more about science blogs

The Power of the Blog

Blogging is a form of communication that is sweeping through business, and although it's yet to significantly break into the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, few believe it's going to stop at their gates. There are now more than nine million blogs, with another one created every 7.4 seconds. One reason there are so many blogs is that blog technology is quite simple. Anyone can go to http://www.blogger.com/ and create a blog in a few easy steps, all for free, assuming one doesn’t want to run his own server. Here are just a few of the science blogs out there now:

• http://www.acronymrequired.com
• http://www.biologynews.net
• http://www.elementlist.com
• http://girlscientist.blogspot.com
• http://startsimple.com/trend/biotech/
• http://www.biotechblog.com

Blogs, (short for Web logs) seem to be exploding as private citizens "talk" on the Internet about every topic under the sun, from parenting to politics. By comparison, science blogs (or at least blogs by life scientists) are relatively rare. "As far as I know, I'm alone, and that surprises me," says Derek Lowe, whose blog is named In the Pipeline. Lowe is a blogger. He also works for the pharmaceutical giant Bayer. It’s a surprise because blogging allows a competitive edge in finding information, getting in touch with customers and colleagues, and commenting on the pharmaceutical industry, says Lowe.

Other Blogs

• Science Advisory Board (SAB) runs nine blogs: http://www.scienceboard.net/community/blogs.asp . The SAB’s mission is to improve communications between medical and life science professionals and the companies who provide this community with products and services
• Nodal-point (http://www.nodalpoint.org) a molecular biology and bioinformatics blog by Greg Tyrelle that is modeled after Slashdot.org and has been active for more than five years.
• FastLane Blog (http://fastlane.gmblogs.com) run by Bob Lutz, a vice chairman at General Motors. FastLane is credited with enhancing customer relations and providing a boost to GM’s public relations efforts.
• Patent Blogs (believe it or not!): See “Patently-O” by Dennis Crouch at: http://patentlaw.typepad.com/patent/; and ... www.bloglines.com/blog/ipnews ...

To view the complete article of the same title in The Scientist (August 1, 2005), Click Here .

from Principal Sources, July 2005 (PDF), a newsletter published by First Principals, Inc.

UPDATE: Here are some more blogs mentioned in the Scientist print article:

• http://bioinformatics.org/
• http://www.biopeer.com/ (Eric Gerritsen)
• http://homepage.mac.com/femtobio/plexus/
• http://blog.crownstoneinsights.com/
• http://www.corante.com/loom/
• http://www.sciencenerddepot.com/
• http://www.leepotts.com/tehi/ and http://www.eelsinvinegar.org/ (Lee Potts)
• http://www.world-science.net/

Here's what they had to say about the intersection betwen blogs and publishing:

As more academics pick up blogs, scientific publishing may also change.  Not only can you bypass traditional publishing with a blog, but also tools are becoming available to better organize information.  One example is Connotea, which turns PubMed and numerous journals into a social environment where researchers can organize and comment on references together, says Ben Lund, a scientist who helped design the site at Nature Publishing Group.

Even more exciting is this: How about a blog after every scientific paper published?  Here scientists could debate results in real-time right on a journal's homepage.  "The idea is being kicked around," says Lowe, "and it's a hell of a good idea."  Nobody is there yet, but [those interviewed] all hope this will soon become a reality.

Overall, science blogs run by scientists and industry insiders are just getting started.  "This whole thing is still very immature," says Gerritsen.  This may be due to scientists' caution about retribution, unfamiliarity with the technology, or not grasping the potential impact yet.  Nevertheless, people should be jumping on blogs, says Gerritsen.  "I expect to see this within the next year."

Comments

[jlvegapi]

my blog in spanish