Today’s Dark Reading column is up, and it’s on an interesting topic; it seems that spammers have decided that there are more important things than porn to use in flooding our in-boxes. The column brought with it an even more interesting situation; Kelly Jackson-Higgins wrote her blog entry on the same subject.

As problems go, this one isn’t earth-shattering, and in many instances it wouldn’t even be a problem. It’s the sort of thing that’s easily corrected in the editing and production work-flow of a print publication, but “web time” tends to leave publications open to these little issues. The question, of course, is how to solve the problem without invoking a process that will make everyone long for the days when we could all file different takes on the same story and just laugh about it.

The whole work-process issue is fascinating. I’ve been on the team starting at least three magazines, and work flow discussions tended to involve minor tweaks to a system that apparently originated with Gutenberg. The web changed things in dramatic fashion because of the speed that has come to be associated with web publishing, the differences in the understanding of article length, and the very basic differences in how readers experience the material. The staff size is also a huge factor.

A blog like this is, generally, a one-person operation. Right now, I’m the only one posting here so the process is whatever lets me get something onto the web. I’ve had discussions with colleagues about their participation, and when they begin contributing we’ll have to work out a more significant process. If you have 20 editors, 36 writers, and an art department, you’re in a different world of process altogether.

You’ll notice that I haven’t said anything about the whole editorial oversight that’s supposed to be such a huge differentiator between Real Publications and blogs. There’s a reason I haven’t talked about it–there’s no standard to talk about on either side. I’ve written for huge print publications where my articles ran exactly as I submitted them, and I’ve written for blogs and on-line pubs where editors went over every word. Here? You, my friends, are my editorial review and so far you’re doing a good job. I liken this most to a good newsletter–there’s an on-going relationship between writer and reader that keeps things vital.

Categories: Security, Housekeeping