What is a Blog Carnival?
What is a Blog Carnival?
A Blog Carnival is a list of reader-submitted posts all on one theme. Sometimes a blogger will host the carnival on their own blog each time the carnival runs, other times the carnival will move from blog to blog and be hosted by another person each time.
Why Take Part in a Blog Carnival?
Blog Carnivals are a great way to meet the other bloggers in your niche, people who write about the same things you do. It is also seen as a way to get more exposure, links, comments and traffic.
How do you take part in a Blog Carnival?
Pelf has the answer over at the Authority Blogger Forum
if you visit the official Blog Carnival website, there is a list of on-going carnivals that you can join.To join, all you need to do is either write a new post or find an existing post and submit your post by using the appropriate “submission form”. But before you submit any article, it would be good to check if the “host” has fixed a topic on the up-coming carnival. You do not want your post to be “rejected” for not being on topic, do you?
Once you have submitted a post, you are encouraged to blog about it, and on the day the “carnival” goes LIVE, remember to visit the host and all other carnival participants. Other bloggers will also be visiting your blog from the host, and that’s how you “meet new bloggers of similar interests”.
Pelfs advice has to be the best explanation of taking part in blog carnivals I have read and prompted this post.
Got anything to add?
Got anything you can add to make this description of Blog Carnivals more complete? Let me know in the comments or forum thread …
Tags: blog, carnivals, blog carnivals, tips, advice
By Chris Garrett. Posted in Blogging
Do you have any experience with a blog carnival? I have herd of this in the past, but figured it was just another way to try and get links. I would be interested in what your experience was.
BeachBum
I haven’t personally taken part in any carnivals, but you could say my “round ups” are a lot like carnivals in many respects. Lots of people swear by them for meeting new people and getting more exposure but I have yet to have a go myself!
I’ve hosted and participated in a number of science and health carnivals and my biggest peeves are 1) people who sent in posts that do not relate to the blog carnival theme; 2) people who get huffy when you reject said post; and 3) people who think blog carnivals should be exclusive.
Overall, I’ve had a great experience with blog carnivals. I’ve gotten lots of links, earned some readers, and made some friends. But all this takes regular participation.
Another tips about blog carnivals – submit your posts as early as possible, write polite emails requesting to be included, make sure the posts are recent and not dated ones from months ago, and never forget to link to the host when the carnival goes live.
BTW, I always refer people to this series on how to host a blog carnival over at Sour Duck.
Another tip came to mind: Email people personally to ask for submissions and/or include posts you like even if they didn’t submit them personally.
@Hsien – Great tips, thanks!
Thank you so so much for the mention, Chris
@Beachbum: I have personally participated in Blog Carnivals, and I wouldn’t say that all Blog Carnival posts received lots of hits or comments, nor do I see it as “a way to try to get links.”
But I definitely see it as one of the best ways to, err for lack of other words, “meet other bloggers of similar interests.” I have definitely come to know a handful of bloggers (and subscribed to them) that I’d otherwise not learn about
So I see it a way of “opening up my horizons”
Chris—weird… I just posted on this topic last night.
This is turning into a bad habit I know, but I recently posted about this as well
Usually you post on something while I am still working on it, but the last couple of times I actually beat you to it 
How Blog Carnivals Boost Communities and Make Dreams Come True is not only about what I consider a Blog Carnival to be and why every blogger should know about it, but also a list of the greatest resources I could find on the subject.
It was written to prepare myself and my readers for the Carnival that I made. I chose to make a thematic carnival and plan on having one on every blog that I make if it can be fitted in, which it usually can.
I have been doing blog carnivals for a few weeks now. The visitors to my site doubled in numbers on the weeks that I did carnivals. I have been busy this week with company visiting and didn’t do any carnivals and my stats dropped as a result.
I never even knew what a blog carnival was until I read this post. Thank goodness for people like you. i am going to head over to the recommended link and see if I can figure out one to join. I like the idea of it.
@pelf – Thank YOU for the quote
@Beachbum – “opening up my horizons” is a lovely way of putting it
@Jordan – Great minds
@Jan – Is there any way to turn off this psychic connection?
@Patricia – So they are definitely working for you
@Gaje – It’s definitely worth a try
This sounds like a great idea! A good way to hook up with fellow bloggers in your field and promote your blog at the same time.
Great post!
Psst… “Opening up my horizons” was what I said, not Beachbum
@Brad – Try it out and let us know how it works for you
@pelf – Aah, my apologies!