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This this topic, we were tasked to find out the advantages and disadvantages of content producers publishing their materials freely on the internet. After stating my views, i reached a conclusion stating that paywalls should exist but not for publications of health research or something that would benefit the society.
Through reading of various posts by my fellow course-mates, i saw a trend on what the advantages of having materials posted freely. The two main ones are for the use of educational purposes and the other health research. I personally agree with these 2 points as i feel they are the main factors that help improve the quality of life and build up a strong future generation of people. By putting a price on these information, it hinders the information flow that can positively impact many people.
The negative points on freely sharing materials online had many different views.
The negative view that i identified strongly with was Xiu Zhen’s post, i got a clearer picture of why publication costs remains so high even though costs have dropped from $5 to $0.0007 through to use of the use of the internet, . The main costs comes from the the need for competent editors who are able to understand the research and translate them into something everyone can identify with. An addition to that is the need for a team of developers to accurately meet the needs of the customers. I felt that another point would be that having paywalls help motivate publishers and researchers to continue on their work. By paying for their works despite countless other publications out there, it rewards the effort that went into it.
In conclusion, i agree with what Elisha mentioned on what the goal of the publisher is. If the goal of the publisher is not educational or health related research and solely for gains, it is ok for him to do so. I however feel that a possible way for information to still be freely available is if publications that have paywalls are in the net maybe for 2-3 years and have raked in a substantial amount of profits, companies can consider making they free for all. This way both consumers and publishers benefit!
ianjael90 