Re: With footnotes (was Re: Open Access to Journal of Web Semantics (JWS))

On 2017-08-09 12:45, Steffen Staab wrote:
> Dear Alexander and other likewise participants in the discussion,
> 
> I think this discussion lacks information about  (1) how the preprint
> server of JoWS is operated and
> (2) how archival services need to be operated in general. Hence, I think
> you should inform yourself
> before you utter strong claims.
> 
> (1) The preprint server of JoWS is under full control by the community.
> It is financially supported by Elsevier.
> Authors do not pay a dime to have their paper there.


Misleading.

Apparently JWS preprints reflect the published works - pending proof,
but we can put that aside for a moment. Institutions are already paying,
ie. the taxpayers, to access the published works. Are you thinking that
the fees that Elsevier charge are not in any way allocated towards the
existence and maintenance of such preprint server?

> (2) Setting up an archival service is simple (indications are also given
> in the thread below, dozen more nice ideas fly around). 
> Running an archival service is conceptually difficult and costly.
> The issue is not even the amount of money by itself (about >10K per year
> for a moderate size journal like JoWS). 
> The issue is that there are no established ways to channel money into
> such a task (the service provider cannot 
> charge the head librarian for such a thing, unless it is a kind of
> publisher). Note: nothing stops the community from improving
> the preprint server. If you offer free work to do it, I guess you will
> be very welcome. 

How do you come to the conclusion that it costs >10K per year to run
such service yet it is "free"? Elsevier is not doing this for fun.

There is zero incentive to improve Elsevier's preprint server for free.
Ludicrous.

> JoWS has found an excellent compromise with Elsever in order to offer a
> valuable service to the community at large,
> if you want more: roll-up your sleeves! 

Many in the community are working on improving the state of the art in
knowledge representation, discovery, dissemination... Many are taking
the initiative to improve the scholarly system so that it works in ways
that's closer to its concerns and needs.

JWS on the other hand still operates in a bubble. No "Web Semantics"
knowledge there other than the PDFs in its preprint server. It doesn't
set the incentives or even equipped to handle it. Archaic, if not obsolete.

Here is a suggestion, since the publishing methods at JWS/Elsevier have
*nothing* to do with "Semantic Web" or free and open access - wrt
citable things - then perhaps no future CFPs should appear in this
mailing list. Is the JWS company prepared for that or do you still
insist that asking the Semantic Web community to provide LaTeX to the
for-profit company, making the works inaccessible, and publishing in PDF
is appropriate? Where is the "Web" and/or "Semantics" in "Web Semantics"?

> Kind regards,
> Steffen Staab
> JoWS EiC 2008-2014

-Sarven
http://csarven.ca/#i