The Issue of Finding and Sharing Laboratory Informatics Information

Occasionally, people ask me what my favorite source of information is and I probably tell them I don’t have a single source – that I read a variety of sources and few religiously. Yesterday, though, I received one source of information that I read: 1) Every time I receive it; and, 2) Immediately.

What is it?
Baited breath – it’s “Pie News.” Before you get too judgmental about “Pie News” thinking it only keeps me fully up-to-date on the pie situation, I should tell you that it isn’t quite that limited – it often informs me about cookies as well.

My Point
Obviously “Pie News” has nothing to do with laboratory informatics – and that’s really my point – that it’s not the work-related things that we’re usually so devoted to. We keep hearing about, and reading books and articles about all the great new sources of information – the social media sources, the digital sources, etc…  and yet, we seem less-informed than ever before. It’s because we don’t necessarily read them.

A few years ago, I wrote about how we all were signing up for every newsletter that came along, shoved them into a special “to read” folder in our e-mail and never got back to them. RSS feeds are similar – they’re an excellent place to store all the “important” things that we’ll get too busy to get back to and, ultimately, merely delete in frustration at the sheer number of items we’re behind on.

Additionally, it’s not the work-related topics that heat us up so much that we feel compelled to respond and participate – it’s usually some other personal interest, such as a hobby or maybe even news about what’s going on in the world of pie.

Finally
Here are a few thoughts to leave you all with:

1. When you implement a “great”  social networking tool to empower your employees to share their data and information, don’t expect them to naturally just flock to it to use it. Have a plan for buy-in just like any other software implementation. People won't necessarily put aside their busy schedule to jump into it to start "sharing."
2. When you get frustrated with the different formats you need to use in order to get all the most important information in our industry, remember you’re not alone – some of the rest of us find it frustrating, too.
3. Be realistic – keep the  list short. Every once in a while, weed-out those publications you really never read even if you feel that you “should” because it clutters things  up and keeps you from reading anything at all.

Gloria Metrick
GeoMetrick Enterprises
http://www.GeoMetrick.com/