Aard Turns Five

I began blogging at Blogspot a bit more than six years ago. And five years ago to the day, Aard went live here on Sb! Blogging and the interaction with you, Dear Reader, are a continuing source of daily enjoyment to me.

But looking at the surroundings, things sure have changed at Sb in five years, though you can't tell from the site design. Aard is one of the longest-running blogs still active here. These days I feel more like I'm at Blogspot again: works well, no frills, no fraternisation with the neighbours.

Sb is no longer a hip well-funded site that attracts big bloggers. We haven't had a community manager in a long time. And indeed, the sense of Sb community is gone. The back-stage forum is deserted. I don't know what half of the current blogs are like. Our new Overlords pay us about as little attention as the old ones did after they had to fire our last community manager Arikia. But the new guys have one huge advantage: financial solvency. Bloggers are getting paid on time (at 2006 rates). As the new Overlords can't be seen to support aggressive atheism, we've lost almost all of PZ Myers' spillover traffic. But my $50 a month were never a main motivation for my blogging. Anyway, I hear we're set for a back-end and design upgrade sometime soonish.

Aard is currently ranked #19 in terms of traffic here, though the 18 blogs above it on the list include a number of defunct ones whose archives are still attracting major traffic despite their lack of new material. After Pharyngula, whose main existence continues elsewhere, our big cheeses right now are Starts With A Bang (est. January 2008) and Respectful Insolence (est. February 2006).

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Well, at least you get paid something, Martin! I've been blogging since 2004 and haven't made much. I do like to write, though! It's sort of an addiction, like textual cocaine...

"Starts With A Bang" practises the difficult art of making astronomy (or any science) interesting without dumbing down the subject. Much recommended.

"Respectful Insolence" is expert at debunking quackery of any kind.

"$50 a month" Ha! The Republicans are right! The scientists are a liberal overpaid elite!
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(OT) Martin, I have found a guy with bona fide magical powers.
http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/2011/12/26/kim-jong-il-even-bett…
North Korean schools teach children that Jong-Ilâs birth was "supernatural." He was born in a log cabin inside a secret base on the sacred Mt. Paekdu, the story goes, and his arrival was accompanied by the apparition of a new star.
State textbooks claim Jong-Il does not produce urine or feces.

"Finally, we can stop making all those stupid Chuck Norris jokes and make them into Kim Jong-Il jokes instead!"

By Birger Johansson (not verified) on 29 Dec 2011 #permalink

Happy Anniversary! I'm going to add this to my list of Winter Solstice celebrations... December 29, the day to sleep late, take walks at noon, and pig out on tea and chocolate.

By Riman Butterbur (not verified) on 29 Dec 2011 #permalink

Congrats on your anniversary! Here's to the next five years of posts.