It is also possible to create a commercial website in the near future where
people pay on several scenario's:
 
1) Pay per page view. A page could contain for example the description of one
species.
2) Subscription on a yearly basis.
3) The 'Hawaiian Shell News concept' of downloading electronic books. And
printing them yourself. This makes it possible to base the subscription fee on
only the production costs. Printing costs disappear and distribution costs are
replaced by the costs for hiring network bandwidth and disk space.
 
The advantages of electronic publishing are evident compared with bound or
loose sheet printed editions since electronic publications can be updated
immediately when new scientific info comes available. For example new species
can be added immediately. Or synonimized species can be lumped together.
So people in theory never have outdated info anymore. (Apart from changing
scientific views).
 
Besides: when looking at the home computing environment in ten years you can
possibly expect the further advancement of electronic books. These look like a
flat plate of ca. 30 x 20 cm. with a color lcd screen.
 
Imagine what it can bring: It is 2010. You're sitting behind your shell desk
with a difficult shell at hand. Your electronic book is connected via the
Internet to the Megashell database. You're looking for a rare cone which you
found on a deserted beach in Maine (the greenhouse effect is continuing,
remember.  ;-))) ). You tip some touchscreen buttons and there it is: Conus
arcticus Brrrrzvsky, 2005. :-)
 
The only brake on this development at the moment is the absence of a good
international electronic banking structure. (And the evolutionary speed of
Conidae :-)) ).
 
Erick (happy on his way to the future).
 
Patty Jansen wrote:
 
> I fully second Marlo and John in their comments regarding the existence of
> material on the web.
>
> These are some of my points:
>
> 1. People prefer to read things on paper, so if anything is available on
> paper, having a web site with some of the material will only act as
> advertising.
> 2. Material that is less in demand may be successfully published on the
> web. When a web site proves to be really successful, the author might
> consider putting the material on CDROM, or even in print. How is that for
> market testing?
> 3. I treat the web as public property. If you put anything on there, expect
> it to be stolen, pilfered, plagiarised or just plainly used by someone
> else. It's like when you send out an advertising brochure, you'd be amazed
> where they end up, photocopied and all.
> 4. The web is an advertising medium (not necessarily commercial). Treat it
> as such. Without the web, my business would not exist.
> 5. The web will continue to operate the way it does, so publishers had
> better get used to it.
>
> That's my two bob's worth
>
> Patty
>
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