Office of Science User Facility Employs Flickr to Attract Users

Summary

Over the past five years, a variety of social networking services have become increasingly popular among users of the Internet, including many younger or early career scientists. One of the new web-based tools for social interaction includes Flickr, an image and video hosting website that also provides web services and hosts an online community. In an effort to attract potential users, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) an Office of Science user facility located at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington, has launched an online photo gallery on Flickr. EMSL’s Flickr site features scientific images, including an extensive set of microscopy photos; photos of many of the EMSL capabilities; photos of staff and users; and other photos of the EMSL facility. The site received over 600 visitors on its first day. Click on http://www.flickr.com/photos/emsl/ to visit, write a comment, or add an image.