08 January 2006

The Doctor is In

Myblog: A persistent condition often contracted after the 1st of the year manifesting as chronic introspection resulting in blog crisis. Bloggers exhibiting symptoms write: What is the point of my blog? How has having readers affected my content? What do I want to do with my blog now, and how can I get more out of it? If my readership reaches a critical mass, will their volume make it easier for me to ignore their influence on my writing or more difficult? If having more readers will make it more difficult for me to write whatever I want, why do I care what my hit count is? Is a blog with no readers still a blog?

There is no single, proven cure, but the following treatments may alleviate the symptoms:
Jerkification of the self in writing so as to convey, "This is MY blog, and I don't care what you think!" (Possible side effects: readers may think you are a jerk if you act like one, loss of some readers, and in extreme cases, loss of all readers- in that case, discontinue jerkification immediately and post nude pictures and porn links until your hit count returns to normal.)

Remove comments and hit counter from your blog: Write solely for yourself. (Possible side effects: loss of gratification, loss of blog community, and severe stat withdrawal.)

Blog Therapy: Reread last year's posts, and note what it is about your favorite entries you like best. Remember why you started the blog in the first place and what made it fun. (Possible side effect: you may end up with more questions than answers.)

Elements of each treatment may be combined and adapted to best serve an individual's needs.

Studies have shown that the success rate of each treatment drastically improves when the afflicted gets out of the house and does something interesting. Nearly all test subjects with interesting behavior who also participated in one of the treatment programs, as well as the control group with interesting behavior and no other treatment, blogged about compelling events instead of blog angst.

There is still much to learn about Myblog. What causes it? Why are some bloggers more susceptible to it than others? Can it be eradicated? Until we have all the answers, know that you are not alone. Many suffer from Myblog. Together, we will overcome it. Your monetary donation will ensure that the research continues until a cure is found. (Claire will accept cash, checks, and money orders on behalf of the Myblog Foundation. Make your check or money order payable to Claire.)

7 comments:

  1. well that was a good post. i have been thinking about this too recently, trying to be true to my blog, yet stll wanting readers. it is tough.

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  2. It's hard to continue to write just for yourself when you're conscious of your readership. Yet I'm still just generating and writing the same random crap I always do. I'm finding with a job now, I don't have the time to ponder entries like I did when I was unemployed.

    But now that I've been unlinked from a D-list celebrity website, I'm only getting hits from my core group of readers again - and that makes me happy (as long as they don't mind random crap!)

    I really enjoy your posts, Claire. There's a great honesty and warmth that comes through in your very good writing. I look forward to whatever you choose to share with us. :-)

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  3. CS- I think you handle it really well at your blog.

    Merujo- Aw shucks. Thanks. Also, I think it's indicative of an interesting quirk to blogs. An author who publishes books goes through the process of writing without audience feedback...their input comes in when the book is done. Blogging is more interactive due to the serialness and frequency of posts. It's an odd medium.

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  4. I think this is going around this year.

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  5. I was thinking that particularly when I read your post about not feeling well and wishing everyone else would take a few days off blogging so you wouldn't get behind.

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  6. I got it really bad towards the end of last year.

    It's like a virtual version of The Christmas Cough that everyone gets.

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  7. Exactly. It's enough to make me think it's a bad idea for society/cultures to make such a big deal out of new year's.

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