Nature Blog Network

Justin is the wizard behind the curtain of Ugly Overload, your source for daily ugly animals. Ugly Overload is an inoculation against the myriad cute animals sites out there – a refuge and a home for all of the overlooked (often for good reason) creatures of the planet. What do we mean by “ugly”? Check out these two posts for a glimpse of nature glorying in its essential ugliness:

• http://uglyoverload.blogspot.com/2009/02/predatory-sea-spider.html
• http://uglyoverload.blogspot.com/2008/07/oodles-of-mantises.html

Welcome, Justin. Tell us a little more about Ugly Overload and how you came to create and maintain one of the more popular blogs in the Nature Blog Network.

Ugly Overload was born of frustration and opportunism. At work, everyone was sending around links and photos of cute animals. I knew that there were readers for sites that peddled such adorableness, and I was frustrated that there wasn’t much of an outlet for anything not-cute. I saw an opportunity, guessing that there must be others like me who wanted to see the underbelly of the animal world. The sweet stuff is all well and good, we all need that, but the blogosphere wasn’t doing right by the animal kingdom, at least when it came to its more homely residents.

photo: Alexander Semenov via Ugly Overload; see more of his photos here

That was more than three years ago. Now, I blog for fun because I don’t make enough money for even the IRS to care. I blog for my readers because they have contributed so much. I blog because I love animals. I blog because blogging is such a simple way to deliver fresh content–the first thing you see when you see a blog is the most recent post. I blog because I’m a nerd at heart, and sitting in an uncomfortable chair with my trusty keyboard and mouse at the ready is more fulfilling than it ought to be.

I’ve got minimal training in anything biologically oriented. But I’ve always had a passion for animals and have been their advocate since I befriended my first snail while still in diapers.

As for my content, thank the animal world, my readers (the main source of my posts), and my thick-headed persistence in sticking with a blog this long. I get enough fan mail to give me that warm glow inside. I even get enough fan mail to counteract the hate mail I get. I’m a brave soul who plows on, believing that the world needs to see more parasites, baboon behinds, and cow tongues.

What’s unique or different about your blog?

What Ugly Overload has to offer (aside from an archive of 1,200+ photos and posts) is a broad readership of biologists, pet lovers, and occasional freak-show attendees who contribute unique or hard to find material and photos. I’m the arbiter and judge – the guy who offers a layman’s perspective on nature, tries to make entertaining quips, and every so often takes his turn on the soapbox.

One other thing sets Ugly Overload apart from other blogs that feature freaky beasts: Ugly Overload is about the animals, not about the shock factor, vomit factor, or fear factor. I very intentionally avoid maimed or mutilated animals, and I love that parents can feel free to let their young kids roam free across the abominable yet fertile plains of my blog. It’s relatively clean and family-friendly, even if the animals aren’t.

How do you promote your blog and attract readers?

I haven’t had time to promote my blog much. I did at first, by including a link in my email signature, or pasting it into bulletin posts. I also would contact other bloggers and ask to share links.

I haven’t used many of the social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter because I haven’t had time. Being a husband, daddy, full-time employee, and hopeful novelist as well as a blogger is time-consuming!

What I’ve found to be by far the best promoters of my blog are my readers. Entertain your readers, keep them coming back, and you’ll get noticed.

photo: Alexander Semenov via Ugly Overload; see more of his photos here

Any comments on being part of the nature blogger community?

I’ve had a lot of fun being part of the nature blogger community. There’s a real sense of camaraderie here, a mutual understanding and respect. I’m proud of it.

Has blogging changed how you think about nature? or how you write?

Ugly Overload has evolved and grown over the years, though it still maintains the rough edges of an idea with no production funds. Nonetheless, blogging about nature and getting the perspectives of thousands of readers has opened my eyes to many things. My appreciation for nature, especially animal life, has increased. My understanding of conservation issues and scientific debates has increased, and I feel like I’m a better person for it. I think I’m better dialed in on how to do this whole blogging thing, but that’s always changing. I might be a dinosaur who can’t get any respect in a matter of weeks.

Any words of wisdom for new nature bloggers?

I’ve had people approach me, asking for advice on how to get their blog noticed. My advice is simple: content, content, content. You can use all the tricks you want: meta-tagging your template, swapping links, joining social networking sites, and more, but if you don’t have something for your readers to read, something to keep them coming back, then all your work is pointless. Use the tricks. They are important tools, but the game of blogging is exposure and reader retention. Take care of the latter, and the former will come in time.

It took over a year of pounding at the keyboard for me, but then I Am Bored found Ugly Overload, followed by BoingBoing, and before I knew it, Ugly Overload was featured in Southwest Airline’s in-flight magazine, some local newspapers, and even on CNN and national radio. Ugly Overload had humble beginnings, and still wallows in relative obscurity, but I’ve had a lot more success than I ever thought possible (It helps to have minimal expectations). It’s thanks to the content (thank you, Mother Nature), and it’s thanks to the readers. And again, persistence. Persistence, persistence, persistence. You’ll never have readers if you stop writing.

photo: Alexander Semenov via Ugly Overload; see more of his photos here

Anything else you’d like me to ask you, or that you’d like to volunteer without being asked?

I’ve found that most bloggers see their blog as a chance to say all the things they’ve wanted to say, to get it all off their chest. Their blog is a very self-oriented outlet that assumes that the world gives a darn about what they have to say. For some people that works; some bloggers are entertaining enough in their rants, insight, snarkiness, or expertise that they can generate a large readership. But for most, myself included, the blogger would be better served by figuring out what the reader wants and delivering that. Always write with the reader in mind. In doing so, you’re not selling out your artistic or intellectual integrity; you’re trying to communicate honestly, which is one of the greatest human endeavors. Oh, and of course, one very crucial element: you have to love what you write about. If you don’t, you’ll never find the drive to keep at it for long, and your insincerity will begin to leak into your writing. Your readers will pick up on it and drop your RSS feed.

I want to thank Nature Blog Network. It’s a fantastic service, and I’ve been able to meet a lot of like-minded and like-hearted bloggers through it. The exposure has been great too, and aren’t all bloggers attention-starved?