Ahem…um…can I just say, this is a "do as I say, not as I do" post? Do you see my mistake? If so, you get a gold star. 
Blog carnivals are a great way to get involved in the blogging community, find interesting blogs to follow and promote your own blog in the process. And it's fun too!
What is a blog carnival?
It works like this: Blogger A "hosts" a blog carnival by writing a post (usually with a specified topic or theme) and then invites others to "link up" their own posts (also on the same specified topic or theme).
(For example, this post is part of the Works For Me Wednesday blog carnival hosted by Kristen at We Are THAT Family. If you go there, you'll see all the people who have taken part in WFMW by linking up their own posts.)
What's the biggest mistake blog carnival participants make?
Weak links!
One major advantage of participating in a blog carnival is the boost in traffic to your blog. As such, take full advantage of the 50 or so characters you're allowed when posting your link and PACK A PUNCH!
So often I see links like this:
My very, very long name (oh, and a vague, two-word hint about my post)
Instead, try this:
My short name (my intriguing, catchy title)
How to make your blog carnival link stand out
Your link will be one among many, so if you want people to click on it, you've gotta make it stand out.
- Grab their attention. Some carnivals have specific formats for posting your link, but many do not. I'm all for following the rules when they exist (by the way, most carnivals have at least some participation guidelines, so always be aware of them before jumping in), but if you're allowed some creative flexibility, take it! Don't feel like you have to follow everyone else and the way they do it. Be different!
- Make it intriguing. Think about the types of links you click on. What kind do you skim right over and what kind make you stop and click? In my experience, the links I stop to look at are the ones that offer me enough information to make me want to explore further. (Personally, I'm a sucker for "How to…." and "10 Tips…." type links.)
- Use keywords. If possible, incorporate keywords into your link, because after all, when it comes to SEO, that link essentially acts as a vote for your site. You might as well take advantage of the opportunity if you can!
- Utilize the available space in your link, but not more. Take note of what linky your blog carnival host/hostess uses and how many characters you're allowed for your link. Before you submit your link, use a tool like Letter Count to make sure your link fits within the allotted space. If you can keep your link short but sweet, great. Too long links are not cool.
How to find blog carnivals in which to participate
Go where your readers are. Participate in carnivals your readers (and potential readers!) participate in. I suppose this is a no-brainer now that we've talked about this idea ad nauseam. But still, in case you missed How the Internet Can Kill Your Blog and How to Write a Killer About Page, you really should hang out where your readers do.
You could google "blog carnivals" for a list, but I suggest reading other blogs in your niche and taking note of the carnivals those bloggers take part in. Generally, if a post is part of a carnival, there will be a link to that carnival somewhere in it (often at the end).
Bonus tip: Make your linked post a good one!
Here at BloggingWithAmy you'll find tips, tools & tutorials about blogging and websites. In plain English. Want to 
You left out one very important factor for getting traffic. Keep you butt off of Facebook when you know Works For Me Wednesday is about to be posted so you can be among the top five or so to link up. =) Thanks for the great info!
I might suggest another option for a Linky link:
Catchy title (name)
That way people can scan the first words of all the links instead of trying to find the titles in between the parentheses following the sometimes-not-very-short names.
Great tip. I definitely should give more thought to my linky title. I will keep in mind how *I* choose which ones to look at. There are SO MANY links on WFMW now — you really have to have a great title to get any traffic.
Ditto Julie! Except my excuse this week for being #37 is that I was watching Bones!!!
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing – I'm always looking for help in that area.
You know, this is a great tip, but always so hard for me to do! I like to leave my name as Amber@ClassicHousewife, but it's so long. Even just ClassicHousewife, is sometimes too long if they have a short text field.
I shoulda thought of this when I was choosing a blog name. My whole blog name is A Classic Housewife in a Modern World but I really only use the Classic Housewife everywhere… I could use CHMW but everyone who has already gotten used to seeing my "signature" wouldn't know who I was!!
I suppose.. I could continue with my standard signature for comments and switch to the CHMW for carnivals.. I've never really considered doing that! That could work. And it would leave tons of room for keywords!
Great tips!
Another one comes to mind, maybe because I feel pretty strongly about it. If you are going to link to a carnival, know the guidelines, stay on topic, and mingle. It always makes me cringe when I get the feeling someone is simply using the carnival for numbers purposes.
And no matter what words you use, speak from the heart. Be yourself. If people don't sense you are being "real", they won't be back.
Great ideas! Sometimes I have problems trying to come up with catchy names though?
Great tips as usual, Amy. Thanks so much!! I will have to think about my links next time.
Great tips! I had a "How To.." this week, too.
Blessings,
Michele
Please help me out here. I have to say when I see these I just ignore them. Who wants to wade through a big list.? To me this seemed like a huge waste of time but everyone keeps saying how great they are.
So, I tried it a few times and I saw no increase in traffic at all. Is this more for SEO or more to get people to your site?
Tawra
Is your mistake that you've not included a blog carnival at the end of your post? Curious to know what it is!!
Actually, my mistake is that I didn't name my link correctly on WFMW. In other words, I didn't follow the guidelines.
Well, that is a GREAT reason to be posting late!!
Really smart. I love all the ideas. And I followed several of your links to past articles as well. Thanks for the tips!
I think another important thing to remember in carnivals is pretty simple, but often over-looked – PARTICIPATION. While most gals can't vist all the links, at least 2-5 would be nice. Afterall, isn't that the intention of the carnival, to hop around?
I can't tell you how many times I've observed that some bloggers link their post to multiple carnivals – Can it be that they are really taking time to visit other posts of other contributors or are they just using these carnivals in hopes of increasing traffic?
I try not to link up if I know I'll not have the time to invest in perusing a handful of the others.
Great tips Amy! Love having the opportunity to participate in blog carnivals occasionally, but I really should be more consistent. Thanks for sharing!
Great tips! Now I'm off to visit some hops and make some new friends!!
I've had some luck with carnivals in the past, but it can be time consuming finding those which are suited for uber-targeted niche sites.
The search continues…