I find it a little challenging and often distasteful that the top hits for some ecological journals, including Oikos, are the publisher’s page of it. Often, I want to get right to the journal, imagine that, and it is tough to navigate through the publisher standard page to get to it. I recently enjoyed a really exciting paper in Seed Science Research, so googled it, and got the publisher page. I wanted to post a comment on a paper I read there. After skimming the page, http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=SSR, I found the ‘SSR home’ link on the left. Whew. I clicked it assuming I was going to get a nice home-spun page with the feel of the journal and instead I get the exact same page again. Now, let’s try Oikos. I googled and it and got the following return, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1600-0706, that is after after the yogurt sponsored ad (we should pay to displace that really). Whilst this is an attractive url, I propose we get the Oikos/Nordic one higher up on the list. Or perhaps move the content there or ask for a clearer redirect? I skim now, find the ‘journal home’ on the left, click it, and viola… get the same page again. OK, maybe I am misunderstanding it. Where is the Oikos, Nordic Society homespun page? I can’t see it. Backing out, I google Nordic Society, and whilst I am happy to see the Canadian one at the top, no Oikos again. The Nordic Soc of Irish Dancers is the most fun one though. As a final test of my secret hypothesis here that we are not managing our online presence as ecologist as best we could, I try the journal of ecology. First hit, gorgeous, www.journalofecology.org/. The url makes sense, photos pretty, nice screen, I can see it is the BES in the top right without it dominating the journal presence, and if I work at it, I can see at the very bottom that it is a Wiley publication. Better. If someone has time, check a few more journals for us but part of making ecology more funded, better perceived, and useful, has to include more effective online perception.
Oikos Blog 
Addendum, a search for the Oikos blog yields it up as first hit directly. No Society presence. Also, as an aside, I was unable to post my comment to the paper in SSR as there was an a spam preventer tool with squiggly letters. I typed them in, incorrectly, it refreshed, wiped out my comment above, so well no post. Good work publisher, dialog over began it began.
By: Anonymous on June 4, 2012
at 10:38 pm
If I am not mistaken, the “www.journalofecology.org” page is a publisher page, not a society one. Oikos has the same publisher as JEcol……
By: Anonymous on June 8, 2012
at 7:37 pm
Yes, correct. Both Wiley, but the feel could be more different at all. Oikos is using a standard template I think whilst J Ecol has its own style and page etc. with the word wiley at the very bottom.
By: oikoschris on June 8, 2012
at 9:48 pm
Great article, just what I wanted to find.
By: tumor symptoms on July 12, 2012
at 2:34 pm