Image via Wikipedia
Blogging will never make me rich or secure me a spot on Oprah’s book club, which doesn’t include blogs anyway, and it will never pay for a trip to Timbuktu.
Yet, I can still travel there for free and virtually bake in the sun without getting burned.
So, what’s the secret addictive additive in blogging – fame, glory, or immediate gratification?
I’ll take immediate gratification for $200.
Waiting months or years for a magazine editor to respond to a submission is too distracting and can cause me to drive off the road into a ditch.
As I step out of the car over a flattened squirrel, I shout, “Damn editor! It’s your fault I drove off the road. I know there’s a better way even if it doesn’t pay the bills.”
Listening to a nurse read another rejection form letter while on my deathbed just doesn’t make sense. Not when I can post something in the, somewhat, prime of my life, and get a “thumbs up or down” soon after publishing it.
Admittedly, there’s no money changing hands or plaques gracing my den wall. In Cyberland, there are virtual trophies and badges to place on a blog wall. They’re like cameo brooches in a case at a jewelry store.
But is virtual bling enough to satisfy a blogging addiction? The answer is “yes.” Virtual bling is indicative of ones cyber worth a.k.a. a readership and/or blogging friends, who are consistent with immediate gratification or comment crack.
It’s the comments that lure me back to the Net and the adrenaline I get from writing a post and then publishing it.
When I’m online, I’m lost in a blogging haze. I can communicate with my imaginary avatar friends 24 hours a day in much the same way a medium communicates with the dead, except with cable.
Like the spirit world and Vegas, the virtual world never sleeps and harbors some unseemly places. Remember the Craigslist.org scandal or rather Craigslist.orgy? Although I don’t condone blasphemous behavior, infamous news makes great blog fodder.
Blog fodder is cyber fossil fuel and fills a Blogger‘s brain with creative octane. If a Blogger runs out of gas on a virtual road, she’ll be stuck and forced to hitch a ride with the nearest link, the first stop on an endless trip.
There is no Blogger AAA or GPS. Only a SOS to imaginary friends can rescue a lost soul on the Internet and keep a Blogging obsession alive, while a medium keeps her obsession dead.
I’d rather read a Blogger’s comment than listen to a ghost whine. Ghosts are terrible house guests. They arrive uninvited and don’t know when to disappear, unlike most Bloggers who are excellent guests. They come and go as they please and are never a problem.
When it’s time for me to say goodnight, an exorcism isn’t required. All I need do is type “gtg” (got to go) and disconnect, knowing I’ll be back again tomorrow for yet another blogging fix.
Related articles
- 8 Sure Fire Networking Strategies for Blogging Success (famousbloggers.net)
- Make Your Own Blog and Start Blogging This 2011 (analuzcastro.wordpress.com)
- Social Media Addicts [Amanda Vlahakis] (ecademy.com)
If you enjoyed reading this post, then please remember to post a comment, Subscribe to my RSS feed.
Twitter: mizept
Hello,
Enjoyed your post very much!
I´m a blogging “addicted” myself and I often think about the topic: Which is the real substance of the blogging fix.
I also compare my blog-hopping to a virtual voyage and can describe that activity as a 2nd blogging fix substance. I guess I´m not that weirdo after all..there are many of us
All the best,
Mizé
Mizé recently posted..Last Week Recap
Twitter: thinkspin
Thank you so much Mizé,
Yes, you are not alone. : ) We are all substance abusers.
I love “virtual voyage” and “second blogging fix substance.”
Thanks for commenting.
Best,
Lauren
Twitter: danalingga
What I like from blogging is the “no boundaries” as in real world. We can connect around the world easily.
Twitter: thinkspin
Yes Dana. It’s like astral planing but with the use of a body. The soul is a wonderful thing but doesn’t have the ability to keyboard or make a good cup of coffee.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Best,
Lauren
Twitter: money_whisper
This is the great thing about the Internet. It can connect people from all over the world in an instant and allows you to establish relations with persons that you aren’t able to meet in real life given the distance between you. I know people that got their hole life changed because of the Internet and even moved to different countries to establish a family.
