March 1, 2007 (Vol. 27, No. 5)

URL:
http://www.bioplanet.com/index/php

Rating:
Strong Points: Interesting mix of info
Weak Points: Ugly, weak in places

Summary:
Billing itself as the “bioinformatics homepage,” BioPlanet could probably win some kind of an award for a gaudy opening page. From the cheap looking ringed planet to the visually unattractive mix of blue underlined links, orange headings, and occasional splashes of yellow for emphasis, beauty is more than skin deep here. There is a lot more to the site than the ugliness that meets the eye. Start with the job listings (over 1,400 jobs), resume listings (740), news links, stock market reports, and numerous forums, there is something here for almost anyone. The job listing was one place, however, where the delivery was a bit less than one might expect. Many of the jobs were simple writing opportunities with dreadful pay—$5–$8 per page. To be sure, there were some professional bioinformatics-related jobs, including several for programmers, but they were a small percentage of the 1,400 listed. All in all, BioPlanet hits in a few places and misses in a few others. It would not take much, however, to make this an outstanding site, so I hope the developers will keep working on it.

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