Here’s a brief response to a post on the commons-blog from the ALA. Originally left as a comment, but I’m linking via trackback as well to try and generate some conversation.
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One of the things I’m discussing in my Master’s Paper (soon to be openly available near you) is the lack of a “brand identity” to the open access movement. It is similar to the Free Software/Open Source debates between Stallman and Raymond. I think Raymond is very correct in his assertion that language matters, especially when it comes to convincing others of your opinions.
I, for one, really dislike the label “Open Access” since that seems limiting. Every public webpage is technically “Open Access”…I’m more interested in the Open Source idea of the value of the ability to muck around with information of all sorts. Simple access seems almost a trivial right in the increasingly digital era.
Right now I’m leaning towards “Open Information” as a label for the overarching movement. I’d love to hear other suggestions, though.
2 replies on “Master’s Paper rambling…”
I’m confused (as usual) and am coming late & uninformed into this discussion:
What are the differences, other than semantic, in the terms “access” “source” and “information”? I could call it the “Open Refrigerator” movement and it doesn’t matter in a legal sense. What matters is the limits set on the information, either by license or by laissez faire.
Heck, if you want to play devil’s advocate, “Open” might be a confining word. Stores are open, then close. You need a word that says, “This stuff is 24/7 accessible, forever. Go play.” Of course, if you called it “Free Information” everyone would think of the government pamphlets from Pueblo, Colorado.
If you are changing the name to establish a brand identity, remember that the word Viagra doesn’t mean “old men can now get a stiffy” — the branding came from creating a word that could be used in public & sound friendly and non-embarassing. Form=/Function in the advertising world. Call the Open X Movement “Infozuma” and you’ll do just as well in the public marketplace.
Who is your target audience for selling the concept of this “brand”? Scholars? Students? Housewives? Senators? Truckdrivers?
p.s. infozuma.com/net/org are all unregistered domains at the moment
I second the vote for Infozuma. To me it either invokes the image of a very fat sumo wrestler made of paper mache (which itself is made from library books) or a viral information structure (because Infozuma sounds a little like influenze)…