Academic publishing or Blogging

Publishing is about sharing your view and getting feedback from your peers. I was the first author of a paper in 1999 which was delivered by Iain Morrison as an invited paper in the 5th Hong Kong Web Symposium. The reason that I mentioned this particular paper is this was the first of a series of peer-reviewed, academically published papers on a data model that I developed to help me understand the complex nature of data about data. It was delivered with quite a profile. It was published 5 years ago. However, besides coming up as a discussion topic among the original authors, I don't think anyone would know about this. I have never received any comment about this data model except the initial peer review comments.

Now, with this blogging, I now know that I have a readership. I know people with similar interests are reading my posts. I have seen at least one track back on one of my post!

If you check my papers (do a search on google with my name!), you will notice that I have not published alone. I always have co-authors. So, I want to initiate an experiment.
In the next few weeks, [we] will develop the original data model into a more rigorous form and write about the model here. [we] is yet to become plural! The way I wrote has always been many re-iterated editions of the paper between myself and my co-authors. I will keep that style and post each iteration here. Co-authorship is open. If you can contribute, feel free to do so and add your name on the paper. I won't add your name. You have to initiate this! I won't care where you put your name. If you think you deserve to be the first author, feel free to do so - as long as your conscience is comfortable. Please take a copy of the latest iteration, import into word and turn "tracking ON". Make edits (add, change or modifying...) or comments. Then send your iteration to me by email (albert at DLS dot au dot com). I will publish the iteration verbatim. And the cycle continues...

Any experiment has to end somewhere. This experiment will end in several ways:
- run out of steam,
- just nobody is interested,
- the fight among co-authors for the first authorship is too much that we want to stop, or
...
- we arrive at a form which we want to say quit for the time being.

Then the final iteration of the paper may, or may not be submitted to a publication. But if we (co-authors and myself) decide to submit to somewhere, that publication must be an open access online journal.

I realised that blog is more like a personal journey than a rigorous academic work. I will still keep most posts that way.

Hope you can join this experiment.