Thursday, October 13, 2005

Blogging: Cure or disease?

The Washington Post takes yet another mainstream media swipe at blogging. They've found some quack to fret over the mental health implictions of getting too personal on your blog:

Although it may feel good to blog, psychologists warn that going public with private musings may have ramifications, and that little research has been done on the consequences of the Internet confessional.

"I certainly don't advise anyone to do it. They're taking a big risk," said Patricia Wallace, a psychologist and researcher at Johns Hopkins University and author of "The Psychology of the Internet." People open themselves up to cruel comments, and worse: identity theft, for instance, or even losing a job for kvetching about a boss.


Remember The Peoria Pundit's 25 Rules for Good Blogging No. 12: Do not blog about work. Trust me on this one. Even if you do it anonymously, someone will find out.

Blogging has kept me sane for the past couple of months. So I guess I can say that it feels good. When I have something to write about -- and can't get to a computer right away -- I start getting very anxious.

So my upcoming six-day hiatus will be like going cold turkey.

Perhaps I need something like BA: Bloggers Anonymous.

Maybe Mark DeSantis and John McConnell will try to have me committed. For my own good, of course.

Well, I'm depressed (not clinically) now. So I'm going to go take a 12-hour nap.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Alcohol's a good way to relieve stress and keep yourself sane too.

Billy Dennis said...

Alcohol is a good way to get a hangover, too. I used to enjoy beer with friends, but it's a lousy way to ease stress.