Still thinking about the BCS’s  event, The Era of Empowerment (Part 2 (linkedin.com/pulse/what…) and what this might mean in an academic publishing context.

In academic publishing, one of the most frequent criticisms from researchers concerns the volume of irrelevant or poorly targeted outreach - whether in the form of journal invitations, calls for papers, or peer review requests. Much of this arises from opaque profiling: publishers quietly collect data points to build internal profiles of academics, but authors and reviewers are rarely given visibility into how they are categorized or targeted. While individuals may be able to access their basic personal data, they typically have no insight into the marketing segments or communication buckets they've been assigned to.

What if this dynamic were reversed?

Imagine a system where researchers could actively manage their own marketing and communication preferences—with fine-grained control. Instead of being passively profiled, academics could curate their own data profile: specifying their interests, preferred communication formats, and the kinds of opportunities they want to receive. This would create a more transparent, consent-driven relationship between publishers and scholars—reducing noise, improving relevance, and potentially restoring some trust in the outreach process.

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