The inetbib list currently has a very interesting discussion thread (in German) on the trial run of the arrangement by which Google will make small payments to Elsevier for click-throughs on Elsevier articles. One question is whether Elsevier will try to get Google to stop indexing OA versions of the same articles. Another is how to build a better manipulation-proof (or do-no-evil) search engine. Another is why Google is paying Elsevier rather than Elsevier paying Google. (Thanks to Klaus Graf.)
(PS: I have the same questions myself. If the payments are for click-throughs from the main Google index, then I worry. If they are for click-throughs from well-identified ads, then I don't worry. The early reports on the plan are not helpful on this point, but it may be that Elsevier is arranging for relevant ScienceDirect articles to appear in Google's ad space, in the righthand column of the hit page, in response to user searchstrings. I just ran Google searches on a dozen keywords sure to elicit ScienceDirect content, and saw nothing from ScienceDirect in the ad space. Do we scratch this hypothesis or try again later?)
Posted by
Peter Suber at 9/21/2004 04:04:00 PM.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
I recommend the OA tracking project (OATP) as the best way to stay on top of new OA developments. You can read the OATP feed on a blog-like web page or subscribe to it by RSS, email, or Twitter. You can also help build the feed by tagging new developments you encounter.
