Comments on: 4. Trackback, Versioning, Comments http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/mcpress/scholarlypublishing Scholarly Publishing in the Age of the Internet Wed, 08 Aug 2007 00:57:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: lschiff http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/mcpress/scholarlypublishing/4-trackback-versioning-comments/#comment-165 lschiff Fri, 15 Jun 2007 22:55:39 +0000 http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/scholarly-publishing-in-the-age-of-the-internet/trackback-versioning-comments/#comment-165 Versioning is so important, but raises other issues when implemented in the scholarly communication flow, specifically the problem of citations. This is something that we are grappling with at the CDL–generating sufficiently granular digital citations that are persistent (UIDs are generated and maintained), meaningful enough to a human being (one citation can be easily and usefully distinguished from another), and flexible (identifiers used in citations are not ordered with each other). Versioning is so important, but raises other issues when implemented in the scholarly communication flow, specifically the problem of citations. This is something that we are grappling with at the CDL–generating sufficiently granular digital citations that are persistent (UIDs are generated and maintained), meaningful enough to a human being (one citation can be easily and usefully distinguished from another), and flexible (identifiers used in citations are not ordered with each other).

]]> By: lschiff http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/mcpress/scholarlypublishing/4-trackback-versioning-comments/#comment-164 lschiff Fri, 15 Jun 2007 22:51:02 +0000 http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/scholarly-publishing-in-the-age-of-the-internet/trackback-versioning-comments/#comment-164 What you’re describing sounds very similar to a traditional discipline within library science called bibliometrics, which continues on but got somewhat ignored due to the efficiency and glamour of information retrieval activities. Highlighting it and refurbishing it in the online venues that you’re describing is interesting. What you’re describing sounds very similar to a traditional discipline within library science called bibliometrics, which continues on but got somewhat ignored due to the efficiency and glamour of information retrieval activities. Highlighting it and refurbishing it in the online venues that you’re describing is interesting.

]]> By: Martin Haye http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/mcpress/scholarlypublishing/4-trackback-versioning-comments/#comment-163 Martin Haye Thu, 07 Jun 2007 20:06:38 +0000 http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/scholarly-publishing-in-the-age-of-the-internet/trackback-versioning-comments/#comment-163 The issue of identity is very sticky. As a technologist, I can say that I don’t know of any technological solution; it has to be combined with a social solution. For example, suppose I tell you that I am actually Noam Chomsky writing under a pseudonym. Do you believe me? Probably not, but only because the claim is so outrageous. If I claimed to be someone less well known, how could you really tell I was lying? I found myself reading the comments to this excellent article and wondering who “james” and “francois” are. They’re registered users, but who *are* they? Have they written elsewhere on this topic? Should I value their opinions or not? These are not easy questions to answer in the current framework. The issue of identity is very sticky. As a technologist, I can say that I don’t know of any technological solution; it has to be combined with a social solution.

For example, suppose I tell you that I am actually Noam Chomsky writing under a pseudonym. Do you believe me? Probably not, but only because the claim is so outrageous. If I claimed to be someone less well known, how could you really tell I was lying?

I found myself reading the comments to this excellent article and wondering who “james” and “francois” are. They’re registered users, but who *are* they? Have they written elsewhere on this topic? Should I value their opinions or not? These are not easy questions to answer in the current framework.

]]> By: Chuck Tryon http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/mcpress/scholarlypublishing/4-trackback-versioning-comments/#comment-162 Chuck Tryon Fri, 30 Mar 2007 13:46:37 +0000 http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/scholarly-publishing-in-the-age-of-the-internet/trackback-versioning-comments/#comment-162 I’m also somewhat disappointed that trackbacks have been watered down by so much trackback spam. Maybe one of the MediaCommons “advocacy” efforts could be supporting attempts to revive trackbacks. I’m also somewhat disappointed that trackbacks have been watered down by so much trackback spam. Maybe one of the MediaCommons “advocacy” efforts could be supporting attempts to revive trackbacks.

]]> By: Jason Mittell http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/mcpress/scholarlypublishing/4-trackback-versioning-comments/#comment-161 Jason Mittell Fri, 30 Mar 2007 13:36:02 +0000 http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/scholarly-publishing-in-the-age-of-the-internet/trackback-versioning-comments/#comment-161 Might trackbacks be reimagined as tied to the user’s identity & “trusted” status in the community? Thus hypothetically as a registered non-anonymous user in MediaCommons, I could register a trackback, but a random spam blog could not. I don’t know enough about the technology to know why this wouldn’t work, but it seems that tying the trackback to the user makes intuitive sense… Might trackbacks be reimagined as tied to the user’s identity & “trusted” status in the community? Thus hypothetically as a registered non-anonymous user in MediaCommons, I could register a trackback, but a random spam blog could not. I don’t know enough about the technology to know why this wouldn’t work, but it seems that tying the trackback to the user makes intuitive sense…

]]> By: KF http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/mcpress/scholarlypublishing/4-trackback-versioning-comments/#comment-160 KF Fri, 30 Mar 2007 03:58:29 +0000 http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/scholarly-publishing-in-the-age-of-the-internet/trackback-versioning-comments/#comment-160 You are NOT kidding. I’ve got super-secure randomized trackback URLs set up on my personal blog, which require a human being to ctrl-C and ctrl-V in order to ping my posts, and I still spent five minutes today deleting trackback spam. In fact, the most heartbreaking aspect of the bloggerly world for me right now is the degree to which developers seem to have given up on attempting to fix the technology. I wish I had the resources to hold a “save trackbacks!” contest. You are NOT kidding. I’ve got super-secure randomized trackback URLs set up on my personal blog, which require a human being to ctrl-C and ctrl-V in order to ping my posts, and I still spent five minutes today deleting trackback spam. In fact, the most heartbreaking aspect of the bloggerly world for me right now is the degree to which developers seem to have given up on attempting to fix the technology. I wish I had the resources to hold a “save trackbacks!” contest.

]]> By: James http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/mcpress/scholarlypublishing/4-trackback-versioning-comments/#comment-159 James Fri, 30 Mar 2007 03:16:35 +0000 http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/scholarly-publishing-in-the-age-of-the-internet/trackback-versioning-comments/#comment-159 This is all reliant on being able to effectively filter out spam, though, which in my experience can outweigh and reduce the value of legitimate trackbacks. This is all reliant on being able to effectively filter out spam, though, which in my experience can outweigh and reduce the value of legitimate trackbacks.

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