The Nature Physics editors (Nature Physics 4, 81; 2008) want to hear from physicists what kind of tools would help in managing the ever-growing tide of information from, and the exciting possibilities of, the internet. One hundred years ago, communication was relatively slow, and scientists attended conferences to find out what was going on outside their own place of work; now, we live in an environment in which there is an over-abundance of data-rich information that is a challenge to assimilate. What tools do scientists most need to communicate, share and organize information in the most meaningful, or “filtered”, way? Nature Publishing Group has already created several such tools, for example Connotea, a reference management system, and Nature Network, a social website for various kinds of specialist discussion forums. The editors would like to hear from readers about the tools they would like to see developed. Please send them an email if you have suggestions you’d like to make, or drop a comment to this post.

Nature Physics February 2008 Editorial: A tangled web we weave.