Comments on: Beautiful Timing with a Monty Python Parody about Semantic Web http://www.chemspider.com/blog/beautiful-timing-with-a-monty-python-parody-about-semantic-web.html Building Community for Chemists Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:05:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Eric Milgram http://www.chemspider.com/blog/beautiful-timing-with-a-monty-python-parody-about-semantic-web.html/comment-page-1#comment-37883 Eric Milgram Mon, 12 May 2008 23:42:09 +0000 http://www.chemspider.com/blog/?p=506#comment-37883 Zsoldo's post captures the essence of what I was going to say. If people aren't criticizing you, then you're probably not relevant. Personally, I have been really impressed with this wonderful resource called ChemSpider that ChemZoo has made available to the community of professionals who have an interest in chemical structures. My previous company was so quick to recognize the value we were getting from ChemSpider that we made a modest donation to support such a goodwill effort. Including myself, I know of a number of fellow mass spectrometrists who are using ChemSpider extensively for structure elucidation work. In a very short time, ChemSpider has become indispensable to us and I'm willing to bet that we are using the site in a way that was never specifically intended. Such an outcome is proof that you are building a very useful resource whose value is only going to grow with time. All of the contentious discussions about what is "Open Access" vs "Free Access" or what licensing mechanism should be used (e.g. Creative Commons) is merely academic to me. I say keep listening to your critics, as they can have some of the most valuable input. However, don't let their negativity distract you from doing the really good work that has been such a benefit to chemists everywhere. Zsoldo’s post captures the essence of what I was going to say. If people aren’t criticizing you, then you’re probably not relevant. Personally, I have been really impressed with this wonderful resource called ChemSpider that ChemZoo has made available to the community of professionals who have an interest in chemical structures.

My previous company was so quick to recognize the value we were getting from ChemSpider that we made a modest donation to support such a goodwill effort. Including myself, I know of a number of fellow mass spectrometrists who are using ChemSpider extensively for structure elucidation work. In a very short time, ChemSpider has become indispensable to us and I’m willing to bet that we are using the site in a way that was never specifically intended. Such an outcome is proof that you are building a very useful resource whose value is only going to grow with time.

All of the contentious discussions about what is “Open Access” vs “Free Access” or what licensing mechanism should be used (e.g. Creative Commons) is merely academic to me. I say keep listening to your critics, as they can have some of the most valuable input. However, don’t let their negativity distract you from doing the really good work that has been such a benefit to chemists everywhere.

]]> By: Zsolt Zsoldos http://www.chemspider.com/blog/beautiful-timing-with-a-monty-python-parody-about-semantic-web.html/comment-page-1#comment-37726 Zsolt Zsoldos Mon, 12 May 2008 03:54:35 +0000 http://www.chemspider.com/blog/?p=506#comment-37726 Congratulations! The fact that you are being hevaily attacked only means one thing: you have entered GandhiCon 3. Only one more step to go :-) In case you do not know what GandhiCon means: http://catb.org/esr/jargon/html/G/GandhiCon.html In short it refers to Gandhi's saying: "First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win." ZZ. Congratulations! The fact that you are being hevaily attacked only means one thing: you have entered GandhiCon 3. Only one more step to go :-)
In case you do not know what GandhiCon means:
http://catb.org/esr/jargon/html/G/GandhiCon.html
In short it refers to Gandhi’s saying:
“First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win.”

ZZ.

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