Clay Shirky on Generosity, Erotic Novels, Civics, Lolcats, and Scholarly Journals
The cognitive surplus of our age is being unleashed. This video discusses some of the side-effects and trends that will shape our futures.
The RIN Report on Researchers and Web 2.0: If You Build It . . . Well, You Know the Rest
The Research Information Network’s new report on researchers and Web 2.0 offers a similar set of results to previous studies: uptake is relatively low, and the trustworthiness and quality of online resources are suspect. The report offers contrary evidence to common myths about “digital natives” and some useful advice for anyone looking to build social media.
Post-Publication Review: Does It Add Anything New and Useful?
Post-publication review is spotty, unreliable, and may suffer from cronyism, several studies reveal.
Measuring Reading Speed on E-Readers Teaches Us That Speed Isn’t Usability
A Nielsen usability study confuses speed with usability, raising many questions in so doing.
Impact Factor Inflation: When an Increase is Actually a Decrease
Journals that fail to keep up with background Impact Factor inflation may actually be losing ground.
The Pepsi Syndrome: Did ScienceBlogs Sell Out, or Was This Just Business As Usual?
The science blogosphere erupted in a furor this week, when Seed Media’s ScienceBlogs announced a new blog–Food Frontiers, a paid, sponsored blog about nutrition written by employees of PepsiCo. Multiple bloggers either suspended their blogs or quit ScienceBlogs altogether over their concerns that adding this blog undermined the credibility of the platform and their credibility as individual writers. Eventually, ScienceBlogs caved under the pressure and removed Pepsi’s blog. Did ScienceBlogs sell out to commercial interests, or was this just a continuation of what they’ve always done?
Cups, Buckets, Pools, and Puddles: When the Flood of Papers Won’t Abate, Which Do You Choose?
When most papers submitted ultimately get published, and in an age driven by pooled philosophies and practices, are we already participating in a “filter failure” of immense proportions?
The DISCLOSE Act: New Media, Old Politics, and the Fight for Public Data
Campaign financing, corporations, unions, the Supreme Court, political action committees, large corporate interests, and technology companies with deep pockets and a hunger for data — what more could you ask for?
The iPad in Medicine: The Good, the Bad, and the Germy
A physician uses the iPad, and it works great. But can you wash it enough for the hospital setting?
PLoS ONE: Is a High Impact Factor a Blessing or a Curse?
PLoS ONE’s relatively high impact factor may compromise its ability to support PLoS Biology and PLoS Medicine.
Signals of Quality — Does Selectivity Attract Better Submissions and Better Authors?
A study from ACM suggests that selectivity — both being selective and being known as selective — has a citation benefit.
SSP Attendees Visit the Internet Archive, a Cathedral of Universal Access
SSP Annual Meeting attendees tour the Internet Archive, and see what it really takes to make this modern Library of Alexandria.
The Power of Time Perspectives: How Cultures, Countries, Cities, and Citizens Are Shaped By Them
Do you have time to learn about time perspectives? I hope so.
Impact Factors — A Self-fulfilling Prophecy?
A new study analyzing the citation performance of identical articles in multiple sources provides new insight into the causes of citation. But does it accomplish its goals?
Serious Games, Science Communication, and One Utopian Vision
Transitioning from an information provision industry to an information experience industry will require change. How can we achieve this large-scale shift to meet emerging customer expectations?