EPSIG is asked on an almost weekly basis to define the electronic publishing industry. I have been hesitant in the past to do so for two main reasons: one, I do not like defining electronic publishing because defining also means limiting, and I believe every electronic publisher can benefit from EPSIG membership, and second, I might give the wrong answer.
I have come to the conclusion that there is no wrong answer, because there is no 100% correct answer; every definition is subject to interpretation. Also, I feel that EPSIG must define its constituents because, although I would like EPSIG to be everything to all people, we must focus our energy toward specific goals. For the purpose of this discussion, and for the membership of EPSIG, an electronic publisher is any person or group of people who utilize electronic means to make information available for public consumption.
There are two key points to this definition, "electronic means" and creation of material for "public consumption".
This is a broad definition and is not meant in any way to trivialize the publishing industry. However, the computer age brought about a technical revolution that made resources available to the average person which were previously unavailable. The first part of this definition "electronic means" necessarily refers to computers (not an electronic typewriter) and like the Guttenberg printing press, computers have greatly increased the amount of information. It has not necessarily increased the quality of that information, but because of the sheer volume of data, there is a greater likelihood of better quality.
In addition vehicles such as the World Wide Web have made mass distribution a reality to even the individual with a home page. This is where the second part of the definition becomes pertinent. An email is not for public consumption, because you are pointing to the people who have access to that information. A receiver of an email is a passive participant. An intranet, even though it limits the people who have access to the information is aimed at a group. The information is being posted and those who wish to get this information must retrieve it: they must be an active participant in the information dissemination process, whether it is following a link on the Web or filling out a subscription card for a magazine. There is also an implied intent that distinguishes correspondence from publishing.
This is not a finalized definition but rather a starting point. We are soliciting responses so that we may include your thoughts on the subject of electronic publishing in the next issue of EPSIG News (so anyone who responds to me using a computer will be henceforth considered an electronic publisher). I will leave you on a philosophical note: If a person publishes a book electronically and no one reads it, is it an electronic publication?