I know it's not a question of one or the other, but here is the 'for and against' table I drew up in Dec 2006 about blogging versus writing for professional association journals - open vs closed publishing didn't even rate a mention, but I suppose that's what it was basically about.
Publish by Blogging | Publish in professional journal |
|---|---|
Personal | Corporate |
Immediate publication | Published in the future |
Subscribers based on author's profile | Subscribers based on association's profile |
Author decides what to include | Rigorous selection process by editorial committee |
Content does not have to be edited | Professional editor at work |
Archived in individual's blog, not covered in legal deposit | Permanently archived via legal deposit |
Discoverable through blog search engine | Discoverable through professional indexing services |
Ephemeral | Permanent record |
Free to read | Subscription required to read |
Flexibility for author in determining licensing and permission for re-use, likely to be Creative Commons or Free to Education | Association determines permission required to re-use |
Linking system built-in through Trackback | Citation indexes or Google Scholar |
Built-in comments and discussion | Letters to the editor or external discussion |
Embedded or additional links | Bibliography or reference list |
Informal | Formal |
Credibility through the individual | Credibility through the journal and association |
Self-motivated writing | Commissioned or submitted as part of association responsibility or for kudos |
Author sponsored publishing, or advertising dependent on blog hosting company | Association or subscriber sponsored content or selected advertising model |
Direct line to readers | Communication with readership mediated through journal editor |
| Audience largely unknown | Known audience |
Keywords: blogging, journals, professional associations
Posted by Pru Mitchell |
