myExperiment.org - Like MySpace, But For Scientists

myExperiment is a wiki-esque site for scientists. A joint project by the Universities of Southampton and Manchester, it operates on the concept of a 'workflow bazaar'. Essentially, this is a collaborative environment where scientists can share their discoveries and swap workflows. It's more like a social networking site than a simple grid. Users are able to swap ideas, publish projects, and collaborate as they would on Myspace or Youtube. It's geared to the new generation of scientists who are immersed in the influence of Web 2.0 and collaborative technologies. More focused portals for astronomy, bioinformatics, chemistry and social science are in the works. Currently you can test out the beta version.

"myExperiment makes it really easy for the next generation of scientists to contribute to a pool of scientific workflows, build communities and form relationships. myExperiment enables scientists to share, re-use and repurpose workflows and reduce time-to-experiment, share expertise and avoid reinvention."

A collaborative, social working site for scientists is a great idea. It makes sharing ideas and workflows much more fluid and easy. Scientists will be afforded a free collaboration tool whereby they can openly discuss projects and contribute to important discoveries.

Will this site have what it takes to get the scientific community excited? Does it have the necessary tools? How will it get the word out?