The INFO Project Blog

The next session I attend at the ScienceBlogging conference is Overcoming Obstacles to Open Science in the Developing World. Conversation on connectivity and access pings back and forth. Discussion leader: Vedran Vucic. Join the discussion online.

Participant (working in DRC on bonobo research): My main function is to get information out to rest of the world. Our researchers don’t have access to computers. Terrible war. Extreme poverty coupled with extreme wealth. Congolese people [we work with] doing extraordinary amount to keep orphans alive. The solar panel breaks, wireless is supposed to hook up to satellites. Rain comes six months a year and you’ve got nothing. How can we get information in–reliable information. Sitting in café you don’t want to be reading something with false information.

Parti2: You don’t want them to have to upload widgets and ads. That’s on my blog.
Parti3: Make damn sure you’ve got good links—the simplest way for them to decide what’s [evidence-based].

Bill Hooker, Open Reading Frame: In your dissertation it’s jargon, horrible, on your blog…

Parti4 (in front): I’d like to make a pitch for plain language.

Parti5: Writing at 8th grade level—it’s a mandate by the government [her site].

Parti6: Scientists need jargon.

Parti7: Repeating phrases–this makes writing transparent. A formula.

Parti8: Nobody’s going to read that.

Parti7: Of course they’re going to read that. It’s transparent to them.

Parti9: It depends on your audience!

[Later]

Someone: Where can developing country scientists go to find blogs in one place?

Bill: You want to look at PostGenomic.com. 700 science blogs.

Aaron Rowe, Wired magazine blogger: Search engine optimization. Media outlets do that.

Participant: JoVE [Journal of Visualized Experiments]. You don’t have to read English. You’re looking over shoulder of scientists. Watching their hands.

PLoS blogger: What about creating a print version? Slap it between two covers and call ita book.

Participant2: In Thailand everybody has a portable DVD player and a mobile phone. You can distribute readers around villages.