[h2o-discuss] Electronic publishing

["Jon Garfunkel" <garf@look.boston.ma.us>]

John Kwasnik wrote:
>        So the question for prospective authors is what can Fatbrain do for
>us, that we can't do for ourselves by opening our own websites?


Two objectives:

1. Replace the cost of publishing. Publishing exists to organize
information, target readerships, packaging texts.

We need to keep close tabs on the work of Digital Libraries initiatives
directed by the W3C, ACM, etc. Imagine a search engine that limited itself
to documents intended for necessary reading, with all the proper META
tags...

2. Facilitate direct payments to authors

The precedent is from the shareware world, the theory is from ESR's papers
on the anticipated success of a "gift culture."

There are not enough providers in the person-to-person electronic payment
industry. We know there will be when the expected answer to the question:
"How do I send you an electronic payment?" is an email address or a URL.

Jon