Twitter: thinkspin
John,
It amazes me that we can communicate with an entire world (almost) just by sitting in a chair and going online. I’m not surprised to hear that the Internet has changed lives in the way you described. It’s great that two people can meet and maintain a relationship from opposite ends of the globe.
Thanks for stopping by.
Lauren
Hey Lauren,
Great post, and I enjoyed reading all of your analogies to blogging. You also introduced me to a new word “blog fodder”. I think my blog fodder has definitely increased after reading this. Thanks for the blogging fix.
John recently posted..How to Remove Moles From Your Face Naturally – 3 Home Remedies That Really Work
Twitter: thinkspin
Thanks so much, John.
Just don’t overdose on comment crack. : )
I think my friend Tracie at http://snugglewasteland.com/ coined the phrase “blog fodder.” She is hilarious btw.
Thanks for commenting.
Best,
Lauren
Twitter: BlazingMinds
Thanks Lauren for another brilliant Guest Post, keep ‘em coming
Karen recently posted..The Best And Worst Simpsons Guest Stars
Twitter: thinkspin
Thank you, Karen. You’re such an amazing host. : )
Twitter: BlazingMinds
I try my best
Lauren you are one of my favorite blog mediums out here!!!
What an awesome post my friend!
Twitter: thinkspin
Thank you, Mrs. B. It’s friends like you that make blogging so rewarding and so addictive.
What a funny post. Gave me a good laugh. Some people are just born to write. Those people that are born to write are likely to be blogging addicts. I don’t know if I’m an addict…but I sure like it.
jenny recently posted..Press Release Announcing The New Site
Twitter: thinkspin
Thank you, Jenny. I’m so glad that you enjoyed the post. You may be a blogging addict and not know it. : ) I should create a blogging addict quiz.
Hello Lauren,
Nice story(it sounded like one with all the ghosts on all). I guess everybody has an addiction a some point in time and being addicted to your blog I don’t think is anything new, although you say the addiction is not owed to money, I think it’s because of all those great conversations you have with your commenters and the thrill of publishing a new post
.
I know that every addiction that I had involved interaction with other people, so I consider myself as an interaction addict, a discussion maniac.
Keep that haunting on!
Alex recently posted..Salon de infrumusetare
Twitter: thinkspin
Alex,
It’s tough being both haunted and addicted. : ) I’d rather be a discussion maniac because then all mental activity is going out rather than coming in.
Twitter: Jayne_Martin
Hi, Lauren…
You are so right on with this post. Bottom line, a writer needs an audience — because if a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one around, it really doesn’t make a sound.
Good post, my friend.
Twitter: thinkspin
Jayne,
Thank you so much. Yes, that is absolutely correct. Loved your “tree falls in the forest” metaphor. The worst sound of all is no sound at all.
Lauren
Twitter: redheadranting
Blogging is addictive and the comments are like crack. I can’t get enough of either one of them. Ideas, or fodder, seem to come in waves followed by drought.
Jen recently posted..Charlie Sheen on Mission to Bring Back Favorite Catchwords from the 80s
Twitter: thinkspin
Hi Jen,
Maybe you’re confusing blog flotsam with blog fodder. Blog flotsam floats in on a wave. Blog fodder is like a really cool sailboat that drops anchor in a bay. For droughts, I recommend keeping lots of bottled water with you while you write and Stephen King’s book On Writing.
You’ve got so many great ideas. It surprises me that you ever experience a drought.
Information overload shuts my brain down. That’s when I take a break and get the shakes a.k.a. blogging withdrawal symptoms.
Lauren
Twitter: redheadranting
Stephen King’s On Writing is the best book on writing I have ever read and I highly recommend it to anyone who even thinks about writing.
I get ideas all the time to write about but many of them take effort and some times I don’t want to expel any. When that happens I move to Facebook and microblog for a while.
Jen recently posted..Charlie Sheen on Mission to Bring Back Favorite Catchwords from the 80s
Twitter: thinkspin
Echoing your words on Stephen King’s book.
Yep, I have definitely lost my writing mojo when composing a post feels more like trudging through two-feet of snow.
Twitter: kirapermunian
I think I agree with the title much! Blogging is really addictive. Meeting real people with the same interest is really addictive. I am addicted into it. I couldn’t sleep now and even I’m asleep my mind is still blogging Oh crazy! Good job! I like this post.
