So you’ve been writing some great content on your blog and of course, you’d like to expand your readership. We’ve already covered Twitter as one way to promote your blog, but what are some other methods? Try blog carnivals. What’s a blog carnival? According the the official Blog Carnival site:
A Blog Carnival is a particular kind of blog community. There are many kinds of blogs, and they contain articles on many kinds of topics. Blog Carnivals typically collect together links pointing to blog articles on a particular topic. A Blog Carnival is like a magazine. It has a title, a topic, editors, contributors, and an audience. Editions of the carnival typically come out on a regular basis (e.g. every monday, or on the first of the month). Each edition is a special blog article that consists of links to all the contributions that have been submitted, often with the editors opinions or remarks.
When I first started blogging, I participated in a few blog carnivals to spread the word about my blog and gain new readers. It was great for me because it also exposed me to some of the top bloggers in my niche! So blog carnivals definitely helped me build my personal brand through blogging.
Today’s assignment
Submit your blog to a blog carnival that’s specific to your niche. Here’s how:
- Go to the Blog Carnival site and search the carnival list for the category that’s most relevant to your niche. Again, with personal branding, it’s best to stick to what you want to be known for on your blog.
- Once the list of carnivals comes up for that category, choose a current one that has an upcoming carnival to be posted. Some of the carnivals are outdated and have likely been abandoned, so look for one that is active. In the example below, I search for the “business” category and I see two at the bottom of the screenshot that have upcoming carnivals.
- Once you choose the one you want, follow the directions on the page for that particular carnival and submit your post!
After you submit to a blog carnival, let us know about your experience in the comments! Was it accepted? Be sure to link us to the carnival if your post is included!
Hi
Hello.
This is really great.
thanks.
B. F.
Congrats, though that title mix-up is kinda odd
Congrats!
Yay, congrats!!
didn't find anything that is upcoming in my topic arena. will keep checking.
Oh wow! I didn't even realize that one of my articles had been accepted into the African American Bloggers Carnival!! Woot Woot!!
Update on this assignment– my blog was listed as a participating blog in the “This is What a Young Feminist Looks Like” blog carnival:
http://fairandfeminist.com/?p=433
I guess they got the name mixed up, because it's in there under the name “This is What a Young Feminist Bride Looks Like.”
Congrats to my fellow #31bnb bloggers who got their blog posts accepted. I just got word I made it into both I submitted to.
This is great, it's like getting flowers in your comments section. Every few days I get a pingback letting me know that one of my pieces got accepted to another carnival. Haven't seen a huge bump in traffic from the carnivals but a few readers have found their way to me via the links.
My post, “We Don't Swim”, got accepted to the African Americans Blogger Carnival. Woo Hoo!! Plus I see a few other 31BNB participants as well. Congrats to all!!!
http://datesmarternotharder.com/african-america…
Hmmm, I'm at a bit of a loss here… I cannot find a carnival to link to! Not much going on when I search for style, fashion, personal branding, office, corporate, etc. Any recommendations?
This is something I look forward to continuing to do. I actually have signed up to begin writing for another blog which is something I wouldn't have done without this challenge.
http://www.npgold.wordpress.com
Hi,
I haven't quite done this yet because health-related blog carnivals (that aren't something having to do with personal tips about health, fitness, etc.) are few and far between. However, I did take the opportunity to research what blog carnival I _would_ like to submit to once I have a relevant post. The longest-running blog carnival for medical-related blogs is Grand Rounds: http://getbetterhealth.com/grand-rounds. Their next submission date is regarding medical humor and is due by tonight, so I don't think I'll be participating this week. However, I've subscribed to their RSS and twitter feed and plan on keeping an eye on them for the future!
Okay, I was a little confused at first, but I think I understand the concept now.
But then I didn't find any hair or natural hair carnivals, so I submitted a few blog posts to the African American Bloggers Carnival. Thanks for sharing this with us!
Articles submitted:
Detangling Woes: http://www.myhairisme.com/2010/05/detangling-wo…
Four Natural Hair Styles That I Would Like to Try: http://www.myhairisme.com/2010/08/four-naturalh…
Natural Hair Frustration: http://www.myhairisme.com/2010/08/natural-hair-…
Fab idea. When I get my first post of substance up next week, that's the first thing I'll do.
That's the only place I know of to find blog carnivals. If anyone knows of any other sites, please share them with us!
Yep – you just check back on the day the carnival is published to see if yours made the cut.
I submitted a post to a Business Leadership carnival… I'm not completely sure I understand the purpose or what is supposed to happen next. I guess I wait to see if my post is accepted? If you have a chance, please provide more info on the carnival concept.
Thanks!
Madelyn
I first heard about this at the Blogging While Brown Conference, so this assignment is a great. I didn't understand how it work until now. I submitted two:
Carnival of Social and Tech: http://www.artiatesiadeal.com/social-media/to-t…
African American Bloggers carnival: http://www.artiatesiadeal.com/freelancing/my-fr…
yay! i submitted mine to the African-American Bloggers Carnival.
This was a lot of fun! The carnivals I submitted to are:
Carnival of Vanities: Definition of a Fine-Minute Pose
Block Party: Wedding Fashion: Carnival Mirror?
Lovely Words: Note to Self
Creative Carnival: Watching You, Watching Me
Is this the only website to find blog carnivals on, or are there other places to search for more?
Awesome! I hope you get some link love from at least one of the carnivals. I think the African American one is new, so they should be looking for fresh content!
So I'd never heard of a blog carnival before today. Been hearing alot about web awards especially with people petitioning for the black weblog awards (maybe next year for me??). But I think this is an awesome way to get my blog out there as well as find more blogs and writers that I enjoy. To keep it short, I submitted three different pieces to the following carnivals. Wish me luck
Carnival Post
Just Write: Pay No Attention To The Woman Behind The Curtain (http://bit.ly/b4avTC)
Carnival of the Vanities: When I Grow Up I Want To be An Ice-Cream Man (http://bit.ly/9mU1Vz)
African American Bloggers Carnival: We Don't Swim (http://bit.ly/azjFYt)