Left-handed Cancer, Box Springs, Scientific American, Branding, and Credibility
When brands, credibility, and trust all stumble, what is an increasingly weary public supposed to think?
“Cognitive Surplus” — Look What Can Happen When We Turn Off the Television
Clay Shirky’s new book is smart, snappy, and insightful. You should read it if you want to understand why people are adding social media to their lives.
Is Print an Elite Medium? Or a Medium for Elitists?
College journalists are more motivated about getting into print, editors are missing huge opportunities, and Harry Potter’s owners are in no hurry to go digital. What gives?
No Deposit, No Diploma: How Graduate Schools and Libraries Restrict Access to Dissertations and Theses
Outdated and arbitrary e-filing policies create lengthy access embargoes to university research.
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.
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?
Does Thinking Benefit More from Contemplation or Exchange?
Distractions spur thoughts, so why do we want deep, contemplative thinking?
Librarians Do Gaga: Is “Glee” a New Business Model for Librarianship?
Librarians make a video parody of a Lady Gaga song, with some memorable results.
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.
Fears and Hopes: Publishing Through the Lenses of Sustainability, Quality, and Chaos
Quality, chaos, and sustainability — terms we throw around, yet each requires more careful thought. Nicholas Carr and Clay Shirky square off to debate where we’re headed in roughly these terms.
A Weapon of Mass Instruction: The Bookmobile Meets the Batmobile
Giving books away for free, with panache!
Umpiring and Peer-Review: Why a Perfect Game Is Still a Perfect Game
When clearly observable facts are ignored and post-hoc analysis abandoned, great achievements can be undercut by injustices.
Arguing Against Links: Are They Distracting, Counterproductive, and Anti-Intellectual?
Is there a good case against linking? Or are links just an updated version of an old idea?