IEEE Publishing Strategy: Key Issues

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IEEE Publishing Strategy Key Issues Next
Steps Modified for/ Present to MTT-S
ADCOM John Barr June 2005

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PSPB TAB Are Engaged In A Multi-Year Planning
Process

• Feb. 04 Received charge from A. Winston
• Through 2004 Workshops examined the changing
  landscape of publishing, developed scenarios
  strategies
• Nov. 04 Board accepts new 6-point strategy as
  recommended and funds work for 2005
• Through 2005 Act on the new Strategy
• Do research to see how engineers work today
• Develop programs to start implementing the
  strategy
• Hold 2 workshops to socialize the plan

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Publications Are An Important Part Of How IEEE
Meets Its MissionIts Behind The Top 2 Reasons
For Joining The IEEE
Source Excerpt from 2004 IEEE Member
Segmentation Study Q25 Please indicate the
major reasons you originally joined the IEEE.
(Choose all the apply)
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Publications Represents Half Of IEEEs Revenue
From Operations1
2003 Total Revenue 226 Million
1 Omits Investment Returns on Reserves Source
IEEE Audited Financials
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And This Important Program Is Subject To Several
Financial Threats

• IEL customers demand usage stats by title in
  Counter assoc. format
• We estimate 15 to 30 of IEL customers dont use
  all titles and will ask to trade down
• Switch to smaller packages may drop IEL revenue
  10 to 15

10 to 15 of IEL Revenue At Risk Due To
Counter Usage Stats
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And This Important Program Is Subject To Several
Financial Threats

• Open Access gives articles readers for free
• Google Scholar makes it easy to find these free
  copies, so people dont need a subscription
• There are many proposals for new business models,
  but they wont replace subscriptions 100

20 to 50 of Total Revenue At Risk Due To Open
Access and Google Scholar
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Another Key Issue For IEEE Is The Changing Link
Between Publications and Membership
In print, the only way to get IEEE material and
avoid a trip to the library . . .
. . . was to become an IEEE Society member and
get a personal member subscription conveniently
delivered to your desk.
But with web delivery the library subscription
now gives readers convenient access at their
desks (at the office or at home) . . . . . .
without requiring membership in a Society or even
IEEE
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MTT-S Publication Revenue(very simplified)

• 1,381K (external rev) -- 2005 Budget
• Not including ads or member dues/fees
• Society nets
• Conferences typically net 700K
• Publications typically netted 500K
• Remainder of Society operations run a deficit of
  about 1,000K
• Net net is therefore 200K
• Wouldnt take much of a change in revenues to go
  net negative!

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There Are Also Many Needs For New Products and
Services

• Practicing engineers, programmers, and
  technologists need more information
• Practical articles that help them understand and
  apply research
• They need new web services to help them navigate,
  manage, and apply information
• In building these services we need to emphasize
  community because studies show that engineers
  prefer to turn to other people to find info
  rather than solely searching the web or
  publications

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Our Goal For 2010 Be A Leader In Technology
Information

• Be the premier source for technical information
  to all technology practitioners
• Lead in creating and organizing a variety of
  technical content and disseminating it to users
  in a personalized, seamless, coherent, and
  integrated fashion
• Double the amount of content published
• Provide IEEE members affordable access
• Double the inflation-adjusted net surplus
  generated by information services and products

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The IEEE Total Choice StrategyYour Choice Of
Info, Delivery, and Price
Current Strategy
New Strategy
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Strategy 1 Expand The Type Of Content We Offer

• Journal and Conference articles still play a role
  
• But, well offer more types of content
• More practical articles -- for example
• Quick study introductions to various topics
• Product design, tips techniques
• More Non-text information For example
• mathematical models, computer-aided design
  templates, etc.
• Interactive online learning modules, etc.
• Leverages knowledge of the Societies and programs
  at their conferences
• Helps IEEE expand into new interdisciplinary
  fields

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Strategy 2 Allow The Inclusion Of New Content
Processes

• Our journals will retain peer review and editing
  where it provides a competitive advantage
• Well also seek out new ways to create content
• Self-assembling communities of interest
• Community contributed and assembled content (e.g.
  Wiki encyclopedia )
• Author formatted material (e.g. conference
  articles)
• Well also find new ways to evaluate content
• Reader ratings of articles, community evaluation
• Usage-based ratings of material how often read
  or cited
• PSPB will determine policies
• Leverages knowledge of Societies their social
  networks of communities

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Strategy 3 Build Web Services To Help Members
Users Manage Info

