Migrating to Joomla!

I have just finished migrating my newly created online magazine, www.discoveryindonesia.com from just static pages of HTML (not even with CSS) to the most popular content management software today, Joomla!

I have known Joomla! since earlier this year and at that time there was not many interesting templates available, not to mention plug-ins. Today, however, tons of Components, Modules, and Mambots (or plug-ins) are available on the Internet. Either for free or for some fee.

I have enriched my Joomla! version of online magazine with Virtuemart, video plug-in and Google maps! Very suitable for a site promoting a vast country like Indonesia as well as trying to make some fortune while doing it.

The Joomla! version of www.discoveryindonesia.com is not officially published but accessable at www.discoveryindonesia.com/portal.

The Discovery Indonesia Online Shop was build using Virtuemart with actual products from Kalimantan Borneo. We haven’t really setup the logistics, but payment gateway using PayPal was already setup (paying to my PayPal account which is linked to a Singapore bank).

You’re welcome to shopping at this rudimentary online shop (a bad excuse of not being able to guarantee good service).

I learned that several of our former Neotek magazine fans (neoteker) are considering to continue the publication of the magazine in some form (online portal, weblog, or even underground tabloid!).

Maybe a portal using Joomla! would be suitable for Neotek Online. Any comments?

It’s Just About Time for the New Neotek

My former executive editor at Neotek magazine (print) reminded me that the expiry date of the domain name neotek.co.id is September 30th, 2007. It’s very nice of him to remind his ex colleague, however I believe we have updated the domain name on September 10th when we move the hosting to the same hosting company I used for www.esolusi.co.id

September 30th was always important date for me. It was the notoriously communist failed coup d’etat in 1965. It was the date of laboratory accident due to my fault at the time I wasn’t supposed to work at the laboratory (1978). It was the date I decided to quit my position as director of PT Elex Media Komputindo (1987) to start my own initiative. It was the date I restarted my career as an empolyee for bigger company at the now-defunct SERC (Sampoerna Executive Resource Center) in 1988. It was the date I joined PT Pantja Simpati printer (1989). It was the date I joined Periplus Editions (1991), Prentice Hall (1995) and now starting up the Neotek website and weblog.

I’m not a suprestitious type of person. The same date of all the above milestones is just a coincidence (or is it?)

Some of my other important milestones, however, did not started at September 30th such as moving to Singapore (August 2000), joining McGraw-Hill (December 2000), joining Elsevier (May 2004). Even the first publication of Neotek (October 2000 and the first meeting on the magazine was on June 2000) and establishment of PT Esolusi Pirantikita Esa (early 1997).

Anyway, do visit my websites:
www.neotek.co.id
www.newneotek.com/wordpress

Business Aspects of Journal Publishing

I have just finished giving speech (together with my colleague from HK) at the Higher Education seminar which was held at Twin Plaza Hotel, Slipi, Jakarta.

I presented a short paper entitled: Business Aspects of Journal Publishing, in whch I discussed the main  function of scientific journals, the development of journals and how journals publishing becoming big businesses, especially in the internet era.

The audience are representatives from ten best journals in Indonesia according to Higher Education criterion. They are representatives from the ten best journals including five which are eligible to get government grant for journal development.

My colleague presented Managing International Peer Reviewer, Strategy for Capturing Interests of International Contributors, Language Mastery for Scientific Journals, and Self-Editing and Revisions. The response are very positive for both his presentation and mine (not bad for only less than a week notice).

It was a great opportunity to meet a wide range of players in Indonesian scientific community.

http://kosasihiskandarsjah.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/business-aspects.ppt

Licensing Digital Information Mailing List

Anybody interested in digital information licensing, especially scholarly journals for librarians, should subscribe to the LIBLICENCE-L mailing list which is hosted at Yale University Library.

Please visit:
http://www.library.yale.edu/~llicense/index.shtml
to check archive to this very informational mailing list or directly visit
http://www.library.yale.edu/~llicense/mailing-list.shtml
to subscribe to the mailing list.

This link would certainly useful to the attendee of the forthcoming scientific journal management training which will be held in Jakarta on September 7-9, 2007.

The book on book as visioned in 1932

There is an interesting posting at Eoin Purcell’s Blog:
http://eoinpurcellsblog.com/2007/08/19/information-the-long-now/

Those who think that we’re very modern and digital should think again. The old concept of currently digital publishing on the Internat has been visioned in this book on book which was published in 1932.

International Journal Management Training

I have just got confirmation today that I and my colleague from HK will be the speakers at the forthcoming seminar that will be conducted by the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Higher Education. The seminar program will be held at Twin Plaza Hotel (Slipi, West Jakarta) on September 7-9, 2007 (Friday to Sunday).

The subjects will be about managing international peer-reviewer and business aspects of international journal publishing with some additional sessions on scientific English proficiencies. Most of the sessions will be conducted by my colleague, who has more than one decade experience in international journal editorial issues, while myself will only conduct one session on the business aspects.

We both worked at Elsevier prior to our current assignments. We have conducted several seminar/training sessions together, especially at the Airlangga University. This time our appointment at the general directorate level also come from our good friends from Airlangga University.

I will have the materials from the seminar available from this personal weblog site on due time. Hopefully it will be beneficial to anybody interested in scientific publishing issues.

business-aspects.ppt