Four Stone Hearth 100

Posted by Martin R on September 1, 2010
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i-a1e80d089144f0b679226eb56bba6aaa-grotkrakla.jpg
Grötkräkla, “porridge sceptre”

The Four Stone Hearth blog carnival first opened its gaudy tent flap almost four years ago, in October 2006. Since then, 50 blogs have hosted it, 32 of which are still active. The record for most 4SH hostings is shared by Afarensis and Remote Central, both of which have hosted seven carnivals. Well done, everybody!

Here are the submissions for the 100th instalment:

The carnival rarely gets many submissions: as you can see, even this even-number instalment got only nine counting my own. This means that bloggers don’t care much about the Four Stone Hearth. Does the carnival have regular readers that follow it around to the various venues where it appears? Dear Reader, if you are a committed 4SH regular, please say so in a comment.

Blog carnivals seem to be going out of fashion. The Skeptics’ Circle, The Tangled Bank and The Carnival of the Godless have all folded. Months pass between instalments of the History Carnival. And I’ve decided to let go of the Four Stone Hearth. Anybody want to take over as its coordinator? I’ve paid the domain registration for the next twelve months. Will #100 be the last time the Four Stone Hearth is lit?

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Comments

  1. #1 afarensis, FCD
    September 1, 2010

    I’ll take over if you can’t find anyone else

  2. #2 Nancy Ainsworth
    September 1, 2010

    I have enjoyed this carnival, tracking it down wherever it was.
    As a retired child psychoanalyst, I am fascinated by the nature/nurture discussions.
    I am so glad it will continue. Thank you Afarensis!

  3. #3 archaeozoo
    September 1, 2010

    I read most editions of the 4SH.

  4. #4 Sam Wise
    September 1, 2010

    FWIW, I read each issue of 4SH and link to it from my blog. I was going to volunteer to take over coordination duties, but Afarensis definitely has more domain knowledge than I do.

  5. #5 parclair
    September 1, 2010

    It’s been the summer season. The neighborhood is empty.

  6. #6 judith weingarten
    September 1, 2010

    Bloggers shouldn’t be so lazy. I got a lot of new readers from hosting 4SH #98, some of whom seem to have stayed. Anyway, as an archaeologist, it’s good to update myself on what’s on in anthropology so it was enjoyable putting the carnival together. I’ll gladly volunteer again next year.

  7. #7 Raymond Ho
    September 1, 2010

    I like the Four Stone Hearth will definitely host it again soon.

  8. #8 bonn aure
    September 1, 2010

    i follow the FSH and this has been helpful in providing useful bits of information to those who got no access to journal articles.

  9. #9 Duane
    September 1, 2010

    I always enjoy Four Stone Hearth and read nearly every installment. While, one of my posts is mentioned from time to time, I see my own work as, at best, on the fringes of the mission of this carnival. Four Stone Hearth keeps me more or less up to date on interesting developments that I often wouldn’t see otherwise. I would be sad to see it go away and, if it would help, I would be willing to host it if need arises.

  10. #10 Krys
    September 1, 2010

    I love the carnival! I share the link when its posted on FB and on Twitter, but I have also had trouble getting submissions when it has been my turn to host–even beyond the summer ghost town.

    Still, thank you Afarensis for volunteering. I’d be happy to play host anytime.

  11. #11 Lorena
    September 1, 2010

    I’m a reader, not a blogger, and have only just discovered the FSH carnival. I hope it doesn’t go out of fashion!

  12. #12 Mick Morrison
    September 1, 2010

    I have always enjoyed reading 4SH – though I thought it had been around longer than this?

    In any case, well done to Martin and others who have kept it running this long and who have provided so much interesting material to read.

    May I humbly suggest that whoever takes over coordinating also set up a twitter account so that calls for submissions can be more widely disseminated (perhaps automatically). New recruits are important!

  13. #13 Jonathan Jarrett
    September 1, 2010

    I adnittedly only read 4SH because you always link it here; I wouldn’t remember to look for it otherwise. But I do read it, and usually click one or two of the links, which given I’m a medieval historian and text-based is not bad really. Besides, occasionally I’m in it.

    I just hosted Carnivalesque, a historical carnival, at mine, and got all of three submissions. The time I did it before that I got six. This time I’d already been squirrelling away good blog posts for the relevant couple of months because I knew there’d be no submissions. But, as Judith says, it’s certainly still good for the readership to host, there’s been a definite boost to my viewing figures.

  14. #14 judith weingarten
    September 2, 2010

    One other thought: perhaps 4SH should move to a monthly schedule, which would halve the trouble of finding hosts and possibly submissions as well.

  15. #15 Nick Horton
    September 2, 2010

    I read it! I’m also a blogger, and most of the time when it comes out, I link to it.

  16. #16 Zora
    September 2, 2010

    I follow 4SH. Monthly would be fine, if that ensures continuation of the carnival.

  17. #17 Nmissi
    September 9, 2010

    I have been an irregular reader for a couple of years I guess. When someone links it, I try to read. But if it doesn’t come up on one of my regular haunts, I’m liable to miss it, and so I usually don’t find 4SH until at least a week or so after it goes up. I’ll fix that right now, with a bookmark.