Online Discussion
Can the web be used as a tool for scientific discussion? What is preventing scientists from using the web for discussion?
I think it is fair to say that scientists do not effectively use the internet for discussion. I could write a lot about tools that have been available for years and how they have been utilized by other fields for online discussion, but I would prefer to look at the present and future of scientific discussion online. Recently a lot of scientific websites have been launched that are trying to promote scientific discussion. (I'm putting together a list of these sites that I will post soon. Please send me the links to any sites that you use and I will add them.) It is very exciting that so many sites are now available. I’m hoping that this means that there is a lot of interest in these tools and they will be readily adopted by the scientific community. However, I’m concerned that it is going to be a struggle to get them adopted by the majority of the community. Why might this be a struggle? I’m going to try and analyze two examples of these sites and bring up some potential problems to their adoption. The two sites I would like to discuss are this site, JeffsBench.com, and PLoS-ONE. I’m going to bring up more questions than answers. Please add your opinions as well.
It is only fair that I start by discussing the site that is hosting this blog, JeffsBench. Our site has a few obvious hurdles to adoption. Advertising is an obvious hurdle. This site was started by two graduate students and we don’t have a budget for advertising. However, we have spread the word about the site to a number of scientific communities and discussion is still at a minimum. Why don’t communities use the site for discussion? Many users view the content of the site but don’t comment or add their own content. Is the required registration a big problem? We only require a name and location. Is that too much?
As a reader of this blog, why haven’t you commented? Is it because you have to register with the site? Please let me know. We have intentionally avoided anonymous posts because we don’t want to have to moderate the discussion, but also because reputation and expertise matter. In a discussion about stem cells the opinion of a stem cell researcher is different from that of an ethicist and it is useful to be able to find someone’s expertise. We also hope that the discussion can lead to networking. If I have a great discussion with a stem cell researcher I might want to do a post-doc in their lab or find out whom else in that field is good to collaborate with. It is hard to network anonymously.
Now that I’ve rambled a bit about JeffsBench.com I’ll move on to PLoS-ONE. For anyone who is not familiar with this site, it is an online journal that has very advanced discussion features for their articles. Users can add comments in the middle of an article or just at the end. Users can now rate articles as well. These tools are fantastic, but PLoS-ONE is still having problems getting readers to comment. They have even hired an online community manager, Bora, to try and improve the situation. Why are they struggling to get comments?
Many of the problems to adopting online discussion will be common to most of the sites. For example, I have heard that the lack of a defined reward system for online commentary may be a problem. Is this really a problem? Why do scientists talk with each other at a meeting? What is the reward to a face-to-face discussion? Do scientists only want to talk to people who are important enough to provide a benefit? I feel that there can be a huge benefit to online discussion. A lot can be learned from one’s peers if you are willing to talk to them. Is that reward too indirect?
Is fear a problem? I’ve learned from my peers that fear may be a large barrier to online discussion. Many scientists, especially young scientists, are afraid to state their opinion or demonstrate their knowledge because it could be viewed as wrong by their peers. No one wants to look stupid. There is no penalty if you don’t say anything, but there can be a penalty if you say the wrong thing. Are you afraid to say the wrong thing?
I don't want to make this post too long, so I'll stop here for now. I'll try to add more ideas soon. In the meantime please add your comments below.