How to Communicate--Fast and Wide for Impact To have my writing quoted more and to gain more impact, I must focus on others, not on myself. I must clearly address:
1. Who exactly is my audience ?
Who needs or could use my expertise and information?
How can they access my expertise and information?
Who can pay for my expertise and how?
Who should not pay, but use my expertise as my contribution to their success?
How do I balance my desire to share freely with others with my desire to be recognised and be quoted by others?
2. What combinations of delivery are best for which users ?
How and when can they go to my work (Pull)?
How can I send it to them only when they need it (Push)?
3. How can I understand and address my users' need(s) for my expertise ?
What precise content do they need?
What forms of presentation, style, and design will be easiest for them to use?
What are the cost limits for them?
What delivery speed and access times do they need?
How could frequent updates to the content make it more valuable to users?
How can I provide expertise in adequate time to an adequate number of users?
How can I thoroughly test my assumptions on these questions for truth and bias?
How can I prove that my answers to these questions are reliable?
There are four types of distribution through the World Wide Web (www), which can be combined to reach different audiences.
1. Controlled with static web pages.
Display or referencing of articles with limited flexibility for rapid change or updating of content. Traditionally, this includes websites maintained by webmasters, with limited options for authors to change the contents or appearance of pages.
2. Self-archiving of articles in author-controlled pages, or in institutional archives.
3. Content that is controlled and can be pushed to readers using a maillist Using push technology, users can be kept up-to-date by email and web delivery systems with the latest information and developments in their field of interest or specialisation. For example, Push/SDI Tools automatically alerts members of one scholarly community to new literature on the web.
4. Content can be moderated and/or non-controlled using wiki-style open web content.
Wiki pages are edited with a normal web browser. On www.Seedwiki.com, page layout and editing are available through the built-in tools Other Online Factors
-Speed of dissemination and citation multiplication is a significant difference. Some journals still required article submission on paper by post, while digital documents can move around the world in seconds. Time is valuable; do not wait for post-only journals!
With print-based peer-reviewed journals, the time from original submission of an article until subscribers can access that article averages about two years. Open Access peer-review journals often publish within four months. For my work, rapid publishing was more valuable than degree of prestige gained through attempting a high-level print publication.
-Author-paid or subscriber-paid: Who pays the costs of peer review and distribution? Author-pay charges range from Springer's $3,000 US per article, Public Library of Science $1,500 US per article, and BioMedCentral $525 US per article. To encourage Open Access author-pays publication, there are grants available for some author-paid publishing (http://www.soros.org/openaccess/grants-journals.shtml).
-Metadata and Dynamic content linking: What other data and sources in the world relate to this topic? How often does your information change? Would readers gain extra benefit if your article is constantly updated to new sites or online statistical reports? What other web presentations would support or oppose my viewpoints, and where else might readers go for additional resources? The more you share links with others, the more they will help point readers to your site. In this case, giving credit to others gives you greater visibility and impact.
-Graphics. Are there non-text items that might make this article more understandable?
-Security & anonymity. With online publication, you must become visible. How much can you afford to be anonymous and unknown? Are you willing to accept a bit more spam email in return for providing greater service to your readers? Would writing under a pseudonym give you both protection and freedom? Would you produce more if you and your colleagues had a secure online site for collaboration?
-Peer-to-peer sharing of ideas and information. How might your communication and research grow if your colleagues and collaborators were able to easily write together online or exchange files while you were talking by telephone or chat. The more your work circulates, the greater visibility you will have.
-Collaboration in virtual workgroup with out geographical or budget limitations. How might you work differently if you could collaborate across any time and distance, securely and privately, with no additional expense?
-Pooled networks for rapid generation of data collection: How might your impact change if you had no limits to: analysis and dissemination of information; secure communications and collaboration; locked to non-authorized participants or observers; large readership immediately without time or budget constraints; simultaneous peer review for large number of reputable electronic plus print journals; and innumerable combinations of passive and pushed delivery?
Think Bigger and Faster, and let me know how I can help you!
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
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