[lbo-talk] Publishing on the Left

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

>>* publications in which questions of history and theory are 
>>discussed and long-term goals and strategies are debated, whose 
>>target audience are organic intellectuals interested in 
>>refoundation of socialism (rather than building up a particular 
>>socialist organization)
>>
>>_Against the Current_, _Capitalism Nature Socialism_, 
>>_International Socialist Review_, _Monthly Review_, _Socialist 
>>Register_, _Science & >Society_, etc. falls into the first category.
>
>I don't disagree with these categories, but my specific concern is 
>do these pubs (or others) actually have appeal for organic 
>intellectuals or are they really for people who possess the academic 
>skills to read them? If you look  at their editorial boards and 
>writers, who are they? Who are they writing  for really? Who 
>understands them anf finds them interesting?
>
>Joel W.

You are managing editor of one of the publications that I'd think are 
on the border of the first and second categories that I mentioned: 
<http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/pipermail/lbo-talk/Week-of-Mon-20041129/027999.html>. 
Who reads _Political Affairs_ in print or on the Net and for what 
purposes?

We get some idea of numbers of online readers of publications on the 
left by looking into Alexa: e.g.,
CounterPunch: <http://www.alexa.com/data/details/?url=counterpunch.org>
WSWS.org: <http://www.alexa.com/data/details/?url=wsws.org>
Against the Current: 
<http://www.alexa.com/data/details/?url=solidarity.igc.org/atcTC.html>
Monthly Review: <http://www.alexa.com/data/details/?url=monthlyreview.org>
Left Hook: <http://www.alexa.com/data/details/?url=lefthook.org>
Political Affairs: 
<http://www.alexa.com/data/details/?url=politicalaffairs.net>

We have some idea of numbers of paid subscribers to print editions as 
well: <http://www.altpress.org/direct.html>

But only editors know who their paid subscribers are.  It would be 
interesting to hear from you, Doug, John Mage, Dave Finkel, etc. 
about who reads the publications they edit and what sort of feedback 
they get from their audiences.
-- 
Yoshie

* Critical Montages: <http://montages.blogspot.com/>
* "Proud of Britain": <http://www.proudofbritain.net/ > and 
<http://www.proud-of-britain.org.uk/>