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2017, Page 5

Topic 5- Open access- The Advantages and Disadvantages for content producers

Open access refers to the ability to freely use and redistribute content that has been created by another person, without having any concerns over copyright restrictions. The digitisation of research materials has led to an improved ability to retrieve content efficiently (Wilinsky, 2006). Despite this renewed convenience, many published works are behind pay walls with expensive subscription prices. Continue reading →

Topic 5: Open Access

WHAT IS OPEN ACCESS?  Open access is defined as the free accessibility to literature online, allowing it to be used with minimal restrictions, including material being royalty-free (Bailey, 2008). With specific reference to academic and educational material, resources with open access can be used by students in education from all ages for several purposes, such as for homework or textbook material (Wiley et al, 2012). Continue reading →

Topic 5: What are the advantages and disadvantages to a content producer of making their materials freely available online?

As more of us than ever are using the internet globally, it makes sense that more content is being made available online to us too. Accessing content online means that we can look at it on the go and use more than one source at a time. The majority of articles that are accessed for my modules are through university paid subscriptions, which had I had to pay for myself, I’m not sure that I would have used them at all. Continue reading →

Who controls your computer?

Computers are rapidly encapsulating our lives [1] [2] [3]. With a global industry worth $407.3 billion it is hard to understate the effect that software has on society [4]. But who controls your computer? A computer performs almost any task by processing a set of instructions known as software. If you control the software, you control the computer. By using proprietary software, the software vendor controls your computing and imposes limits on what you, the user, can do. Continue reading →

Open access; who what where why?

Open access to online content. A somewhat confusing sentence, so think of it this way: open access is like an unlocked door, you don’t need a key to open. Still a bit puzzled? Don’t worry I was at first too, check out Wiley’s short cartoon that helps give a general overview of what open access means. For a content producer specifically it is debatable whether the rewards are great enough to make their content freely available online. Continue reading →

Topic 5: Pros and Cons to open access

Created using Canva First of all, what is open access? Open access refers to content that is digital, online, free of charge and free from almost all copyright and licensing restrictions (Suber, 2014). What this essentially means is that the content that is created under this ideology will be available to anyone that can access the internet. Many websites that rely on user-generated content, such as YouTube and DevianArt, have open access in order for everyone to view the content created. Continue reading →

Topic 5: Pros and Cons to open access

Created using Canva First of all, what is open access? Open access refers to content that is digital, online, free of charge and free from almost all copyright and licensing restrictions (Suber, 2014). What this essentially means is that the content that is created under this ideology will be available to anyone that can access the internet. Many websites that rely on user-generated content, such as YouTube and DevianArt, have open access in order for everyone to view the content created. Continue reading →

Open Access: Should we Take the Leap?

  In the upcoming years 90% of online content is predicted to be held behind paywalls (TheDrumNews) and the idea has left the internet divided. Do we want this? PROS Students can only learn from the sources available. Khan Academy showcases the benefits of changing the education system by making content available online for students and teachers, it can ‘flip the classroom’ (6:00, Ted Talks). Continue reading →

The advantages and disadvantages of an open access approach towards content production

How often do you encounter the issue outlined in the above video? In the past, concerns have been raised over increasing amounts of research content becoming exclusively accessible through ‘content paywalls’ (Lepitak, 2013). Today, I feel this fear has come to light, as can be seen with the development of tools such as www.unpaywall.org which trawl the web to identify free versions of pay walled papers (I highly recommend this tool!). Continue reading →

Topic 5: What are the advantages and disadvantages to a content producer of making their materials freely available online?

Firstly… what does it mean when material is freely available online? and what is a content producer? Infographic created by the author (Boston College Libraries, 2017) Here’s a video to give an insight into the role of a content producer! (HowToRuleTheWeb, 2013) So what happens when people work really hard to create content, but then people get it for free? or equally, what happens when people have to pay for it? One of the predominant aspects of the free content debate is OPEN... Continue reading →

Topic 5: Open Access for the Average Academic

[Source: https://youtu.be/AzcMEwAxSP8?t=2m10s]. Clearly, disparity exists with regard to knowledge accessibility in today’s society. Paradoxically, it appears that despite an increasingly digital society, information is not effectively reaching the intended audience. This is because journals charge for access rights; they essentially have a monopoly on research dissemination (Harnad et al., 2004). Some even claim that journal prices have outstripped inflation by 260% (PHD, 2012). Continue reading →

Keeping it current

In my latest post, ‘Promoting What?!‘, I decided to take a more journalistic approach by exploring the ethical issues of advertising on social media. I focused on how Youtube has been put in under the spotlight for placing commercials on inappropriate videos. Watch it soar This post for topic 4 saw a huge spike in traffic compared to the rest of my blog. Typically, my posts for UOSM2008 get approximately 20 unique visitors a day. Continue reading →