Paper media going Electronic - Essay Example

Paper media going Electronic It is true that electronic publications, particularly of the newspapers, books, journals and magazine provide some advantages compared to paper-based documents. Electronic documents typically are delivered with a powerful mechanism to quickly search through them. The reader gets specific information in less time. Tools aid the readers to jump to particular sections, for instance, to references or graphics, and from there to the relevant section in the body of the text.

Corrections can be included without difficulty. The information in the journals and books can be updated at regular intervals. References can be linked to abstracting services, from where abstracts or full texts of cited papers can be obtained, and similar publications can be retrieved based on the original article. Electronic versions of journals are available in advance of printed versions, and in addition users can browse the contents tables of forthcoming issues. Journal issues need not be shipped, thus avoiding delays due to mailing systems.

Electronic documents can be accessed from anywhere at any time and by as many simultaneous users as needed (ESO.org, 1998). The customers who subscribe for a news papers or online journals can get access anywhere in the world, thus avoiding carrying it while traveling. It is also a good mode to save paper and is eco-friendly. These innovations have proven to be good for the advancement of scientific community in a more ecological way. While most people recognize the need to save energy and recycle waste it takes much more than just awareness to get them to change their habits on a large scale.

It takes a combination of measures of many different kinds, such as technical waste disposal infrastructure, legislation and taxation to get massive behavioral changes underway (Björk, 2004). Businesses are currently using what is referred to as information technology strategy to provide them with a competitive edge. Robert Livingston states “that the use of the web can reduce processing time by one-third.” Electronic publishing would be an excellent timesaving, cost effective solution. Our future is heading in the direction of transforming from print to electronics.

Electronics will aid in streamlining production with a limited staff. Therefore the company can expect a reduction in cost, and the ability to deliver multiple sources of information in less amount of time all over the world. Electronic publishing, newspapers and books would be an excellent strategic and business goal.There are a few disadvantages of web publications. For instance, traditional print sources go through an extensive publication process that includes editing and article review. The process has fact-checkers, multiple reviewers, and editors to ensure quality of publication.

Where as anyone with a computer and access to the Internet can publish a website or electronic document. Most web documents do not have editors, fact-checkers, or other types of reviewers. Qualifications of an author are almost always necessary for print sources. Only qualified authors are likely to have their manuscripts accepted for publication. In web publication even if the author and purpose of a website can be determined, the qualifications of the author are not always given (Driscoll, 2006).

There are still individuals who lack the computer knowledge and access, print media would be of great use to such individuals. Electronic publishing might be the next best thing since the printing press, but it might not be very good business to throw out the paper publishing equipment yet. The success of electronic publishing depends on consumers being able to access, browse and purchase, and as of October of 2003 only 61.8% of United States households had computers, and only 54.6% of U.S. households had internet connection (Gallagher, M.

& Cooper, K., 2004). Electronic publishing would not be available to over 45% of the households in the U.S., people within those households would have to electronically published newspapers and books at school, work, library or within businesses that provide internet service to the public for a fee. While the delivery technique for scientific publications has changed rapidly, the economic ramifications have hardly changed at all. The extremely low marginal costs of selling information over the Internet favour the use of sales and marketing strategies such as bundling and differential pricing (Björk, 2004).

Electronic publishing requires consumers to have a computer, internet access (dial-up, broadband, satellite, etc.) and all required operating systems and programs to download, view and print. With paper publishing, a company needs to transport the newspapers, books or magazines to market for the consumer to purchase, the consumer just needs to locate and purchase, no other equipment needed. Locating documents has proven to be very easy on the internet, information is only a few clicks away, and with most inquiries, too much information.

If publishing companies to converted to electronic publishing as their primary product over paper publishing, I feel they would not reach as many consumers as they currently are reaching, at least not until internet access in homes reaches the level of televisions or phones within homes. Electronic publishing is however a great compliment, a consumer could research online and identify which publications it would like to purchase and have the choice to download and print, or to go and purchase a hard copy.

Publishing companies should position themselves within the World Wide Web, and develop the processes for formatting, uploading and distributing publications via the internet as a compliment to their paper publishing. Once technology increases, and consumers desire to access electronically published articles versus paper increases, maybe than paper publishing can take second seat to electronic. A revolution in the publication industry is catching up as a result of technological innovations particularly the information technology and the Internet.

It is essential to formulate strategies to provide the reader with good source of information and there is a need for filtering the unwanted junks materials from being published. This requires a systematic approach. ReferencesBjörk, B. (2004). Open access to scientific publications - an analysis of the barriers to change? Information Research, Vol. 9 No. 2, January, 2004, Retrieved February 01, 2006, from http://informationr.net/ir/9-2/paper170.htmlDriscoll, D.L., (2006). Evaluating Print vs.

Internet Sources. The Writing Lab & OWL at Purdue University and Purdue University. Retrieved February 01, 2006, from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/553/04/ESO.org (1998). Electronic versus Paper-based Publications. Retrieved February 01, 2006, from http://www.eso.org/gen-fac/libraries/bits-and-bytes/node4.htmlGallagher, M., & Cooper, K. (2004, September) A nation online: Entering the broadband age. Retrieved January 18, 2005 from http://www.ntia.doc.gov/reports/anol/NationOnlineBroadband04.htm