academici

Social Networking has been going great guns for last couple of years. Millions of people have joined various networks around the world, some for free and some as paying users, for various reasons. Friends networks, business networks, dating networks, finding our spouse in India are the various types of social networking hapenning in the world.

Now a team of academicians in the UK have launched academici - The Virtual Academy. This is aimed at academicians, students and academic related businesses to network.

According to the press release :

Academics often work worlds apart even when in the same location. University websites have not necessarily been designed to facilitate co-operation. Academici has been set up to promote co-operation across disciplines. Klaas Brumann, Head of Countries at Academici, is convinced that the network will help to overcome these so-called “structural holes”. Mr Brumann points out that a key feature of this network, the fact that membership is free, will facilitate networking for people in higher education and scientific research institutes.

Dr Jonathan Grix, co-founder of ‘academici’, believes that such software “can function as a form of intranet for local, national or international societies by linking all members of a given society with one another on an interactive platform, thereby producing an on-line community with the potential to generate social capital between members”. The opportunities for cross-fertilisation between academic disciplines and cross-disciplinary collaboration are unlimited.

The idea of social networking is now entering the rather opague broders of the academic world. It is left to see if the academicians will be open about using this network and sharing their knowledge.