• IEEE Resource Center web service
• Contextual Workspace finds, organizes, and
  links info in relationship to how it is used
• Buy single articles manage subscriptions with
  easy web commerce
• Can have versions like RealPlayer or Acrobat
• Basic version free to registered users
• Advanced version for members
• Can be tailored to needs of various communities
• Restores the link between membership and access
  to information

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Strategy 4 Sell Content Separately

• Benefits users lets them buy what they want
• Single articles, bundles of articles,
  subscriptions
• Can buy info without our services
• Just buy info to incorporate into your own
  information management system
• Benefits to IEEE Overcomes IEL Dilemma
• Sales by article grows revenue as content grows
• Provides way to deal with Open Access

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Strategy 5 Focus On End-Users

• We still acknowledge librarians as important
  customers
• But well add emphasis on selling to the
  end-user, especially members

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Strategies 3, 4 5 IEEE Potentially Could
Provide Several Access Options
All readers sign up for their choice of IEEE
Resource Finder
Reader has choices to buy content Single
articles or Bundles of articles for themselves
or the institution
Registered Users Get Basic set of services
IEEE ARTICLE ------------- ------------ ---------
------------------------------
IEEE MemberGet Full set of services
Article Bundles Enterprise, MDL, ASPP, CSDL,
IEL, etc.
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Strategy 6 Encourage Partners

• Well collaborate with other professional
  societies to develop info collections
• A small number of partners critical mass
• IEE already participates in IEL
• First partners needed are AIP, APS, IOP, ACM
• Once started can add others ASME, AIChE, etc.
• Well selectively partner with companies on
  technology services
• Benefits of collaboration
• Pools resources for development and operation of
  increasingly expensive web content services

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Were Starting Projects In 2005 That Evolve To
This New Publishing Strategy
2005
2010
2015
Current
Strategy

Future
Strategy
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Guiding The Implementation Are Core Principles

• Maintain build on strengths while we explore
  new sources for increasing revenue membership
• Develop small, fast experiments to test concepts,
  then scale up winners
• Coordinate our projects to minimize duplication
  of effort
• Find projects that change how were perceived,
  especially by younger researchers, practitioners,
  IT workers

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Some Starting Points for Implementing the Strategy

• Improve functionality of current content
• Improve timeliness
• Make references in conferences linkable
• Develop IEEEs own metadata of index terms
• Improve user experience at IEEE web sites
• More logical navigation, easier search
• Will build in phases
• My IEEE member portal Jan. 2005
• IEEE Xplore Version 2.0 March 2005
• Revised ieee.org June 2005
• Others through rest of 2005

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Some Opportunities For Experimenting With New
Things

• Experiment with community generated, unreviewed
  content e.g. Wiki or blogs
• Investigate the Engineers Resource Center
• Find ways to support authors and engineers
  evolution of activities and ideas
• Identify tools for content-integration and
  contextual workspace
• Experiment with Non-text content
• Multimedia, math, interactive modeling tools,
  circuits, to supplement resource center and
  enrich search

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Some Opportunities For Experimenting With New
Things

• Explore new business models
• Models and experiments with Open Access
• Scenarios around Counter compliance
• Evaluate in-context advertising tied to search
  results
• Leverage our social network
• Investigate ability in Xplore to generate
  usage-based recommendations like amazon.com
• Develop an experts database that users can search
  to find a colleague in the same field
• Evaluate partnerships with other associations,
  technology companies

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A note on perspectiveSuccessful Strategic
Planning Means Avoiding The Innovators Dilemma

• Prof. Clayton Christensen observes that most
  companies with a successful product listen to
  their customers invest in their current
  technology to meet the needs of their current
  customers
• But they miss disruptive technologies that are
  attractive to new customers

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IEEEs Publishing Strategy Message Is Plan Before
There Is A Crisis

• Yes, our current products are selling well
• But, there are disruptive issues and technologies
  on the horizon
• The important thing is that we not be complacent
• The good news is that we envision new products
  and services that can keep us successful

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Seeking input

• Regular discussions with BoD/TAB/PSPB
• Regular strategy meetings with Staff / PSPB
  Strategic Planning Committee
• April 2005 meeting with EICs
• October 2005 meeting with practicing engineers
  at Section Congress
• Socializing with AdComs / BoGs

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We Need Your Feedback And Ideas Soon

• We need to move quickly We are now developing
  budgets for 2006
• Projects funded for development in 2006 may not
  get to market until 2007!
• If you cant send comments to
• Leah Jamieson VP PSPB
• L.jamieson_at_ieee.org
• Anthony (Tony) Durniak, staff executive Pubs
• A.durniak_at_ieee.org
• MTT-S folks
• KC, our EICs, Peter Staecker John Barr