Guest Post — Scholarly Social: Findings from the SSP Social Media Survey
Results from the SSP survey on the changing nature of social media use by publishers, research societies, libraries, vendors, and others in our community.
Guest Post — Missing Revenue in the Global Flip: Getting the Open Access Math Right
A flip to open access requires a holistic view of a journal’s incoming revenue. Are there important contributions to revenue that disappear with open access, and how can those funds be replaced?
Going Legit Part 2: The Continuing Path from Piracy to Partnership
An SSP Meeting Session showing the results from publisher partnerships with Researchgate suggest the company is shifting from a source of potential infringement to a distribution channel that is being folded into more and more organizations.
Reverse Engineering, the Cycle of Culture, and the Dark History of White Bread
The story of white bread’s rise and fall offers a lesson in the circular nature of manufacturing and consumer culture.
The Super Bowl Ad We Really Wanted to See
Stephen Colbert offers a Super Bowl advertisement for a local independent bookstore.
Talking About – and Maybe Even Selling – Books in a Pandemic
With their audiences in COVID-19 lockdown, publishers are testing out new marketing strategies while some authors are taking matters into their own hands.
The Common (and Bland) Language of Pandemic Era Marketing
How many advertisements have you seen from companies expressing their concern and solidarity with their customers? Can you remember any of them, or have they all blurred together? There may be a reason why…
Data Analysis: How Effective Is TrendMD?
A reanalysis of TrendMD experimental data reveal details on its effectiveness, novelty, and bias.
Study: Recommender Systems May Increase Citations
TrendMD may drive traffic, saves, and citations, according to a new study by the founders and employees of TrendMD. Deeper analysis of their results reveal overstated results and a lack of context. Should these papers be considered sound science just another form of marketing?
Guest Post — The Library is the Brand
Libraries provide vital digital services to their host institutions. If these services carry clear library identity branding, it strengthens the library’s position in the university and enables it to secure the budget and political capital necessary to do its work.
When Does Enhancement Become Deceit? Advertising Food Tricks
Think science has issues with image manipulation? Wait till you see these advertising tricks used to make food look appetizing.
Has Google Become a Journal Publisher?
Google’s journal about artificial intelligence (AI) coming from editors and authors associated with Google and Google Brain raises questions about conflicts, vanity publishing, and Google as a media company.
Guest Post: GDPR Day Is Here – What Happens Next?
Organizations have been busy sending out opt-in notices and privacy policy updates, but how many will be “compliant”? Anne Stone discusses the consequences for innovation in scientific research, openness initiatives and data transparency.
Recurring Dream — Organizations with Subscriptions Are More Valuable
Even Silicon Valley is finding that recurring revenues (aka, subscriptions) lead to more valuable businesses, while helping smaller companies thrive.
The Race to the Bottom — Short-term Bargains versus Long-term Vitality
Haggling for cheaper content today will certainly have hidden and unpleasant costs — large and small — down the road.