Well, it's time to put this blog carnival down. I know that I said I'd keep it going until the end of the year, and that I was looking for someone to replace me as host, but there's really no point. Though there were a few Boneyards that had a good response from submitters, they're progressively been harder and harder to attract attention to. The point of a blog carnival is that it should be crowd-sourced by a motivated group of bloggers, but this has never happened for the Boneyard.
This is probably because the paleo-blogging community is just not large enough to sustain it. If it was, I imagine that it would be easier to get submissions because the visibility would be higher. Considering this, and that the Boneyard has never managed to do its job (sending meaningful traffic to submitter blogs), I think I'm done with having the monthly call for submissions and apologies to hosts for all the work they'll have to do putting the month's edition together. My life is about to radically change when I begin school, and this carnival's rightful place on my rankings of things that deserve my attention will fall pretty low. I'd wager that the weekly Mesozoic Miscellany roundups I do at Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs send more meaningful traffic to more bloggers.
Thanks to everyone who hosted and submitted over the last year or so. I'd apologize to the hosts who lined up for the rest of the year's editions, but it's probably a favor to them.
I don't end this with bitterness. It was a good way to learn about this particular aspect of blogging communities. It's simply not for this particular one, in my opinion. If you think differently, and would like to take this over, I won't stand in your way. It's just not for me anymore.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Deadline for next edition is Monday
The next Boneyard Blog Carnival is hosted by Brian Switek at Laelaps. Submit your paleontology blog posts - new or old - to boneyardblogcarnical(at)gmail(dot)com. We're especially looking for posts dedicated to saber-toothed predators this time around! The deadline is Monday, July 11, and it will be posted on Tuesday the 12th.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Boneyard Blog Carnival 2.10 is here
Issue 2.10 of the Boneyard Blog Carnival, hosted by Gary Vecchiarelli of Project Dryptosaurus, is here with a fresh batch of paleontology blogging to enjoy. Head over to Project Drypto! Be sure to leave a comment thanking Gary for his hard work, and if you're unfamiliar with his project, be sure to read more on the site.
Next month, hosting will be handled by Brian Switek at Laelaps. He's decided to host with a theme of saber-toothed fauna throughout prehistory, so whip up a post along these lines or share one that you've already written.
Next month, hosting will be handled by Brian Switek at Laelaps. He's decided to host with a theme of saber-toothed fauna throughout prehistory, so whip up a post along these lines or share one that you've already written.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Boneyard 2.10 arrives in one week
The deadline for submissions to the next Boneyard Blog Carnival is Monday, June 6. This next edition will be hosted by Gary Vecchiarelli at Project Dryptosaurus, a site dedicated to spreading public awareness of New Jersey's own tyrannosaur. Send your posts about any aspect of paleontology to boneyardblogcarnival(at)blogspot(dot)com.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Boneyard 2.10 Call for Submissions
The end of May is rapidly approaching, which means we're coming up on the month of June. June is when, naturally, the June edition of the Boneyard arrives.
You see what I'm getting at here? Time to submit your own paleo blog post to the tenth edition of the Boneyard 2.0! This time around, it will be hosted by the capable Gary Vecchiarelli, the man behind Project Dryptosaurus. Project Drypto seeks to raise awareness of New Jersey's own tyrannosauroid, so let's pitch in by packing his go at the Boneyard with tons of good stuff.
The deadline for submissions is Monday, June 6. Boneyard 2.10 will be posted at Project Dryptosaurus on Tuesday, June 7. Send those posts to boneyardblogcarnival(at)blogspot(dot)com.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Whither Go the Boneyard?
We're just about halfway through 2011, so I thought it would be nice to talk about the Boneyard, where it's been, and where it may be headed.
First of all, the hosting schedule for 2011 is complete. That's a good thing. Plenty of new faces have stepped up to host, and hopefully it will bring up submissions.
Second, it's time for me to hand off organizing duties. I will be starting work on my master's degree in graphic design in August, and I simply will not have time to worry about being the Boneyard's custodian. It's not a huge amount of work, but it's something to be remembered each month, and tended to - corresponding with the month's host and sending out submission calls. As is evident from the May edition, when I get really busy, these things slip my mind. Apologies to Taylor for this, as the low submission total was partly my fault.
If you would like to take over organizing the Boneyard, please email me at boneyardblogcarnival(at)gmail(dot)com. We'll hash out the details from there. If no one has the time or energy to do it, the final edition of Boneyard 2.0 will be December 2011. Here's the thing:
That's okay.
