If you are quoting us, writing an article, or linking to us, our preferred mode of designation is AustenBlog, capital A, capital B, no space, because we’re hip and postmodern that way. An acceptable alternative is AustenBlog.com, which cleverly combines the site name and domain. We thank you for your support!

What is AustenBlog?

AustenBlog is a compendium of news about Jane Austen in popular culture: mentions in newspaper articles, books and magazines; film adaptations; paraliterature such as continuations of the novels or modern retellings; Austen-related events; and other manifestations of the delightful way in which Jane Austen and her work have informed today’s popular culture. As our tagline says, “She’s everywhere.”

Where do you get your information?

We gather information from many sources: news outlets, e-mails from readers, a few well-placed sources, and good old-fashioned research. A simple Google search can lead to some interesting places.

Why do we need another Jane Austen site?

We conceived AustenBlog to fulfill what we perceived as an information gap in the online Austen fandom. There are many excellent Jane Austen discussion sites and mailing lists (we belong to many of them) but there was no site that just collected news, run on journalistic principles. Since fandom abhors a vacuum, rumors had a tendency to proliferate, grow and become accepted as truth, because there was no reliable source for fact checking.

We have long admired The Leaky Cauldron, which provides that kind of service to the Harry Potter fandom. We have created AustenBlog very much in TLC’s image. We are still developing our network of sources, but hope that as awareness spreads of the existence of AustenBlog and the principles upon which it was founded that more sources of information will become available to us, and will even seek us out.

I heard a rumor/saw an interesting article/know about an upcoming Jane Austen-themed event/am writing a book related to Jane Austen/am Colin Firth’s second cousin once removed on his mother’s side. May I send you the information?

Please do! We would be delighted to receive any information from an interesting link to your upcoming publication to information about your group’s Jane Austen-related activity. Send your news to editor AT austenblog.com (naturally, change that to a regular @ e-mail address; we post it that way to prevent harvesting by spambots). We will give full credit for all tips, including a link back to your Web site. Let us know if you would like the link and provide the URI in the e-mail. If you do not want your name posted for any reason, please let us know when you send the news item or tip and we will hold your identity in the strictest confidence.

Please don’t post spam comments about your book or program. Send any media information, press releases, etc. to austenblog AT gmail.com and we will take care of posting the information. Spam comments will be deleted. Repeated episodes of spam comments will get you banned from posting and all references to your project removed from the weblog. Don’t be afraid to deal with us upfront; we don’t bite, and we really want to get the news about your project out to your fellow Janeites.

Submission of a link or news item does not guarantee inclusion in AustenBlog. We retain editorial discretion over all submissions.

How do I get my project linked on AustenBlog?

Send it to austenblog AT gmail.com. If we feel it is appropriate for our audience, we will include it.

Our linking policy for “On The Street” projects (those in general release) is to maintain the link for one year from the release date. New editions (paperback books, DVDs) or release in a different country might renew the link time at the Editrix’s discretion.

May I quote or link AustenBlog on another site?

Certainly; we created the weblog to disseminate information to other Janeites. Feel free to pass on the news, but please read the following information first for our preferences and policies.

We realize that many Janeites are accustomed to more traditional online discussion outlets and are unfamiliar with the conventions of weblogs and the blogosphere. Thus, we take this opportunity to explain the conventions of linking and quoting that most webloggers, including the AustenBlog staff, follow.

There are many different types of weblogs, sometimes called “blogs” for short. Wikipedia explains several types of weblogs. We would place AustenBlog under the “Topical” category.

Weblogs, by their nature, contain links and information, and AustenBlog is no different. In the blogosphere, links are disseminated from one weblog to the other; this incestuous linking is assumed and desired and there is no need to ask permission. However, when you post a link or information that you have read on a weblog at another site, it is considered good netiquette to link back to the weblog where you found the information, or at least to mention the name of the weblog. We appreciate links (and accept pings and trackbacks), not only because it lets us know that the time we spend digging up tidbits of Jane news is appreciated, but more importantly because it gets the word out to other Janeites about AustenBlog. The more who are aware of the site, the more likely we are to receive all the latest news in a timely manner, and the better a resource the weblog will become for the online Jane Austen fandom.

AustenBlog is licensed under a Creative Commons License. The license specifically permits quoting the weblog with attribution (that part is important, hence the bold). So link away and quote away; spread the word, and contribute your news. AustenBlog was created by Jane Austen fans for Jane Austen fans and your support is very much appreciated.