So why bring it up now? Well it turns out that David Orr of Love in the Time of Chasmosaurus is also brilliant, and has gotten permission from Brian to reopen The Boneyard. This is fantastic news for science/paleo/natural history bloggers like myself, and for blog followers who like to read those science/paleo/natural history blogs. I think that, given the number of blogs out there today, the ball will get rolling pretty easily on this one. The content is out there (just look at my blogroll to the right). Now it's time to bring it all together.
If you're a blogger and want to be a part of the new "Boneyard", visit the introductory post over at "LITC" and leave a comment. Offer any assistance you can. For bloggers and non-bloggers alike, help spread the word. Send e-mails, link in your twitter and facebook feeds - whatever you youngsters are doing these days - and let people know what's going on. And check out the original "Boneyard" to get a feel of what David is trying to make happen. Given the quality of the writing I see in the blogs I follow, I know people really put a lot of energy into what they are doing, and take it very seriously. They want to write about science, and they want to communicate what they write to others. That being said, I think bringing back The Boneyard is a great way to collaborate with other bloggers and reach a broader audience at the same time. Let's all make it happen!
Glad you are excited that The Boneyard is coming back, David.
ReplyDeleteAs for why The Boneyard fizzled, part of it was just being too busy to give it the attention that I should. (Becoming "super famous" had nothing to do with it, since I'm not actually super famous.) Blogging is something I do in my free time, anyway, and it was just too much to keep putting together every month.
More than that, though, it seemed to me that The Boneyard was becoming more of a self-created link fest than a real carnival. People didn't want it to go away, but they were not submitting material, either, and the demise of The Boneyard also coincided with what I felt was a time of decline in paleo blogging. There were relatively few people who were writing good posts on paleo on a regular basis, and it bothered me that I was digging up links to the same handful over and over and over again.
Like it's previous incarnation, I feel that the "new" Boneyard is going to depend upon the enthusiasm of the community. If people don't submit stuff, it will just turn into the kind of link fest that most bloggers just do on their own anyway. I hope that things turn out better this time, though.
Brian - thank you for the clarification and the insight. I think you're absolutely correct in regards to the "Boneyard" needing an enthusiastic community backing it as well. In the last couple years, a lot of good science blogs have popped up. I'd really love to see them all united under one banner.
ReplyDeleteEveryone else - you heard it here first. If anyone knows how to get this thing done (or not done)it's Brian. I saw we take his advice and make this thing happen.