It really is! Having done this for most of a year and thought a lot about how carnivals contribute to blog communities, I am absolutely convinced that rather than being a tool to build a small blogosphere, a blog carnival grows out of a blogosphere that is already vigorous and well-connected. The paleo blogosphere simply isn't. It's much smaller than those dedicated to neuroscience or other biological disciplines. Expecting a blog carnival to make it larger and more popular is a bit much to ask. The only thing that will, or ever has, is people generating content readers want. This is something that simply happens on its own, naturally, when there happen to be enough people who want to do it and they have a motivated readership. It's no one's fault. Few of us are getting paid to do this, and even if we are, it's not exactly a living wage.
Anyhow. Here are my tips for the new custodian, if one raises his or her hand.
1. It's supposed to be fun.
2. No blogger is obligated to submit or host. See #1. No pressuring "big time" paleo bloggers to do either.
3. This blog is great to get the word out about the Boneyard, but Twitter is also vital.
4. Expect, and accept, that each month's host will likely have to hand-pick much of the edition's content.
5. Remember the whole "it's supposed to be fun" thing.
Whether the Boneyard continues beyond 2011 or not, I would suggest this to paleo-bloggers who wish to participate in blog carnivals: submit to them.
There are plenty of blog carnivals that, while not being paleo-specific, certainly deal with topics we write about. Go here. Keep track of what's happening. And submit your stuff. This, I believe, will do much more good for the paleo-blog community than the comparatively insular Boneyard.
I admit, I have not submitted posts from Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs to carnivals enough. Or at all, to be honest. I will definitely be doing so in the future, and if you've written something you're proud of that would fit in with another carnival, I encourage you to, as well.
As for the immediate future, don't shy away from submitting to Boneyard 2.10, hosted by Gary and Project Dryptosaurus. And think about Boneyard 2.11, hosted at Laelaps by Brian Switek, who is going with the theme of saber-toothed critters of prehistory.
First of all, the hosting schedule for 2011 is complete. That's a good thing. Plenty of new faces have stepped up to host, and hopefully it will bring up submissions.
Second, it's time for me to hand off organizing duties. I will be starting work on my master's degree in graphic design in August, and I simply will not have time to worry about being the Boneyard's custodian. It's not a huge amount of work, but it's something to be remembered each month, and tended to - corresponding with the month's host and sending out submission calls. As is evident from the May edition, when I get really busy, these things slip my mind. Apologies to Taylor for this, as the low submission total was partly my fault.
If you would like to take over organizing the Boneyard, please email me at boneyardblogcarnival(at)gmail(dot)com. We'll hash out the details from there. If no one has the time or energy to do it, the final edition of Boneyard 2.0 will be December 2011. Here's the thing:
That's okay.
It really is! Having done this for most of a year and thought a lot about how carnivals contribute to blog communities, I am absolutely convinced that rather than being a tool to build a small blogosphere, a blog carnival grows out of a blogosphere that is already vigorous and well-connected. The paleo blogosphere simply isn't. It's much smaller than those dedicated to neuroscience or other biological disciplines. Expecting a blog carnival to make it larger and more popular is a bit much to ask. The only thing that will, or ever has, is people generating content readers want. This is something that simply happens on its own, naturally, when there happen to be enough people who want to do it and they have a motivated readership. It's no one's fault. Few of us are getting paid to do this, and even if we are, it's not exactly a living wage.
Anyhow. Here are my tips for the new custodian, if one raises his or her hand.
1. It's supposed to be fun.
2. No blogger is obligated to submit or host. See #1. No pressuring "big time" paleo bloggers to do either.
3. This blog is great to get the word out about the Boneyard, but Twitter is also vital.
4. Expect, and accept, that each month's host will likely have to hand-pick much of the edition's content.
5. Remember the whole "it's supposed to be fun" thing.
Whether the Boneyard continues beyond 2011 or not, I would suggest this to paleo-bloggers who wish to participate in blog carnivals: submit to them.
There are plenty of blog carnivals that, while not being paleo-specific, certainly deal with topics we write about. Go here. Keep track of what's happening. And submit your stuff. This, I believe, will do much more good for the paleo-blog community than the comparatively insular Boneyard.
I admit, I have not submitted posts from Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs to carnivals enough. Or at all, to be honest. I will definitely be doing so in the future, and if you've written something you're proud of that would fit in with another carnival, I encourage you to, as well.
As for the immediate future, don't shy away from submitting to Boneyard 2.10, hosted by Gary and Project Dryptosaurus. And think about Boneyard 2.11, hosted at Laelaps by Brian Switek, who is going with the theme of saber-toothed critters of prehistory.
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