Peer review isn't always 100% valuable, either. I can name a couple of examples from personal experience where the biases of the reviewers tried to shape an article into something it was never intended to be. Besides, I'd posit that the commentary both here and at the Journal blog really does serve a peer review function...just one that's visible to the readers.
"On the plains and mountains of the American West, the United States Army had once learned everything there was to learn about hit-and-run tactics and guerrilla warfare."
T.R. Fehrenbach This Kind of War
Personally I highly value forms like blog and short papers as an additional way to approach and discuss topics. There are of course limitations but to me those feel a bit like a link between the scholarly paper and the face-to-face talk.
... "We need officers capable of following systematically the path of logical argument to its conclusion, with disciplined intellect, strong in character and nerve to execute what the intellect dictates"
General Ludwig Beck (1880-1944);
Speech at the Kriegsakademie, 1935
In other words, what measurable impact is there on the professional/academic community?
I registered for this site in 2008 when I completed college, and for me personally, it has been instrumental in helping shape my professional and intellectual development. SWJ certainly targets a niche market in an oversatured information environment. Formalizing content and delivery will push the envelope further in "disrupting" higher education to "credetialize" the unique social dynamics of an internet blog and forum by monopolizing knowledge "space" (i.e. small wars).
As kehenry asked, how do you contextualize that kind of education? EdX has the names of big schools behind it while online education requires government accreditation. Does the meaning and legitimacy of credentials need to be reexamined?
When I am weaker than you, I ask you for freedom because that is according to your principles; when I am stronger than you, I take away your freedom because that is according to my principles. - Louis Veuillot
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