Science Must Join, Not Just Watch, the Online Revolution
 Herbert Y. Kressel, M.D. |
As the Internet-driven revolution in mass media communications continues, so too does the influence of the World Wide Web on scientific communication. Online communication is immediate, multimedia and has a global reach. It also is interactive and has proven to be a vehicle for social networking and a democratization of information. Radiology, like other scientific journals, must adapt to the new pace and style of communication the Internet affords us and must take advantage of the case of global interactive communication to promote broader dialogue on issues of concern to our profession.
To that end, Radiology is launching a number of features to help our readers make the most of online communication. New message boards encourage discussion about articles in the Controversies in Radiology and Perspectives sections of the journal, as well as some Radiology editorials. These require participant registration and are open to all readers, not just RSNA members, at RSNA.org/radiology/discuss.
Unfortunately, participation to date has been disappointing. I encourage all RSNA members to join in the discussions on the message boards, as I am sure that fuller vetting of the issues raised will be of benefit to all. I'm also pleased to announce that short podcasts summarizing articles of interest in Radiology will begin with the January 2009 issue. These podcasts, available on the Radiology Web site, will include comments from the editors, authors and experts in the field.
With all these online innovations, the goal is to provide more context and additional insights on articles appearing in Radiology. My staff and I have also begun working with William W. Olmsted, M.D., and the staff at RadioGraphics to develop theme-based online collections of content from both Radiology and RadioGraphics. We expect the first of these to be available in 2009, coincidentally the 10th anniversary of RSNA's journals going online. Finally, to help our readers navigate this rapidly changing online world we have also begun a feature titled "Net Assets," highlighting new developments on the Web that may be of interest. Together we will navigate this increasingly complex world of cyberspace.
