.

Or it should be really amazing. But knowing how us monkeys like throwing our wrenches in things, I'm sure we can monkey it up.

Online Media Daily quotes Jeremy Allaire's views on web video and advertising in Brightcove Founder Lays Out Media Vision For A New Video World.

His remarks were part of his keynote to the Outfront conference. (There's a link to the entire keynote you can watch, as well.)

Interesting comments fmor a smart gyu. Go read. Tasty bits to moisten your lips:

Open distribution and "self-service models" where content can be created and distributed with no cost of entry are leading to an explosion of new programming outlets and niche networks because anyone can create a TV network today--production companies, publishers, or consumers.

....

The idea, says Allaire, should be some "blended distribution strategy" that includes a branded content site, strategic syndication to affiliate sites, and viral distribution through widgets or players such as Brightcove's that "empower the consumer to distribute it for you." For advertisers, you're looking at extending reach by 50%, 60%, 70% or 80%, he said.

Advertising must be bound to content in this world, Allaire said, and because consumers are more likely to be "snacking"--or clicking around and sampling multiple videos to see which they want to sit through--the existing standard 15-second pre-roll with banner is a complete turnoff, as it forces repeated viewing with a resulting negative effect.

Richard Dalton has a new blog, and an excellent post called The Forces of User Experience in which he extends Jesse James Garrett's elements of user experience diagram to represent the effect of strategy on other planes.

Good stuff.

Matt Hodgson has posted a summary of a presentation he did for our local IA group recently. This is a truly awesome piece of IA work - he analysed a large volume of unstructured text and designed a framework to rewrite it in a consistent, machine-readable, human-readable way: Semantic analysis: Making sense of the chaos of free text