| Thanks for such a detailed answer. > I think that you are attempting to address several distinct problems that would be better addressed separately.
For example, catalog of shared facilities/equipment across groups is a useful thing to have, but it can be centralised without centralising group web sites (and constructing a list by simply aggregating lists of what individual groups have will miss facilities shared at the department/division/university level). Our experience with how labs operate tells us otherwise. I think that close integration of various aspects of research activities will be valuable not only from the networking point of view, but also it will allow us to add "feature layers" for improvement of the process itself. > - will continue operating for (at a minimum) several decades Same as with other major networks, you will be able to download all you data. This feature is on our to-do list. > - will continue providing the service for free, and not start charging This is contrary to the purpose of the platform. The core functionality will always be free. We want it to be free. We plan to monetize advanced features and analytics that will be built on top of the core features. > - will not add adverts My co-founders and me are strongly against advertisements. > - will not redesign or remove a feature that I rely on Good point. We will have to make sure to gather extensive feedback before we make big/breaking changes. > - not loose data (how should I backup a Labit page?) This feature is on our to-do list. > as you grow, your costs increase, and network effects cause people to feel 'locked-in'? Also a good point, but a bit premature in our case. As of now we are focusing on delivering a good product to users who need it. > - several pages are empty for many of the showcased sites, suggesting that they are not necessary, but cannot be removed (e.g. Gallery) Yes. Believe it or not, I raised this question on our meeting recently. We are working on this. > - details of people on the 'Members' page are displayed only on a modal panel after clicking on a person's face. It also doesn't seem to show the destinations of alumni, despite the medium article saying you want to help career planning. Thanks for the suggestion. > - it is common (at least in certain fields) for papers to have a dedicated page on the group's website, grouping together the abstract, embedded demo video, links to supplementary material, etc. This doesn't appear possible with Labit. Awesome idea! jamessb, thank you for taking your time to write out such a detailed reply. |