This blog is a recent creation. It was initiated by a small group of people to address specific and personal needs. The blog creation was an instantaneous act with plenty of momentum and little reflection. From the conception of the idea to the first post, it took only a couple of hours to sort out technicalities. We did not verify whether similar blogs already existed. We are not trying to represent the whole community. We also don’t care about having a large base of readers. No, this blog is primarily about sharing personal experience, like one would do in a journal or book club.
The blog was initiated by a tiny group of scientists that – now for more than a decade – deal daily with mass spectrometry and small molecules. The specific area of expertise can be quite heterogenous: metabolomics, lipidomics, environmental chemistry, chemometrics, data processing, analytical chemistry, metabolite ID, etc. Measuring molecules in natural samples has become an intimately inter- (no, not just multi-) disciplinary “job”. At least on our end, nobody is an expert on all of these aspects. By discussing, reading and reviewing papers we recognized that we are frequently dealing with similar problems and that there is plenty we can learn from others.
We have been discussing many of these challenges in a smaller circle and privately for years. Many of the ideas were tested, with alternate results. Success stories typically made and make to peer-reviewed publications. Unfortunately, these don’t account for less successful activities and tend to neglect nitty-gritty details. By bringing some of these experience to the public through a blog. There is a capillary penetration of MS in all areas of life and environmental sciences. It is a vibrant time, both in terms of technology and applications, and much more could be attained by joining forces. Specifically, we want to:
- share experience or knowledge of broad interest
- spark discussions that pick the brain of colleagues
- identify areas to synergize and shape future activities
Posts should focus on understanding and learning. They should be problem- and solution-oriented. They should build more on objective data than on subjective opinions.
What should be avoided? Rumors. Gossip. Destructive bashing, for example on vendors.
This is by no mean intended to be a closed society. If you are interested in contributing, please don’t hesitate getting in touch.