Some of the biggest websites around, reddit, imgur and Twitch, have teamed up for a project called ‘DERP’. And, turns out it’s about science and not memes and cat pictures.
Reddit and Imgur are already staples of the Inteernet, while Twitch is quickly becoming so. These websites of undeniable reach have decided to put some of that reach to a good use, that is, science research for the good of humanity. Along with several other partners, they are launching an initiative meant to help researchers perform studies and share the information they gather on social networks and many other topics. This alliance has decided to call the initiative the Digital Ecologies Research Partnership, abbreviated as “DERP”. Yes, of course it’s called DERP, what else?
Other sites involved in the initiative include Fark, and Stack Exchange, niche sites that are way more focused than the ones mentioned above, and aimed at a more core audience. In the end, it’s a mixed bag of social sites of all kinds and sizes, with some of the most active web communities. The point, though, is ensuring that any research conducted through DERP will see the light of day, and be shared in an open and public manner.
DERP aims to hook up researchers with relevant, publicly available data. As a unified initiative, the idea is to get information for researchers without them having to view and contact sites individually. There are reports of teams at Stanford, Columbia, MIT, and several other universities already benefiting from it.
Via The Guardian
