I’ve pared down my blog reading considerably and so missed this post, but wanted to thank you for taking the time to “not rant” about the Carnival. I really appreciate that you see the value in it.

Also wanted to mention that I really enjoy seeing the older pics come through your Flickr feed. Makes me want to scan some of my college pics.

I am very grateful to the Carnival for introducing me to some very interesting bloggers and issues and ideas.

However I have to admit to not having read the Carnival for a few months – my Bloglines subscriptions have been enough to keep up with that I haven’t chased up other sources … then this evening Bloglines told me that Peta at Innovate has created a Bloglines search for the Carnival! Beauty – now keeping up will be simple.

Goodluck.

In the end, indeed librarians can pull off anything. We have the know how, and we certainly have the spunk to do it as well. Now go back and write that paper. I know, you don’t wanna, but has to be done.

As always, best and keep on blogging.

I honestly don’t know how the editors at the time pick their own picks, but I am sure it is not easy. I like that they do that because often they pick some person whose blog I find interesting enough to add, so makes a nice resource to find new reading material.

It *is* hard to find stuff that isn’t already echoed everywhere, particularly with the “new” 2 week schedule. I agree that the every week schedule was clearly unsustainable and, thus, support the new one, but it adds its own dimensions to the situation.

As for the big names, I have removed most of them from my aggregator. Jessamyn is still there, for several reasons. Mainly because she does have something to say that is not what I’d get most other places, and the world she works in is much different than mine and I think it’s good to be reminded of that; often. As for other “big names,” I guess folks probably disagree over who is one and who isn’t.

Meredith is still in my aggregator, particularly because she also has generally well thought out (and positive) things to say. She also makes a good springboard; not to disagree with, but to add more nuance. I really hope she doesn’t take me wrong (see the start of this comment); things are so easily miscommunicated in the interwebs.

Walt, who I do not really consider a big name (for some reason which I cannot fathom) but whom I respect far more than any of the “big names” is there. Pretty much anybody else with over 600-700 Bloglines subscriptions were ejected several weeks ago. Can’t say as I miss ‘em, either.

And, Angel, no one out here is writing earth-shattering stuff. Someone’s post now and again may be that to one or two people, but I can’t think of anything I would call earth-shattering. I have certainly seen tons of extremely interesting things, but I haven’t spotted any comets on a destructive path yet.

You, my friend, write very well. I am (and have been for a while) seeing lots of links and references to your posts. I’m not trying to scare you, just trying to let you know it’s not just me saying that. One reason I feel you would make a good contributor is for the very reason that you do write about things other than what the “echo chamber” is doing. That is very important; whatever your reasons for doing so.

I think I once (early on) asked why none of the A-listers were contributing. This was before Walt’s blog “rankings,” and the discussions of A-listers, and the one on shameless self-promotion and other such topics. Of course, as soon as some began to participate I got a tad miffed. [Boy, I should *not* even be writing this in public!] There was one week between very light Carnivals when an A-lister hosted and they had tons of submissions. Now maybe that is how the host defined them and they were really host selections. I guess I could write them and ask for clarification, but it really doesn’t matter and, worse, if my suspicions were borne out then I *would* be mad. Who needs it?

I really do love and support the Carnival! If this thing fails it will leave a bad taste in my mouth about my chosen profession, and of my efforts to participate in it (Journal Club, Carnival, …). I agree Journal Club was a time issue for all of us, even me. But it sure seems like it should work. Same for the Carnival. If any group of people could pull such a thing off, why can’t librarians?

And before anyone tries to call me out for dismissing the entire profession were the Carnival to fail, that is not what I said. I only said it would leave a bad taste in my mouth. It isn’t like there aren’t any lingering around in there already.

Now, it’s back to my thesaurus paper.

Hmmmm? I wonder how many ways I can say I don’t want to do it!!!

For me, a big challenge is finding those librarians, who like you, have something different, thoughtful, and at times out of the way, to say. At times, I find that Blake’s This Week in Blogland does some of that for me. I do say some. Some weeks he is great, other weeks I am like “I already saw all this.” I think much of it can be hit and miss.

As for me submitting, I don’t write stuff that is really that earth-shattering for one. In fact, I actively try to stay away from anything that seems to be part of the echo chambers. The whole thing with that library weeding the classics (which turns out they are just weeding some books, not taking out all the classics. Typical case of not reading critically) or closing that other library because teens can’t behave are things I have thoughts about, but they have been covered ad nauseam. Don’t even get me started on anything 2.0. It’s not that I don’t think about them; it’s more like why bother with adding to the echo?

In the end, I wish I had a nice pat answer. I know I hate that spam stuff ALA calls an electronic newsletter. I have to figure out if there is a way to unsubscribe from it. We can certainly do so much better. One thing I like about the Carnival is that it does pick up the smaller voices. I heard at one point someone question why none of the A-listers ever submitted. I could care less. I get them on my feed reader. I want the precisely the little voices that submit and the ones that the hosts do. Actually, I think that is another way where the hosts bring value, in their choices.

BTW, I scanned your hosting for the week, but I can tell you have some different things already.

As always, best, and keep on blogging.