Do you use LinkedIn? What about Friendster? If the answer is "no" to both of these questions, or "what is LinkedIn?", you're probably in the minority. According to a survey by BioInformatics, a marketing research company, 77 percent of life scientists reported using social media -- tools like blogs, podcasts, online communities, Wikis, and networking sites -- to get tips and protocols and to share information.

BioInformatics surveyed 1500 scientists via the website of the Science Advisory Board (SAB), a science networking website. It showed that around 50 percent of scientists used social media to research products and vendors as well as to make connections with other scientists. Online social websites can also be used to find mentors, as we reported in July.

Since SAB is a science networking site, the data might be biased with respondents who already value social media. However, BioInformatics, a parent company of SAB, tried to ensure respondents weren't limited to web-savvy SAB members by reaching out to non-members, who made up approximately half of respondents. Even though nearly 70 percent of respondents said they used SAB for networking purposes, it's clearly not the only online networking show in town. You can read more about what other networking sites like LinkedIn have done for researchers in our June careers article.