The day zero

May this be the day 0 of this Blog and of the Forum of Plant Flow Cytometry. Today I sent an e-mail to more than 390 corresponding authors of publications concerning plant flow cytometry and included in the FLOWer database, publicizing the blog and forum. Despite many of those e-mails came back with errors (possibly due to e-mail updates since appearance in publications), I believe that in many cases they arrived at the author's mailboxes with success. As a result, we've seen many visits to the blog and some registrations in the Forum, with the first non-jloureiro topic being posted. So, I must say that I am quite happy with the impact that the e-mail had today and I hope that it continues in the following days.

I encourage all of you to contribute either with comments to these posts or/and with topics in the forum. I also stimulate you to make as much publicity as possible, to see if we can gather a huge amount of researchers to this on-line community. Please remember that these new web resources will only work if you participate actively on them.

Below follows the e-mail that was sent today:

Dear colleagues,

It is with great pleasure that I announce the first forum and blog on plant flow cytometry. These two new platforms are at your disposal to discuss general topics in plant flow cytometry, to post any doubts or questions related to (the analysis of plant cells using flow cytometry) PLANT FLOW CYTOMETRY, to announce upcoming congresses and courses, etc.

Such platforms are only valuable if you participate actively and if there is a regular number of new posts and comments. Therefore, I invite you to register in the forum and use it on your best interests. The blog can be a very informal way of communicating and posting new and interesting information on plant flow cytometry, and you are encouraged to comment on the various topics that will be regularly posted.

You can access the forum at the following address: http://flowerdatabase.20.forumer.com/index.php and the blog at: http://flowerdatabase.blogspot.com/ .

These (two) new tools of communication appeared first as a companion to the FLOWER database (the Plant DNA Flow Cytometry Database: http://flower.web.ua.pt/), but are now directed to plant flow cytometry in general. Please consider that the FLOWER database is still in its beginning (beta version), and thus it still presents some flaws.

With best regards,

João Loureiro