Do you use LinkedIn? What about Friendster? If the answer is "no" to both of these questions, or "what is LinkedIn?", you're probably in the minority. According to a survey by linkurl:BioInformatics,;http://www.gene2drug.com/reports/Default.asp?action=details&report_id=184 a marketing research company, 77 percent of life scientists reported using social media -- tools like blogs, podcasts, online communities, Wikis, and networking sites -- to get tips and protocols and to share information. BioInformatics surveyed 1500 scientists via the website of the Science Advisory Board (SAB), a science networking website. It showed that around 50 percent of scientists used social media to research products and vendors as well as to make connections with other scientists. Online social websites can also be used to find linkurl:mentors,;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/53313/ as we reported in July. Since SAB is a science networking site, the data might be biased with respondents who already value social media. However, BioInformatics, a parent company of SAB, tried...
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