In the short run, though, online publication is already an affordable, attractive, and very potent option in the bid for spreading of messages and the attention of audiences. While online journals may not soon displace printed journals, they are already a very powerful manner of augmenting traditional forms of exchange. Distance, time, and cost are the first issues. Clearly, online journals allow easy bridging of distances. The internet leaps over continents.
Online journals are fast.
There is no mail delivery lag, and the cycle of publication is therefore a lot shorter. Online journals are a much less expensive option from the point of view of printing and dissemination. They have no paper or ink costs, minimal connectivity costs, and no mail and delivery costs. The implementation of online journals allows creativity, experimentation and innovation along several intriguing lines beyond the obvious concerns of cost, time and distance. Online journals are freer to incorporate color, animation, audio and video content.