From The Sb Diaspora

The story of Bora and Sci, two bloggers you may have heard of.

OMG, bugs AND cool graphs in the same post.

And, for something quit serious: Exercise and Peripheral Artery Disease

More like this

Seems to me like your acting as a bridge to the Sb diaspora. Fair enough. I'm glad to have the links to such good content delivered in a convenient form.

But the simple fact remains that without your links I would not be visiting their sites. That is the thing I like about Sb. For all its down sides it is access to quality content in one place. Content from its internal stables but also links to interesting content outside the in-house talent.

I appreciate the links but the question is how long will you keep it up? I suppose you could make linking to ex-Sb bloggers something of a specialty. There is a role there for a person so inclined. But how long will it last? How long will it take to go from joyous sharing to obligation and burden.?

I don't have any answers. I'm feeling quite ambivalent about the Sb diaspora. I feel like I'm still here but they left.

I never got the whole ethical outrage thing. Where I'm from ethics and integrity are who you are and what you do. They are all internal and are largely unaffected by what surrounds you. That people who look externally for validation of their integrity are often lacking it. Not always, some people are just insecure, but enough to notice.

Its like the preacher who can't stand next to the prostitute because he has evil thoughts. It is his internal conflict that causes the discomfort. Not the prostitute. Time and again I've seen this pattern. Most men who are firm and comfortable with their sexuality have few issues with being near homosexuals. Without any internal conflict to play off of the external situation doesn't resonate as an issue.

The other thing that got me was how fast it went down. Seems to me there was some back channel cheer leading for people to leave. I suspect this was mostly coming from people who had either left or where about to. Entirely natural for people to seek to make a departure a group thing. Move as a group and none will question any one person too closely. It also has more impact but the concept is quite odd. Who are you 'teaching a lesson', shaming, impacting.

It would make some sense if there were many functioning science blog networks. A group could make a stand and leave over a set of issues and join another network. The near failure of the first network would be a lesson for the other networks. The increased success of the network that gained the bloggers would reinforce the lesson.

The problem is that there are no other science networks. Sb is, as far as i can tell, singular. If Sb fails the idea of a network of blogs based around science fails.

It reinforces the idea that that science bloggers are flighty and too sensitive to work with. That at the first sign of trouble they will scatter like quail. That they tend to run when faced with problems instead of trying to work them out. That they need hand holding and frequent stroking to keep from hurting themselves. That in a world of blogging where flame wars, cutthroat criticism and regular management flogging of writers are the norm it is the science bloggers who are the primadonnas.

It also makes them appear to be cliquish pack animals prone to mindless group histrionics and self-immolation motivated by the abstract concept of 'what others might think'. That when one is upset you have mere hours to placate the whiner or you may see groups diving off the cliffs to express their frustration.

Which is doubly strange in that the majority of them leaving don't seem to have anywhere better to go. Or to have thought through the consequences. It would be one thing if they jumped from one network to another. But there are no other functional equivalents. So they go from the largest and well know network to a couple of dozen individual blogs that are remarkable in their ability to disguise exceptionally good content and make sure it won't be read.

And, more on-point, there is the strangeness of the reaction of the diaspora and those who remain. A ingrown regret and defiance, and a desire to cater to and cushion the blow to those who left.

On one hand I don't like to see people suffer. On the other these are adults who chose their path and are discomforted because of the entirely predictable consequences of their own choices. They leapt and are now unhappy with where they landed. There is also the matter that I won't see them stressed if I don't visit their blogs. I'm not insensitive the their situation. But I'm not entirely above feeling some satisfaction in their discomfort after what might be seen as something of a betrayal.

I don't know what to think. As a reader, one of many thousands, less now after the desertions, I don't know as anyone cares what I think. It is an interesting situation. Sb is, as far as I can tell, singular. It is the only functional network of science bloggers. It has served my interests well. I like how it works for me. I would hate to see the model discarded because science bloggers are too cliquish and sensitive to work with.

I want it to work. Improve if possible. I really think survival of the SB model is more important than any, all, of the individual blogs it once contained. But then again, I wish we wouldn't have wiped out the passenger pigeons and dodo.

Art, all good questions. I don't know. I hope some in the diaspora return. Some may form a new network. I keep an RSS feed on my other blog, in the sidebar (gregladen.com).

I'm pretty sure that among all the people who left, they had a high diversity of mixed reasons. Of all those who stayed, there was also a diversity of reasons.

Also, ask yourself this: How many months back must we go to count up a number of "leavers" (stopping blogging, moving, etc.) that is equal to the present exodus? In other words, people always come and go. And again, there is a diversity of reasons.

I think it is very important to avoid judging or even just evaluating or even measuring intentions, philosophies (of blogging, etc) from the act of leaving or staying.

I also don't think this is over yet, but we have turned a very positive corner (turned a corner very positively? Whatever.)

I hope.