Top all-time · #4588
Martin Belam
Personal blog · currybet.net/cbet_blogdesignwriting
Martin Belam's personal blog at currybet.net covers design and writing. Since 2008, 17 different Hacker News readers have linked it 20 times, most often “The rise & #fail of the Guardian Facebook app - by its IA/UX designer”. It is still writing: the last post was on 2026-10-15, and you can follow it by feed.
Too few sampled comments (6) to say how often HN recommends it.?
Why HN links it
HN readers link Martin Belam's blog for his commentary on news websites and UX, written by a former head of UX at the Guardian. Posts also cover a 2004 computing book and newspaper advertising history.
Summarised by Claude from a sample of 6 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.
Martin Belam's blog about user experience, information architecture, journalism and digital media
Most-linked posts?
- /cbet_blog/2004/06/the-beginners-computer-handboo.php2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2011-10-31
- The rise & #fail of the Guardian Facebook app - by its IA/UX designer2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2012-12-14
- Response to the NYTimes redesign article by Martin Belam of the Guardian2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2011-07-26
What Hacker News says?
Martin Belam (IA guy at the Guardian) wrote an excellent rebuttal to this yesterday. http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2011/07/andy-news-redux.ph...
Comment linking /cbet_blog/2011/07/andy-news-redux.php
on “Andy Rutledge Redesigns NYTimes.com”Submitted Copy-protection for vinyl in the 1970s (2008) as a story · 124 points
HN discussionI picked the basics of programming and how computers work with a book called "The Beginner's Computer Handbook - Understanding & Programming The Micro". Actually this book was the reason I became a programmer. I was 8 years old when received it as present on birthday from my dad. I could not find a link to the book, but found this blog post which has also some pictures: http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2004/06/the-…
Comment linking /cbet_blog/2004/06/the-beginners-computer-handboo.php
on “The Book That Every Programmer Should Read”Submitted The two-sides of Wikipedia as a story · 31 points
HN discussionMartin Belam (former head of UX at the Guardian, and designer of the app) has a great commentary on its successes and failures: http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2012/12/guardian-facebook-...
Comment linking /cbet_blog/2012/12/guardian-facebook-rise-fail.php
on “Guardian kills its Facebook social reader, regains control over its content”Submitted Response to the NYTimes redesign article by Martin Belam of the Guardian as a story · 10 points
HN discussion"The Beginner's Computer Handbook - Understanding & Programming The Micro" by Judy Tatchell and Bill Bennett http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2004/06/the-beginners-comp... I crafted my first computer from cardboard :) and learned to type and code using hand drawn keyboard :)
Comment linking /cbet_blog/2004/06/the-beginners-computer-handboo.php
on “Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?”Submitted The rise & #fail of the Guardian Facebook app - by its IA/UX designer as a story · 5 points
HN discussionYeah, the problem is that users don't do it of their own volition. Social media buttons do change user behaviour. It might not sway you, but if you track social media activity on your site with analytics, you'll see a large difference. http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2012/05/give-share-buttons...
Comment linking /cbet_blog/2012/05/give-share-buttons-their-due.php
on “Dear Internet: please move the share buttons from the web page to the browser”Submitted News apps on the iPad - my first impressions (from a UK media perspective) as a story · 2 points
HN discussionAdvertising has been bound to newspapers for a long time. Check out the front page of 1st edition of the Manchester Guardian (now the guardian) from 1821 http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/gallery/2007/jun/08/1?picture... In those days the business model was to cover the front page with small text ads! (as pointed out by currybet here: http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2009/05/happy-birthday-to-... )
Comment linking /cbet_blog/2009/05/happy-birthday-to-the-manchest.php
on “Newspapers Lose $10 Dollars in Print for Every $1 Gained Online”Submitted Why the BBC Trust simply had to examine the BBC's iPhone plans as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted The mystery of what makes a BBC top-level 'site'... as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted One day my daughter will ask me how we tolerated this as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted The Guardian publishes stats on the size of their commenting community as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted Why you should never automatically open external links in a new window as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted EU Cookie Law: “Do you want your Internet to work? Yes/No” as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted How the Guardian's new social reading Facebook app worked for them as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted Journalism shouldn't be afraid of web metrics as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted The Beginner's Computer Handbook - Understanding & Programming The Micro as a story · 1 points
HN discussion
