Biology Blogs

Online communication is increasing at a phenomenal rate. What was once limited to emails, listservs and userlists, has expanded to online Journals, Blogs, RSS feeds, and podcasts.

The internet is being used as a repository of information, a place for social activism, and a source of education.

This blog is an example of the diverse methods of communication available. I have chosen to use a blog for this course to supplement the WebCT components for several reasons. First of all, I can post things in the blog easily that I can’t post at WebCT. Second of all, the blog will be available to use when the course is finished. And third, I wanted to introduce blogging to those of you unfamiliar with it. (Wikipedia info on blogging)

Blogs can vary from unmoderated personal blogs, such as this one that I’m using for this course, to moderated organized specialty blogs such as ScienceBlogs.

The Scientist had an article in 2007 entitled “Scooped by a Blog.” I will provide you with the article in class later, for now here is a link to the scientists blog: De Rerum Natura. This is an example of the impact a blog post can have.

Out of the blue, Cartwright had blogged himself into a scientific publication. “I was completely surprised,” says Cartwright. “It was a different medium, but I guess I sort of scooped him.” The situation still amuses Comai. “We came up with virtually the same hypothesis,” he says, “and in discussion with the editors at Plant Cell it seemed most appropriate to coauthor the paper” – a decision Comai made partly because blogs are not commonly referenced in scientific papers (L. Comai, R. Cartwright, Plant Cell, 17: 2856-8 2005.). (excerpted from The Scientist, Issue 21, Volume 4: Page 21. Scooped by a Blog by David Secko)

Cartwright is a proponent of open-source publishing. I will discuss open source publishing in more detail in a future blog post, but for now want to use blogs as an example of one type of open source publishing. Check out this blog: Useful Chemistry. At the top of the blog is some information on open source publishing.