Feb 23 2007
Warning: Blogging Has Side Effects
Ms. Q is a Lone Blogger.
She had no idea that blogging would have side effects.
You may think that all you have to worry about is carpal tunnel and having to increase your chiropractic sessions but blogging is more than being hunched at the computer for hours on end muttering to yourself and navigating between several tabbed windows.
Blogging can have a serious impact on your life.
The types of side effects you experience will depend on:
- What type of blogger you are (rambler, topic-specific, personal).
- Are you a Lone Blogger (you don’t know anyone else who blogs).
- Frequency of blogging (less blogging, fewer side effects).
Have you suffered any of these side effects?
- You no longer write long emails to your friends. You save it for the blog.
- You no longer want to tell stories – you tell people to either read your blog or wait for the post.
- You forget what you wrote until someone mentions some fact about you that you don’t recall telling them.
- You reference your blog in conversation forgetting that not everyone reads it. Or even knows about it.
- You see the world through bloggers’ eyes: everything might be a potential post.
- You become obsessed with statistics: number of visitors, pages views, traffic, clicks.
- You wished everyone blogged so you didn’t have to do all this talking.
- Your friends forget to call or email you because they read your blog and feel “all caught up.” They are caught up with you but you have no idea what’s going on with them.
- Your life is divided by those who know you blog and those who don’t.
- You reference your Blogger Rock Stars (Darren Rowse, John Chow, Steve Pavlina) and no one knows whom you’re talking about.
- You lose weight because you forget to eat while blogging.
- You gain weight because all you do is blog.
- You sometimes wish you never started blogging because now you can’t stop and you feel guilty if you don’t post regularly.
- Your usage of lists and bullets has increased.
- You realize that there are those who blog and … everyone else.
[...] Warning: Blogging Has Side Effects – I enjoy reading the posts on this blog as they are always funny and insightful at the same time. [...]
Brilliant! And so very true!
The effects of blogging to Ms. Q is probably different to everybody else. I don’t think that normal people will end up like her. I guess being a lone blogger is just a quick phase of blogging. Nobody can remain being interested in something if they don’t have someone to share it with.
Hi, Pamela –
I disagree with you on the point that a person can’t remain interested in something if they don’t have anyone to share it with. If you’re passionate about something, you’ll keep doing it. If you’re inspired by something, you’ll keep doing it. Heck, if you’re obsessed with something, you’ll keep doing it.
If you stop doing something because no one else shares your interest, I guess you weren’t all that interested in it in the first place.
I concede that many people find it easier to maintain an interest when it’s shared.
I agree with you that I’m not normal.
Four-foot-ten-and-three-quarter inch wine-sipping writers aren’t exactly running amok. And that’s a good thing.
Are you truly a lone blogger? You know me, and I blog. Well, I sorta of blog. I’ll probably post a couple in the next few days. I going to start blogging regular again. It will help that I’m finally getting broadband at place I’m living at (well, until I move again). Wooohoo!
FYI, I’m sneaking this comment in from work… =)
Hey, Sewell – I didn’t count you as a fellow blogger because you post so rarely. It’s great you’re starting again – I’ll be happy to give up my “lone blogger” status!