Have you noticed that we are on the cusp of our 1000th member at the Nature Blog Network? That’s a whole bushel of nature blogs! Yet the achievement doesn’t quite feel honest, considering that roughly a quarter of our members haven’t even installed the NBN badge.
At the same time, the recent discussions we’ve had about recalibrating blog categories got us thinking about ways to make this network more beneficial to nature bloggers along with the readers that love them. So we’ve made some changes. Now you may need to as well…
Please note the significant segmentation in the category structure of the Nature Blog Network. Essentially, we’ve added a number of important new descriptive categories. Every member should review these new categories and select the one that best represents his or her blog. Obviously no member’s work can be described in a single word. Naturalists are naturally curious about all aspects of their surroundings. But even though we write about all manner of organisms on 10,000 Birds, we are still first and foremost a bird blog.
The catch-all category has been changed from Ecosystem to Natural History. If you’d like to remain in that category, you’re all set. But I strongly suggest you consider some of the following more specific categories; not only are you more likely to attract readers interested in your particular flavor of nature blogging, but it’s much easier to stand out in a crowd of 40 than one of 400!
Everyone has one month to recategorize and make sure you’ve installed the tracking code you each received when you were accepted to the NBN. On August 1, we will delete from the rolls any blog that still hasn’t installed the code. That’s the stick. The carrot, by which I mean further benefits we’ll be rolling out to Nature Blog Network members in good standing, will be explained very soon. Until then, please consider these categories (and expect a copy of this post in your e-mail box too!)
Most of the following categories are self-explanatory. The ones that are not are followed by explanation:
Academic - This is the nature science category. If you are a scientist with a blog that is heavier on science than nature, you probably belong in this category.
Art
Backyard - This is the option for blogs focused mostly on backyard fauna or local patches.
Birds
Conservation - only habitat or wildlife conservation blogs need apply. Green blogs have their own networks.
Desert
Education - nature ed blogs
Flora - NOT gardening blogs
Forest
Freshwater - encompasses lakes, rivers, wetlands, etc.
Fungi
Grasslands
Hiking & Outdoors - the category for hikers, climbers, kayakers, and other active enthusiasts
Insects & Invertebrates
Mammals
Marine
Mollusks
Montane
Natural History - the new generalist category
Organization - for blogs maintained by non-profits and other organizations
Photography
Reptiles & Amphibians
Rocks & Minerals
Tour Operator
Tundra - arctic and antarctic
Writing
With special categories for nature art, photography, writing, academic, education, and conservation blogs along with top-level headings for all the world’s biomes, we’ve got a place for every species of nature blogger. If you have comments to share, we’d love to hear them. Also, as you log into the user panel to adjust your category, please keep in mind that the form is case sensitive. If you don’t remember your password, you can contact us with your username and the password you’d like to use from now on. But please try to figure out your password on your own… with nearly 1000 members, this might be a long month!
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