Comments on: Networks Upon Networks!

By: Travis

Travis — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:36:03 +0000

I don’t know that everyone who left after PepsiGate felt “burned” by blog networks. For our part, we just felt that Sb was no longer the best home for our blog – which I assume is not unlike the thinking that led to previous departures from Sb or other networks. Aside from that one episode, I found the network experience as a whole to be a very positive one, both in terms of exposure for our work and in terms of sheer enjoyment, so I had no reservations whatsoever about joining another network. As PalMD mentioned, the fact that some of the new networks are reflecting on what has happened and trying to address concerns that popped up on older blog networks is also reassuring. For me personally, the benefits of being part of a network still dramatically outweigh the downsides, and I think that is true for most bloggers.

By: Ed Yong

Ed Yong — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:23:26 +0000

I have no idea. Bloggers who go from one network to another are LOSERS

By: Pascal Lapointe

Pascal Lapointe — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:35:29 +0000

And why have bloggers who were burned by a network decided to join a new one?

Human is a gregarious species.

By: Wilson

Wilson — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:38:35 +0000

Carl, your parenthetical aside made me laugh out loud. Just wanted to pass along my appreciation.

By: outeast

outeast — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:11:12 +0000

In a way it seems an odd question to me. A bit akin to saying, ‘And why have people who were burned by an employer decided to join a new one?’ Setting out as a solo blogger is or being a member of a managed network is loosely analogous to being self-employed or retained by a company, in some ways anyway. You might not like one employer/network, but that doesn’t mean you want the headache, risk, and expense of striking out alone.

Anyway, Carl, didn’t you leave one hive mind for another?

(I *am* surprised at people joining Scientopia. To my mind, one of the most obvious issue with SB is just that it has got so damn big – and Scientopia has that problem in spades.)

By: Miss Cellania

Miss Cellania — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 02:49:03 +0000

It takes a lot of time and energy to set up, design, and especially to promote a new blog all by yourself. Joining a network enables a science blogger to spend time on science and writing instead. I’m sure they’ve all checked out their new networks for the issues that caused them to leave ScienceBlogs. Of course, there’s always the possibility of new and different problems ahead, but that’s a chance you take with any new project.

By: Hank Campbell

Hank Campbell — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:22:14 +0000

I doubt the Scienceblogs issue shook writers’ faith in the miracle of compounding so it makes sense that a lot of new networks would arise – and that other media corporations would take advantage of the chance to get contributors for cheap (or nothing). The best part for writers is that with even more ‘competition’ groups have a lot less ability to exploit writers.

It’s been an exciting summer!

By: PLoS Blogs – the science blogging network! | A Blog Around The Clock

PLoS Blogs – the science blogging network! | A Blog Around The Clock — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:01:36 +0000

[...] Check out the blog posts reacting to the launch as well: Phil Yam at Scientific American, Daniel Lende, Jason Goldman, Greg Laden, John Dupuis, Deborah Blum, ihatewasabi, Sara Kavassalis, Hank Campbell, John Stafford and Carl Zimmer. [...]

By: "Shecky R."

"Shecky R." — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:54:42 +0000

Social media have sprouted like crazy in general across the Web, and even scientists are social creatures! For both practical and social reasons (& even politically-tinged reasons) networks make a lotta sense, and will no doubt continue to evolve.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:28:42 +0000

I suspect that the idea of this or that novel network has been on people’s (or larger entities, like The Guardian) minds off and on all along. Then, like a seed on the outset of he rainy season, they networks take wing and get into the game because the opportunity has blossomed.

(This is the mix the metaphor blog, right?)