ChemSpider: Building a knowledge-based community for chemists using social and data networking technologies

What is ChemSpider? ChemSpider is: An online database for chemists A link farm for over 21 million compounds integrated to 200 data sources A curation platform for the public to assist in improving the quality of data online A deposition platform for the public to annotate and extend the data A “Community for Chemists”

ChemSpider is:

An online database for chemists

A link farm for over 21 million compounds integrated to 200 data sources

A curation platform for the public to assist in improving the quality of data online

A deposition platform for the public to annotate and extend the data

A “Community for Chemists”

Search Cholesterol

How Was ChemSpider Built? ChemSpider was a “hobby project” Housed in a basement and running off three servers – one bought, two built Sensitive to weather and power stability Went live at ACS Spring 2007 in Chicago

ChemSpider was a “hobby project”

Housed in a basement and running off three servers – one bought, two built

Sensitive to weather and power stability

Went live at ACS Spring 2007 in Chicago

By June 2009… By June 2009 > 6000 users/day initiating over 80,000 transactions per day We had a significant following in the “internet Chemistry” community We were linked to from many other sites – Wikipedia, other online databases, from commercial software packages

By June 2009 > 6000 users/day initiating over 80,000 transactions per day

We had a significant following in the “internet Chemistry” community

We were linked to from many other sites – Wikipedia, other online databases, from commercial software packages

How did we leverage the internet? “ Leveraging the Internet to Advance your Position in the Market” The internet IS our market – the website is self-leveraging if: 1) It does what it says it does 2) We can get people to the site to look 3) We stay honest in our intentions

“ Leveraging the Internet to Advance your Position in the Market”

The internet IS our market – the website is self-leveraging if:

1) It does what it says it does

2) We can get people to the site to look

3) We stay honest in our intentions

That growth curve… Very difficult to say why we saw growth: new resource, diverse data, focus on quality, all-inclusive approach to chemistry And the spike?

Very difficult to say why we saw growth: new resource, diverse data, focus on quality, all-inclusive approach to chemistry

And the spike?

The Benefits of Blogging Blogs allow passions, opinions, critiques, data and other “stuff” to be shared with the public Blogs are a low cost way to “do good” as well as “cause harm” – anyone can blog ChemSpider was a disruption to the status quo, at a very interesting time

Blogs allow passions, opinions, critiques, data and other “stuff” to be shared with the public

Blogs are a low cost way to “do good” as well as “cause harm” – anyone can blog

ChemSpider was a disruption to the status quo, at a very interesting time

Interesting Time Point…

PubChem as a domain darling Internet chemistry advocates adored PubChem Lots of questions regarding “why another PubChem” when ChemSpider came online Our purpose was different… Interesting comments in the blogosphere

Internet chemistry advocates adored PubChem

Lots of questions regarding “why another PubChem” when ChemSpider came online

Our purpose was different…

Interesting comments in the blogosphere

The Monkeys at ChemZoo http://wwmm.ch.cam.ac.uk/blogs/murrayrust/?p=261

http://wwmm.ch.cam.ac.uk/blogs/murrayrust/?p=261

Blogs Can Educate Us All… What is logP versus logD? Calcium carbonate IS soluble

What is logP versus logD?

Calcium carbonate IS soluble

Partially Soluble isn’t Insoluble When experts say it’s ok: http://www.chemspider.com/blog/calcium-carbonate-logp-predictions-and-chris-lipinski.html

When experts say it’s ok: http://www.chemspider.com/blog/calcium-carbonate-logp-predictions-and-chris-lipinski.html

… and so into the Blogosphere

Blogging Gives a voice to your passions, intentions, advances, features and gathers feedback Visible to your community – if you do work to connect with your community Is time-consuming, can be challenging but more pluses than minuses After 6 months of blogging: http://tinyurl.com/plrrcj

Gives a voice to your passions, intentions, advances, features and gathers feedback

Visible to your community – if you do work to connect with your community

Is time-consuming, can be challenging but more pluses than minuses

After 6 months of blogging: http://tinyurl.com/plrrcj

Network Yourself

Engage the community

“ Allowed” Wikipedia Presence

Present Yourself: Slideshare http://www.slideshare.net/AntonyWilliams

http://www.slideshare.net/AntonyWilliams

Really Present Yourself: SciVee TV http://www.scivee.tv/node/9267

http://www.scivee.tv/node/9267

Other Social Networking Tools ChemSpider presently has a presence on: The ChemSpider Blog The ChemSpider Forum LinkedIn SciVee TV YouTube Antony Williams, ChemSpiderman is on LinkedIn The ChemConnector Blog ResearchGate SlideShare Twitter Others….

ChemSpider presently has a presence on:

The ChemSpider Blog

The ChemSpider Forum

LinkedIn

SciVee TV

YouTube

Antony Williams, ChemSpiderman is on

LinkedIn

The ChemConnector Blog

ResearchGate

SlideShare

Twitter

Others….

Grow Your Business Being discoverable on a web search is only part of the plan nowadays Be an expert in your field and be vocal: network online, challenge the status quo, be honest and upfront, take a stance, it’s your reputation to gain/lose

Being discoverable on a web search is only part of the plan nowadays

Be an expert in your field and be vocal: network online, challenge the status quo, be honest and upfront, take a stance, it’s your reputation to gain/lose

So we did something right…

ChemSpider at RSC ChemSpider is now a part of RSC What helped us gain the attention? Honorable and ethical in the public eye Demonstrated competence in our domain Gathered a good following from the community Defined a unique position as a crowd sourced platform for the betterment of science Very public face through networking and online participation Offered something different but complementary

ChemSpider is now a part of RSC

What helped us gain the attention?

Honorable and ethical in the public eye

Demonstrated competence in our domain

Gathered a good following from the community

Defined a unique position as a crowd sourced platform for the betterment of science

Very public face through networking and online participation

Offered something different but complementary

The Internet and You The internet is a powerful means to expose and market yourself but..be careful RSC colleague “not obviously crazed”

The internet is a powerful means to expose and market yourself but..be careful

RSC colleague “not obviously crazed”

Acknowledgments Twitter, LinkedIn, SciVee, Friendfeed… Royal Society of Chemistry – David James, Richard Kidd, Graham McCann and an enormous team behind them Valery Tkachenko, Sergey Golotvin and Will Griffiths The ChemSpider advisory group

Twitter, LinkedIn, SciVee, Friendfeed…

Royal Society of Chemistry – David James, Richard Kidd, Graham McCann and an enormous team behind them

Valery Tkachenko, Sergey Golotvin and Will Griffiths

The ChemSpider advisory group

Thank you BOOTH 1810 [email_address] Twitter: ChemSpiderman www.chemspider.com/blog