ScienceBlogs

• 1. The Invitation-Only Launch

  ›

  ScienceBlogs opened its virtual doors in January 2006 with exactly fifteen blogs. Seed Media Group invited independent science bloggers to join the network without editorial interference. Each author chose their own theme and wrote about whatever subjects they wished. The founders reached out to existing networks like ScienceBlog.com before launching independently. Revenue came from advertisements sold to companies seeking curious consumers who bought automobiles, books, cellphones, computers, liquor, music, and watches. This model allowed writers to discuss hot topics including politics and religion alongside pure science. These discussions frequently incited heated arguments within comment threads. Bloggers on the network sometimes got into arguments with each other over a series of posts.

• 2. Rapid Global Expansion

  ›

  The creators expanded their collection of hosted blogs in three major waves. Some of the most trafficked blogs included Pharyngula, Respectful Insolence, Good Math Bad Math, Deltoid, Cognitive Daily, Living the Scientific Life, and On Becoming a Domestic and Laboratory Goddess. By one count, ScienceBlogs hosted seventy-five blogs dedicated to various fields of research. In April 2011, National Geographic took over the platform while Seed maintained ownership. National Geographic acquired editorial control and responsibility for advertising sales on the site. A German language edition called ScienceBlogs.de launched in 2008 through a partnership with Hubert Burda Media. As of the 7th of December 2010, that specific site hosted thirty-five blogs. ScienceBlogs Brazil debuted in March 2009 with twenty-three Portuguese language blogs. Technorati ranked its authority at 9,581 and placed it thirty-seventh among blogs worldwide. Quantcast charted over 1.1 million monthly unique visitors, sixty-five percent of whom were from the United States.

• 3. The PepsiCo Backlash

  ›

  In June 2010, ScienceBlogs started a blog sponsored by PepsiCo written by their employees. This move led to backlash by many bloggers who considered this an unethical mix of advertising and journalism. The PepsiCo blog was withdrawn from the network shortly after its launch. The affair became informally known as PepsiGate. By the middle of July approximately a quarter of the bloggers had left ScienceBlogs. PZ Myers of Pharyngula announced he would go on strike as part of a general feeling that Seed failed to respond to concerns surrounding the incident. Seed Media responded by killing off Food Frontiers, the PepsiCo sponsored blog, but that did not stop the defections. A writer at the New York Times Magazine reviewed the incident and commented that ScienceBlogs had become Fox News for the religion-baiting crowd. Some other science blogging networks launched including scientopia.org, scienceseeker.org, and one hosted by The Guardian.

• 4. Industry Accolades

  ›

  ScienceBlogs received notable awards at the end of its first year of activity in 2006. The UTNE Independent Press Award granted Best Science/Technology Coverage to Seed. Two blogs on the network won Weblog awards specifically. Pharyngula took home the award for Best Science Blog. Respectful Insolence won for Best Medical/Health Issues Blog. These accolades highlighted the success of the platform during its early years. The awards recognized the quality of writing produced by active scientists working in industry, universities, and medical schools. College professors, physicians, professional writers, graduate students, and post-docs all contributed to this winning content. The recognition helped establish credibility for the invitation-only community before it faced later controversies.

• 5. The Financial Collapse

  ›

  On the 14th of October 2017, astrophysics blogger Steinn Sigurðsson publicly revealed that ScienceBlogs was due to be shut down. David Gorski stated that the site had barely existed as an entity for a few years prior to this announcement. Astrophysics blogger Ethan Siegel reported on the 22nd of October 2017 that ScienceBlogs informed bloggers they no longer had funds to keep the site operational. They would be shutting down immediately after confirming the lack of resources. ScienceBlogs closed at the end of October 2017 after operating for eleven years. The shutdown marked the end of a network that once hosted seventy-five blogs dedicated to various fields of research. The financial failure ended the ability of authors to write about subjects without editorial control.

• 6. A Brief Revival Attempt

  ›

  In late August 2018, a note appeared on the home page suggesting the site was about to become active again. The notice stated that ScienceBlogs was now part of the Science 2.0 family. Plans were in place to make the site active once more. This revival attempt came only months after the official closure in October 2017. The front page displayed the message while the original network had been inactive since the previous year. No further details emerged regarding the success or duration of this brief reactivation effort. The website eventually remained dormant following this short-lived announcement.