Twitter: thinkspin
Kira,
Thank you so much. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. I couldn’t agree with you more. : ) Maybe we’re all sleepblogging.
Twitter: cmygoodies
Not sure if I am addicted to blogging but I often get lost in commenting on other people’s blogs.
Sandra recently posted..Why I love My Far Portable Infrared Sauna
Twitter: thinkspin
Sandra,
For virtual trips, I use a 3D Solar Traveler Screensaver. : )
Twitter: thatgirlisfunny
Karen,
This topic is right on time for me. I just got a huge dose of virtual bling from blogging yesterday (and to be honest, for all the days leading up to yesterday). Because I started blogging, I’ve gotten connected to some really cool peeps.
All sorts of “virtual bling” has shown up because of these blogger relationships. The immediacy keeps me hooked and looking for more. Check my post (oh it’s not showing up as most recent on the comluv). Anyway, come over and see what once in a lifetime opportunity my virtual journey has brought me. New post title “Yahoo Production Crew Visits thatgirlisfunny”
This would NOT have happened if I hadn’t started blogging. You just never know what you’ll find as you continue along your blogging path
Cheryl from thatgirlisfunny recently posted..Facebook Fan Page Blog Hop – Like Me And I Like You Back – Round 2
Twitter: thinkspin
Hi Cheryl,
I’m Lauren. I wrote the post. Glad that you found the post to be timely. Not knowing what you’ll find next is a huge part of the blogging addiction. The “never a dull moment” and “surprise factor” are a real adrenaline rush.
Congrats on your huge dose of virtual bling. : )
Keep on blogging!
Lauren
Twitter: RetroCollage
I find exploring other’s blogs rather addictive as well as working on my own. In some ways, even more addictive. Once I start reading a new blog, I can get lost for hours!
Art of RetroCollage recently posted..Collage for Toy Trains- the Art of Obsolete Technology
Twitter: thinkspin
Hi Art,
Thanks for commenting.
It’s definitely easy to get lost for hours in cyberspace. Although, at times being plugged in online 24/7 can be a bit overwhelming, especially when you haven’t found your footing on earthly ground.
Last week, I took a break from blogging cold turkey after getting lost in my head from a lack of work. In effect, I watched both worlds collide. Now I’m back. I realized that blogging keeps me sane when life makes me crazy on planet earth.
Keep on blogging!
Lauren
Twitter: Witty_Money
It’s amazing how technology evolved. At first I didn’t think Internet was addictive, and it slowly got me, making me contradict myself. As for blogging you can create a lot of friends, learn a lot of new stuff. The part I don’t like is that it makes you stick to the screen and you lose a little on the real interaction. But I guess that can be balanced by going out with the other friends, the flesh and blood ones:))))
Twitter: thinkspin
LOL! You definitely need a flesh and blood friend fix from time-to-time.
Twitter: aboutmyway
Writing has been an addiction to me ever since I discovered my talent 7years ago and blogging has also come to stay because it’s really a fusion of two passions in my life (pc and writing)…
That’s the definition of me
Nice work, Lauren
Twitter: thinkspin
Thanks. Love your name, btw.
I love to write, too. When I don’t write, I get cranky. Though, on occasion the fusion of these two lovely obsessions, i.e., computer and blogging, causes my brain to freeze, which requires a reboot. It’s just too addictive! If only there was a cure. : )
Twitter: aboutmyway
Thanks thanks. Almost everyone I come across asks what sort of a name that is
That aside, I do know a cure of course and if you ask nicely, I’d tell you ASAP
Twitter: thinkspin
Please, please. I’m asking nicely. What is the cure? And what is the origin of the name Chukwuka Okwukwe Chukwuka?
Twitter: aboutmyway
The cure is for you to quit writing. Can You?
The origin of the name Chukwuka Okwukwe Chukwuka is from the Igbo ethnic group in eastern Nigeria. I actually have an article on that on my blog.
Twitter: thinkspin
Quitting writing is not an option!
I definitely will stop be to read about your name at your blog.
Twitter: aboutmyway
Well! Well! We have a dedicated writer and blogger here who won’t quit. That’s good. I was actually trying to see if the passion was still there in you.
Thanks. Will be expecting you.