September 6th, 2007

Open Letter to Derek Powazek

by Joshua Porter  |   19 Comments  |  shortlink: http://bokardo.com/p/674

Dear Derek,

I’m writing to ask you if you would consider writing an update to your fantastic book Design for Community. Your book, as much as any other, helps to define what it means to create and curate community online. It’s a great book, but it’s a bit old and hard to find.

Design for Community

Web designers the world over, including myself, could really benefit from a 2nd edition. The world we’re designing for is all about community now, the social interactions of people in and around the things they’re passionate about. No longer are we a single person using a web site by ourselves. Now it’s all about multiple people participating, cooperating, and working together in countless ways. Community is a big part of that.

The copy of your book I had been using was at UIE, and since I’m not there everyday any more I don’t have easy access to it.

I tried to get myself a fresh copy of it the other day, and I couldn’t. On the publisher’s site (Peachpit Press) your book is simply not for sale. On Amazon it is unavailable new. Apparently, one of the best books on web design isn’t in print anymore!

You can get a used copy (there are 3 available at Amazon, 6 at AmazonUK), but the cheapest one, at the current moment, costs $98.99. I think the price of those 3 used copies suggests how valuable your book is.

But this isn’t just about money, or getting my hands on a copy of the 1st edition. Since you wrote it in 2001 the landscape of community design has, well, evolved and exploded. But while the content in the 1st edition is solid, it is a bit long in the tooth. You’ve done great work since then, including your excellent work at JPG magazine, and I’m sure you’ve got some great insight that isn’t in the 1st edition. So I actually don’t want a 1st edition…I want a 2nd. :)

In addition, and to perhaps turn the screw a bit further, I see that you’re not completely away from the book scene, as you’re among the excellent speaking lineup at the Voices that Matter Conference in late October. At the very least you could take the talk you’re giving there, whip it into a chapter, and tack it on at the end of the book and call it a 2nd edition? Or, like they do in the music business call it a Greatest Hits? Pretty please?

Anyway, I don’t speak for everyone, but I will speak for a lot of designers I know who are fans of your book. Please consider writing a 2nd edition!

Humbly yours,

Joshua Porter

Check out my latest project: Make them Care!, a book on designing great sign-up experiences. Get reminded when it's published.

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Comments

1.  Christina Wodtke 11:01am, Thu 6th, 2007

I know New Riders is trying to talk him into it, and with his departure from 8020 he’s considering BUT writing a book is long, painful and not all that profitable. Honestly. Much like recording artists who make money off performing not recording, book authors in our space find we make more money once the book is out by a raise in salary or consulting fees. That means if you’ve got a book under your belt, why bother writing another? New Riders has approached me for a mark 2 of my book, and honestly I’m on the fence.

Now YOU could write one, since you are all fresh faced and ready to make your bones….

2.  Bill H-D 2:00pm, Thu 6th, 2007

Here,here! I second Christina’s advice.

Let’s have Josh’s book!

It would be nice to see a revison of her book too… :)

-Bill H-D

3.  Derek Powazek 3:24pm, Thu 6th, 2007

Wow. I’ve never been the recipient of an open letter before. Neat. As for DfC, it’s on the list. Trouble is, it’s a long list.

Let me ask you this: What would YOU want to see covered in a DfC 2? How would you use it in your work?

4.  J.J. Toothman 4:15pm, Thu 6th, 2007

Derek – I truly hope bringing back Fray is on that list.

5.  x 4:28pm, Thu 6th, 2007

I know that Book and It’s cool ;-)
thanks

7.  Derek Powazek 11:16pm, Thu 6th, 2007

JJ — Fray is definitely on that list. ;-)

Also, forgot to mention, DfC is available as a download.

8.  Mfonobong Nsehe 4:41am, Fri 7th, 2007

Derek, i am missing fray.com a lot. What’s the plan for fray.com. That story telling site has so much potential.

9.  Johan 5:28am, Fri 7th, 2007

Haven’t read your book, Derek, but why not simply start a wiki and let the community help you update the book for the 2nd ed, like Lessig did with his “Code v2″?

10.  Michael Nolan 9:36am, Fri 7th, 2007

I am the acquisitions editor who signed Derek, Christina to New Riders, and their books are among the best I’ve ever been associated with. I would love nothing more than to have new editions of Design for Community and Information Architecutre: Blueprints for the Web but as Derek and Christina have pointed out, writing a book as good as theirs is hard work.

Johan’s idea about a wiki is great. To some extent, the book could write itself, at least making the research phase easier for the author.

And as Josh says, if you really crave a Powazek fix, come see him at our New Riders Voices That Matter conference in October.

11.  Justin Thorp 12:37pm, Sat 8th, 2007

I’m with Christina and Bill. I’d buy a book by Joshua Porter.

12.  Josh 11:00pm, Sun 9th, 2007

Thanks for the kind words, guys…

13.  Josh 11:07pm, Sun 9th, 2007

Derek,

The question I’m continually trying to find an answer for is this: what type of community tools are appropriate for a given situation? I’m building up my own set of advice on this topic, but we need more outlets doing so…my clients are all over the board…some have web-wide audiences and some have 100 people as an audience.

Since your book was pre-social networking and (almost) pre-blog, and these tools are relatively easy-to-implement and on everyone’s mind, it would be valuable to me to have an updated version of your book that puts them into better context.

Thanks for responding!

14.  Robert Franklin 12:03pm, Mon 10th, 2007

Derek,

It took me a really long time to find the downloadable version of “Design For Community”, perhaps you can make the link easier to find on your websites to help others to find it? It would be great to get an updated version per Josh’s request that addresses the Social Design evolution. However, I realize that you have lot’s on your plate and it may not be your number one priority, it’s great to have options :-) .

15.  nate 8:49pm, Tue 11th, 2007

Holy crap! I must have bought one of the last remaining copies on Amazon when it was sub-$20. It’s now running around $150.

Derek, you obviously have something here. I loved the book, btw. But I’m also a capitalist… if someone wants it, I’m happy to chit chat. :)

16.  betatrom 9:57pm, Wed 12th, 2007

I found this great site with the top 100 eBooks all available as free mp3 download. Check it out.

http://www.BooksShouldBeFree.com

17.  Shannon Holman 8:55am, Thu 13th, 2007

The chapters I’d like to see in a new DfC edition by Derek and Josh:
1. The Whole World Looks Like a Nail: Deciding Which Tools are Right for the Job
2. Watering 1000 Flowers: Growing Your Community
3. Kudzu Control: Tools and Strategies for Dealing with Trolls and Bots
4. The Whole Monetization Thing: Turning Eyeballs into Dollars or Donations
5. Community, Privacy, and Social Network Portability: Towards a Social Graph
6. Social Semantics: Structuring the Web to Enable Better Connections
7. A Pattern Language for Social Networks
8. The Next New Thing