Technology is having an impact in the way we publish products

1 Introduction

Ever since publishing was first invented a long time ago, there have been two main obstacles to overcome. The first is the limited audience that will see the published material, with the second being having to frequently update the documents. Now with the invention of electronic publishing and the Internet, these problems have been solved. Publishing documents electronically on the Internet allows it to be seen by millions of people, and it can be easily updated and posted with a word processor. The on-line publishing craze started as soon as the Internet was running.

However, there are some disadvantages that come with electronic publishing. In some cases it is easier and more practical to use a book instead of an electronic document. When should we use an electronic document and when should we use a simple hard cover book? Is the information in electronic documents accurate? Will electronic documents take over the role that books play in our lives? These are the questions that must be answered.

2 Overview of electronic publishing

The term "electronic publishing" covers a multitude of things, which are in fact different in certain significant ways. Electronic publishing is the creation, publication and updating of literary work on an electronic medium. These works can include many types and formats such as novels, journals, magazines, encyclopedias, letter’s etc. The electronic medium that they are created, transmitted and stored on can be on magnetic media disks (standard 3.5-inch disk,) digitally on the Internet or on other electronic forms such as CD-ROM and DVD technology. These are two of the most frequently used as they can digitally store thousands of pages of information on a compact disk.

Electronic publishing has made work easier for millions of people around the world as they can have millions of pages of information at their fingertips. This information can be easily found, edited and updated much quicker than conventional or ‘manual’ methods.

Electronic publishing was originally started for the purpose of being able to update and edit literary works and publications easily and efficiently. This is still the main driving force of electronic publishing today but now it is also used for many other reasons.

However, electronic publishing does have disadvantages and flaws. A fair amount of information that is published today is confidential or meant only for a specific group. Many things such as security and integrity of the information must be taken into account when an electronic document is read.