the amazing, shrinking science blogging network

Does anyone else hear that odd, hissing sound? It seems to be coming from ScienceBlogs, which is losing contributors even after the huge mess that was PepsiCo’s attempt at science blogging finally began to die down. As of last count, it lost some twenty blogs. That’s roughly 24% of its portfolio, and now, with the rather shocking departure of Bora Zivkovic, who was one of the people who many Sb bloggers considered a close friend and mentor, more may be willing to follow. It’s not about corporate sponsors and journalism anymore, it’s about a spillover of pent-up conflicts behind the scenes and in some cases, blatantly self-serving cries for attention. Pepsi’s corporate blog, which was doomed way before it was ever even considered by Bly & Co., was just the final straw for those fed up with Sb’s business practices, a way to leave the network with a bang rather than a whimper, and a sign that things will never change for those long frustrated with Sb’s direction.

But it was highly unlikely that Adam Bly would feel the impact of even that many of his bloggers closing shop since his top attractions, PZ and Ed Brayton, remain firmly planted at Sb, which meant that for the time being, roughly half of his traffic is staying put. Even trimming down to just 40 blogs would’ve been an acceptable risk for the network, since the bloggers who stay would probably account for a major chunk of the consistent, daily readership. However, knowing just how much pull he has at the network, PZ decided to go on strike until he’s seen some commitment from the network on improving relations with bloggers. If I were Bly, I would be really worried. I mean really worried. The residual traffic to Pharyngula will be steady for a while, but without any new posts for more than a few weeks, the hit counters will go into a nosedive. And if PZ does go solo, as he’s made very clear he’s willing do in his last post, Sb could be pretty much dead in the water.