Peer review 2.0

["Tony McSean" <tmcsean@hollar.co.uk>]

Aside from the recent discussions on peer review, one of the 
perennial themes on this list is the possibility that blog-style 
community review of new writing might be a viable, and cheaper, 
alternative to the traditional sort.

This link from today's Guardian Technology supplement:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jun/17/seth-finkelstein-read-me-first

Gives an interesting trace of how the ludicrous story concerning 
a USB-powered portable microwave has spread throughout 
traditional and online media.  It will surprise no UK liblicense 
reader that it seemed to start with an article in our own Daily 
Mail, but has spread widely without having been checked by 
countless posted reality-check comments.  Finkelstein comments 
that it seems to have been driven by a journalistic compulsion to 
tell a good story regardless of truth, and the lack of incentive 
to publish corrections in the new media.  Clearly these factors 
apply far, far less in liblicense-land.  But it's an interesting 
slant on a real-life blog review, and a I can certainly attest to 
a natural unwillingness to slide down through a comment column in 
the hope that Comment 94 might contain something more interesting 
than 'I can't wait to buy one of these so I can heat my coffee on 
the motorway while catching up with my SMSs'.

Tony

Tony McSean
WHO Global Health Library
+41 22 791 3539