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From: christal@gmdzi.uucp (Thomas Christaller)
To: mod-ki@unido.informatik.uni-dortmund.de
Date: 4 Oct 90 16:07:51 GMT
Subject: <mod-ki 0557> AI communications (AIcom)
Keywords: Publikationen, AIcom

mod-ki message 0557            COPYRIGHT 1990 Hans-Werner Hein, Dortmund
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fuer alle, die interessiert, warum  die  AI  communications  nicht  mehr
versendet  wurden,   hier  ein  brief  von  herrn  otten,   der  die  AI
communications herstellt.

thomas christaller
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From:         otten@swi.psy.uva.nl (Wouter Otten)
Organisation: Sociaal Wetenschappelijke Informatica
              University of Amsterdam
              Herengracht 196 (Dec '90: Roeterstraat 15)
              1016 BS  Amsterdam,
              The Netherlands
Phone:        +31 20 5252073
Fax:          +31 20 5252347
To:           christal@gmdzi
Subject:      ai Communications

Dear Dr. Christaller,

Thanks for your letter from Thursday, I will call you tomorrow, Monday
2nd September. Here are allready some remarks.

1. June 1988 was the first issue of AIcom distributed in Germany. The
total number of about 4000 copies was split up in 8 portions of 500
copies, these portions were distributed by 8 members of the Fachbereich. Even distribution of 500 copies is a lot of work for a university
secretary, so I got the message that the distribution was taken over by
Oldenbourg.

2. To prevent any technical problems I picked up contact with Oldenbourg
Verlag, on the technical level with mr. Harlander in Kirchheim as well
as with mr. Oldenbourg in Muenchen about the general policy of AIcom. I
already had the experience that AIcom in some cases is considered to be
a competitor and that problems could arise about inserts in AIcom, one
of my sources of income. But mr. Harlander proved to be a very nice and
competent man, solving most of the problems I made, and mr. Oldenbourg
showed a lot of interest in this kind of European developments and was
very cooperative.

3. Up till the distribution of the December issue 1989 (the last issue
distributed in Germany) Oldenbourg considered AIcom as an insert to KI,
and they only paid additional postage for AIcom, 1 Mark per copy. But:
this is not in accordance with the strict rules of the
'Postzeitungsdienst'. In December 1989 the DBP stated that they would
refuse the next issue send in this way. Only one solution was left then:
a separate mailing of AIcom. Oldenbourg calculated the cost per issue:
DM 10.439 for 4.700 copies (of which 200 abroad), if distribution is
possible as 'Massendrucksache' a discount will be given of 20% to 30%.
Anyway: the total yearly costs for the distribution in Germany will be
about DM 40.000

4. In 1988 (starting with the June issue) and in 1989 Oldenbourg
explicitely received an order to distribute AIcom. This year nothing
happened, so the distribution stopped. I was not amazed at all. Already
in 1988 I was told that the decision to distribute AIcom was taken only for that year and the distribution for 1989 was arranged in a compromise
about the ECAI'88 income. Apart from that I heard and read in KI that
the 'Fachbereich' had problems with the budget and I could and still can
imagine that KI has the first priority and that perhaps AIcom has to
wait a couple of years. This also was my point of view in the
discussions with the ECCAI Board: it is very unfortunate that
distribution in Germany is not possible now, but it will take the
Germans only a few years to rearrange their business, in 1993 or at the
latest in 1994  they will start again.

5. In the mean time I was busy improving the distribution of AIcom. It
is possible to send AIcom from Amsterdam, thus speeding up the whole
procedure and above all avoiding a lot of work. The cost will be about
Ecu 1.- per copy, and, with more than 5000 copies perhaps Ecu 0.9. May
be this is an alternative for the distribution in Germany. The only
change will be that the addresses have to be send to me instead of to
the German distributor. The italians already have asked to arrange this
for them and other countries also are interested.

6. It is good to add something about my personal opinion. I am
appreciating and even admiring KI. I like this journal while it is so
professional, you and your colleagues really did a fantastic job. You
are very lucky that you have such a number of members that you can
afford to publish a journal of this style. I think you don't pay too
much, DM 25 per member per year is a bargain, it means that Oldenbourg
is not making much profit. I think that Johannes Oldenbourg is
interested to try out this formula in the long run, more publishers are
seeing markets in the big professional organisations like GI and the
Fachbereich KI. In other countries the situation is quite different.
With memberships less than 1000 it is difficult to publish a real
journal, it is only possible when you use all kinds of university
facilities and it still costs a lot of money. This is unfortunate for
AIcom, the efforts to publish a national journal are almost prohibiting
to pay any contribution to AIcom. Still I think it is necessary to
develop activities on the national level. We are not living in the
United States of Europe and perhaps we even do not want to live there.
It will take some generations before we are turned into Europeans. In
the mean time we should maintain our national structures, also in a
small field like AI. So in my opinion ECCAI can only exist as a real
coordination committee of strong national organisations and AIcom should
not try to compete with national journals but we have to cooperate.
I don't think the Fachbereich KI failed in cooperation with ECCAI and
AIcom, you are just struggling a bit with the problems of the large
scale and the need for professionalisation. But it is a bit difficult to
explain this kind of problems to the smaller amateur-managed societies.
ECCAI failed in keeping contact with GI about ECAI'88, and, overthinking
the whole situation, I am wondering now why I did not give a call to you
or Siekmann, I just relied on what I heard informally and read in KI.

7. A few words about the long term. If Germany is joining the party
again AIcom will have a circulation of over 10,000. A lot of countries
are still growing fast and the former East block countries will join
too. All together this will give AIcom a strong position as the only
European medium covering the academic AI community. So there will be
considerable income from advertising.  But it is too optimistic to think
that income from advertising can be enough for a professionally managed
AIcom. The national societies have to pay for the distribution (now on
the level of Ecu 1.- per copy) and have to pay a small fee per member.
With a little bit of luck this could be limited to about Ecu 3.- per
member per year.

With best regards, Wouter Otten.
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