How Meaningful and Reliable Are Social Article Metrics?
New publishing initiatives link concepts like “importance” to social metrics like popularity and sharing. Is this logical? Can these metrics be easily gamed?
Poor Comparison Leaves Darnton's Journal Price Jeremiad in Jambles
It’s time to abandon the library-as-victim narrative and write a new story.
10 New Business Models in 2010 — A Primer on Innovation
Want to see the business models behind PatientsLikeMe.com, Groupon, and Spotify? Here they are, along with 7 others from 2010.
Will Your Next Editors Be Cyborgs or Robots?
As new analytical tools emerge, editors can harness them to advance their craft — or find their craft automated out of their hands.
Diverging Content Preferences: Is Baby Bear's Disappearance Cause for Worry?
Short-form and long-form content are flourishing, while that “just right” middle ground is vanishing.
Prediction for 2011 — The Individual Rules!
In 2011, the power of the individual consumer will set your strategies.
Phil's Pick for 2010: The Unintended Use of a Blog Post
A traffic phenomenon from a post about PLoS ONE may indicate that impact factors are more important to authors than PLoS believes.
Trouble Recruiting Peer-Reviewers? Blame Spam!
A problem in recruiting competent peer-reviewers may be the fault of email spam blockers, not the unwillingness of academics to review.
David's Pick for 2010: Peer Review May Be Old and Imperfect, But It Still Works
After wondering at the supposed burden of peer-review, more evidence emerged that it still works well, and is probably less taxing than other alternatives.
For Open Access Journals, Size Does Matter
Is the growth of open access journals a sign of market success or dysfunction? Two new studies analyze the data and come to opposite conclusions.
Anxiety and Clichés About the Digital Generation? It's Still the Economy, Stupid
A recent New York Times Magazine feature plays off fears that the next generation is prone to distraction and underachievement. The facts, and an apparently superior media outlet, argue otherwise.
Breaking the Silence Around Premature Quantification
Improper use of financial analysis can obscure problems in strategy, a problem faced by for-profit and not-for-profit organizations alike.
Weighing the Costs and Benefits of Open Peer-Review
Do the benefits of open peer-review outweigh the costs? A BMJ study argues “yes,” but there are caveats.
2010 Internet Trends from Mary Meeker
Mary Meeker sums up 2010 in this slideshow, and invites us to ponder yet again what kind of ride we’re in for.
Print Book Sales Fall, E-Book Sales Rise, and E-Books Will Soon Join the New York Times Bestseller List
The migration from print to digital continues for book readers. Even the venerable New York Times bestseller lists are changing in response.