Publishing 2011: Preparing for our Futures
Michael Jensen (National Academies Press), Santiago Pombo (World Bank Publications)
Thursday:
9:30-10:30 Introductions: Santiago Pombo, Michael Jensen, participants.
From participants: Name and title, but also what kind of publishing you do, if you have electronic
initiatives, and what your role is.
10:30-11:45 A Brief Cultural History of Electronic Publishing in the U.S. (Michael Jensen)
What we've learned in the last ten years about transformations in US book markets, brought on
by the Internet and the “digital revolution.” Two phases of transformation will be examined: Phase
I, the transformative effect of large populations with simple Internet access, and then, Phase II,
the further transformations brought on by "majority broadband." What kinds of publishing projects
succeeded, at what stage of the market?
11:45-12:15 Break
12:15-1:30 Where is Mexico in the Phase I – Phase II shift? (Michael Jensen, Santiago
Pombo)
Numbers and statistics: connectivity and speed, changes over last 3 years, implications. Currently
20 million potential customers – actual Web users, according to AMIPCI: about half dial-up, half
broadband. Demographic trend lines.
Participant discussions: Likely markets/demographics? Which demographics are growing and
what might that mean?
1:30-3:00: Lunch
3:00-4:15: Demonstrations from and discussions with Mexican e-entrepreneurs
[ Specific speakers and demonstrators provided: Jorge Acosta, as well as Santiago Pombo ]
4:15-4:30: Short Break
4:30-5:30: Success stories in online publishing in majority broadband communities
Demonstrations of some strategies that have worked, and some spectacular failures.
Friday:
9:30 - 10:30: The nuts and bolts of current e-publishing technologies
Technologies currently being used widely in majority broadband, as well as dial-up, markets:
Strengths, weaknesses, appropriate applications: HTML, XML, PDF, EDI, DRM, AJAX
10:30-11:30: Applying your choices strategically
Content type, publishing purpose, publishing priorities, market characteristics, content half-life...
all of these affect the strategies and business models that make sense in the electronic arena.
11:30-11:45: Short Break
11:45-12:30: The changing landscape of Technical Infrastructure
What used to be expensive can now be cheap. Decentralization of technology infrastructure, big
players making the digital plumbing easy and cheap (Amazon, Sun, Google, Yahoo, Myspace),
no less need for programming or infrastructure for most routine Web presences.
12:30-1:30: Glimmers of Web 2.0
Becoming visible in a search-engine world (Search Engine Optimization). How cheap
infrastructure and Lego-like programming is changing the application layer for Web experiences.
Rising user expectations. Usability metrics. What publishers are seeing as a consequence. Trend
lines for internet usage, habits, in different demographics. What that means for publishers.
1:30-3:00: Lunch
3:00-4:00: Vendor presentations:
[ Specific vendors to be listed (Adobe, Microsoft, Google?) ]
4:00-4:15: short break
4:45-6:15: Copyright and Intellectual Property Issues
[ Jose Luis Caballero ]
Saturday (half day)
9:30-10:00: Close-up on Existing Business Models for E-Publishing Projects
Advantages and drawbacks of institutional subscription vs. individual subscription models; timed
access vs unlimited access; open access vs for-fee, membership-driven subscriptions, ip-domain
vs. login/password; digital rights managed object vs. non-restricted, etc. The business of epublishing.
10:00-10:30: The Information landscape of 2011
Participatory, broadband, immense, automatic: the implications on publishing. Licensing models
for key content types; aggregation and selectivity; authority 2.0. Mashups and fair use, intellectual
property tensions, digital rights issues, etc.
10:30-11:00: Implications for the Near Future
Painless, cheap publishing intermediation (like Lulu.com) makes mundane publishing tasks – the
“grunt work” -- as easy as Kinko's or Ebay. The knowledge-work of publishers (like selection,
adding value, aggregation, etc.) can still have value. How do Mexican publishers ensure that the
values that they add remains valuable? Discussions regarding the implications of the last two
days.
11:00-11:15 Short Break
11:15-11:45: E-Publishing Skill Sets for 2007, Skill Sets for 2011
Hiring for the near and farther future. What skills are necessary to hire, and what can be
outsourced? How will those change in the next five years?
11:45-1:00: Final discussions
Complex but rich future ahead: Print will remain vital for the next decade at least, but we now
have the added channel of the Internet, which is strategically vital to tap, even if not profitable for
the near future. Other predictions.