Interesting piece in the #Nature journal about the #birdsite and its importance in #science.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-04506-6
As a very recent arrival on #Mastodon and in the #Fediverse, I'm seeing far more engagement here than on Twitter, despite having far fewer followers here.
Being here feels like the earlier days on Twitter, where posts are generously shared and where there is a genuine sense of building and supporting a community
I hope this continues and that the wider #Science and #Environment communities and also #universities jump on board.
For a now slightly dated view (in Nature) of the merits of Mastodon for scientists, see also this:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03668-7
@MicrobialLife
i could not agree more. engagement is very pleasant, without the rage factor. My scientific community (immunology) is not much here yet, but i have good hopes it will come to this place at one point...
What do you think is the best way to encourage them to do so @MonikaWolkers?
Struggling in my mind at times about this. This feels the right place to be, but most are still on the other side (not judging them for it, at all) and there is always an inertia against change.
@gpollara @MonikaWolkers @MicrobialLife
I had essentially turned my account on the Other Site into a Mastodon phonebook for immunology, but now that possibility has been blocked by team muskrat.
@cyrilpedia @gpollara @MicrobialLife
jop it sucks. Unfortunately ,the #immunology community seems quite conservative. There was a lot reluctance (and to my surprise still is) with entering the #BioRxiv era. Perhaps we have to be patient and keep spreading the word? that is what i keep doing on meetings with BioRxiv, so Mastodon can be added to the list...It is not as user friendly yet as Twitter with its different servers (or me too stupid for using it well), but still a 1000x better!
@MonikaWolkers @gpollara @MicrobialLife
I noticed the same with #ReviewCommons at EMBO - neuro, cell bio, evolution, evo-devo and many other fields seem to have much more of a pioneering spirit.
@cyrilpedia @MonikaWolkers @MicrobialLife
FWIW, i think @MonikaWolkers you're right - persevere here and see what happens. Obviously time is not infinite, so my strategy at the moment is to post the same material in both sites (only 1 or 2 a day at most- i don't have that much to say!) but spend more time on Mastodon for discussions etc.... Essentially set up a community here, ready in case there are further pushes off twitter on horizon.
Maybe it's a bit of a passive approach, don't know. 🤷
@cyrilpedia @MonikaWolkers @gpollara @MicrobialLife
I'm impressed with the neuroscience community. Most of the intro posts I see are from neuroscientists. They have clearly committed to moving to Mastodon. Respect. I hope more immunologists move over time.
@cyrilpedia @MonikaWolkers @MicrobialLife yes, i do remember that reluctance with biorxiv. Even twitter itself, many have been slow / late adopters, using it mainly to disseminate their work. Which is fine, but personally it's the discussion where the half the value / fun is. I think of these academic social networks as an open ended Q&A at the end of a talk someone gives!