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I’m thrilled to be hosting this edition of the world’s greatest aggregation of arboreal blog brilliance. It should come as no surprise that I spend plenty of time looking at trees. In fact, over the next few weeks, I plan on scanning the canopy with an intensity that will undoubtedly result in either eye strain [...]

‘Twas the great Oscar Wilde (not that rogue Oscar Wildlife) who opined, “But what is the difference between literature and journalism? …Journalism is unreadable and literature is not read. That is all.” One wonders what scathing indictment Wilde would have levied on blogs. And yet I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling extremely privileged to [...]

Welcome to the 11th edition of Oekologie, the blog carnival devoted to the best ecology and environmental science posts of the month from all across the blogosphere. In my time and trials blogging on topics related to birding, nature, and whatever else catches my metaphorical eye, I’ve encountered countless blogs touching on issues of ecology. [...]

The carny life has been good to us at 10,000 Birds of late. In just the past few days, we’ve been included in an urban carnival (Carnival of Cities), a literary carnival (The Writer’s Block Carnival), an oceanic carnival (Carnival of the Blue #6), and, of course, the uber-science carnival itself (a fun, Halloween-themed Tangled [...]

When considering all of the benefits I’ve enjoyed from participating in various blog carnivals over the year, I wonder why every blogger doesn’t do the same. The blog carnival is a wondrous collaboration, an artform unique to this magnificent medium. Active participation in the right carnivals can bring a blogger more of everything he or [...]

Nothing beats that heady brew of exhaustion, elation, and pride that comes from throwing a blockbuster party or hosting an event for the ages. The role of carnival host may be challenging, but it’s also extremely fulfilling, especially after all the work is complete. So now that you’ve followed every step assiduously and treated your [...]

By now, you’ve invested an incredible amount of time and effort, probably much more than you anticipated when you volunteered to host a carnival in the first place. You’ve aggregated up an awesome collection of posts, organized them in an ingenious fashion, and marketed your edition with the fervor of an evangelist. You’re about ready [...]

Though each participant should play a role in promoting a carnival, the lion’s share of that responsibility must fall squarely on the host. Simply posting the carnival to one’s blog and expecting readers to spontaneously show up is not an option for the host with the most. To generate a big buzz, you’ve got to [...]

It is the indisputable obligation of the host to promote the heck out of his or her edition of a carnival. Promotion is part of the job; if you ask for the ringmaster’s hat, you better be prepared to say glowing things about the acts. But the host is not the only party invested in [...]

Well-managed blog carnivals definitely take on a life of their own. The publication of a carnival’s latest edition becomes an event that regular readers look forward to. This anticipation is intentional, as scarcity is built into the design of the carnival. The most frequent posting schedule I’ve seen for a carnival is weekly, but biweekly [...]

The best carnival presentation doesn’t end at neat and clean. You really want to dazzle your guests. No matter how winning the rest of your content is, these new visitors are only coming over for one thing: the carnival. An uninspiring, corny, or slipshop presentation will not encourage further exploration of your site. If you [...]

Let’s return to the carnival as party analogy. Imagine that you’re attending an elegant affair. The host has attended to nearly every detail with the utmost care. The food is scrumptious, the entertainment delightful, and the drinks freely flowing. However, you and the other guests notice that the setting is a shambles. Some surfaces are [...]

This modest series on hosting a blog carnival may be among the most extensive on the subject, but it’s hardly the only resource available. Another comprehensive account from January 2006 is a four-part series called Sour Duck’s Carnival Host Notes, in which Sour Duck does an excellent job in exploring various aspects of the hosting [...]

Not long ago, a submission I sent to a blog carnival was rejected. I’m still surprised at how much the rejection bothered me. Part of the problem was that I didn’t find out until the carnival had been posted that my piece was left, as it were, on the cutting room floor. My surprise was [...]

If you’ve recruited participants for your carnival effectively, you’ll soon be inundated with submissions. These days, the average carnival can pull anywhere from 10 to 50 or more submissions in a given week; hosts who followed the advice offered in my previous step should expect to see at least 20 and probably more. As much [...]

The first step in hosting a rotating blog carnival is to volunteer to throw the next shindig at your place. That’s all well and good, as long as you understand the fundamentals of hosting a great party. We start with an interesting, inviting space, which would be your blog. Tidy the place up! Every party [...]

You don’t need to be on the A-list, B-list, or any list at all to host a carnival. However, it’s probably a good idea to have been blogging for more than a month. Hosting a carnival is a give-and-take scenario; you get introduced to other site’s readers, but you should ideally bring some of your [...]

The blog carnival must be one of the blogosphere’s finest innovations. Akin to an anthology but far more dynamic, a carnival harnesses the self-publishing, self-promoting spirit of blogging. And because the cost of entry is so low (free, actually,) magnificent new carnivals are popping up almost as quickly as new blogs. Not long after I [...]