Fighting Fire with Fire — The Only Remaining Option?
The shift to the Systems Age is happening so fast and completely that publishers are left with only one option — fight fire with fire. Will they? Can they? Some examples show the way.
Do You Suffer from “Change Blindness”?
Change is hard to notice, and this video shows how blind we can be, even when challenged to spot it.
The Unstoppable Corporate Force Meets the Immovable Social Network
The companies behind social networks and media are running into conflicts with their users as they try to generate revenue from their services. Recent moves by Google, Facebook and AT&T are all sparking controversy as each encounters opposition to their business models from their customers.
Churn in the Book Space: Rational & Irrational Behavior Among Book Publishers
Two fiction publishers decide to delay release of their e-books, further marginalizing their books. Meanwhile, an STM book publisher gets it right.
Open Science Debate: Democracy or Dominance?
Can one ideologue really hijack the OSTP forum on Open Access implementation?
Should Editors Influence Journal Impact Factors?
Is it ethical for editors to alert authors of relevant in-journal articles?
When Less Is More: The Upside of Paywalls and Delisting from Google
Rupert Murdoch’s recent moves have challenged the widely held notion that Google and the traffic it generates are essential to a successful web publishing business. Is it better to have lots of freeloading readers or a much smaller group of paying customers? Could the rumored search engine subsidies help support struggling scholarly publishing activities?
A Library Card Under the Christmas Tree
‘Twas the month before Christmas, and by listening hard, you can hear Joe Esposito yearn for a library card. The reasons are simple, yet give publishers pause. No wonder Joe’s only hope is with Santa Claus.
What Happens When We Misplace the Credentialing Keys?
Self-publishing initiatives in consumer publishing a falling under harsh criticism. Why aren’t similar endeavors in the purportedly more disciplined area of scholarly publishing experiencing the same?
Giving Open Access a Bad Name
Scientist, editor, and OA advocate Jonathan A. Eisen rages against an infamous author-pays OA publisher.
How Meaningful Are User Ratings? (This Article = 4.5 Stars!)
Are user rating systems a good way of measuring the quality of an author’s research? More and more websites are abandoning 5-star rating systems as the results they give are deeply flawed. PLoS’ approach will probably suffer the same problems.
Publishing in the Google Ecosystem
Complaints against Google miss the point — it’s the Google Era, and publishers who work well with this major upstart have plenty to look forward to.
Thriving in the Age of the Informavore
The accelerated, real-time Web has some people worried about its cultural effects. Given the alternatives, I’ll take it.
The Future of Publishing? Trust and Curation, Says the Founder of Craigslist
When an outsider looks in, the opportunities in the changing media landscape become crystal clear. Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist, recently gazed into the publishing house and has plenty of great observations.
Dealing with a Possible Email Glitch, While Spotlighting a Great Post
An email glitch on Wednesday might have hidden a great post. If you missed “Open Access and Vanity Publishing,” here’s your prompt to give it a careful read. It’s well worth it.