OBD: Obsessive Blogging Disorder

Update 4/11:  So I’m a bit bummed because, in googling my new diagnosis “obsessive blogging disorder” to see if it showed anywhere yet (yes, I am that vain…er, hopeful) and make this the official (satirical) online support group, I see where this blogger had named this malady a few months back.  I guess that many bloggers think a like!  Maaaaaan, I really wanted credit for this one.

 

To report on my life since starting this blasted blog in January (as a New Year’s Resolution for 2008)…

I have discovered a new disorder that must be listed in the DSM: OBD — OBSESSIVE BLOGGING DISORDER

I am sure anyone who amateurly blogs with any regularity will agree with me — blogging creates a black hole in your day, a vacuum of time and energy.  And it is extremely gratifying, even when there are no comments at the end of the day.  It is a great stress reliever and a rewarding hobby. 

But if you are thinking about blogging and know that you have obsessive-compulsive tendencies, be forewarned.  I wish someone had told me these things four months ago. 

I arise in the wee hours to check all of my favorite sites for breaking news and current events.  OK, I’ll admit that my site doesn’t much mirror that, but I doooo.  It’s like a game to find that interesting story hidden somewhere.  But for a person with OCD, the question is what time is too early?  It’s enough to make one rise just knowing that, out there in the blogosphere, there is someone equally as obsessive who is currently checking things out.  This alone will cause this blogmistress to stumble out of bed and start clicking for the day. 

The next hurdle for someone who is as double-check-y as I am is the issue of tagging.  Just how specific must one get with tags?  I need to learn to trust a software to do this for me.  Still, I become all subcategorical in my thinking — maybe it’s the early hours — and just cannot stop with the tagging.  What’s with that?  As in a recent post, here is my brain (on coffee):  Well, there’s “science”…but this is “neuroscience”…but there’s “medicine”…which is also “healthcare”…and it requires “care”…so add in “health”…and “prevention,” and the list goes on and on, in all directions.  Eventually, I arrive at “childcare” — how did that happen?

And don’t EVEN start with the pinging.  First of all, I am constantly asking myself, “Did I ping that?”  I am even so OBD as to question, is “ping” a verb — as in, “Have I pung today,” or “When was the last time I pang?”  It’s unnerving, really, just how far this obsession goes.  And there is always some new terminology for a blogging novice to learn.  Again, I should be able to trust a single application to do all of the pinging for me, but it’s a kind of pinging avarice to make sure as many are “pung” as possible.  It’s an OBD issue.

Another is in the composition of a post — finding just the right graphic.  I have found that I can search through free images forever for that perfect pic to grab attention for a post.  As a result, my posts are often held in “drafts” until I locate that JPEG that fits the story.

Arghhhh… 

I could go on and on forever with these newfound obsessions, but I will leave it with the worst — checking the stats and hits for the day.  Does anyone else get carried away with this?  I have become a lover of graphs and charts.  I have been bored with statistics my entire life, but I am now reliant on them everyday.  How did this happen?  Constantly checking the number of hits to the blog, watching to see if the number of visits will hit the record each day, to gauge where the traffic comes from, and the clicks out to gauge what people find interesting.  I will most certainly be a certifiable marketing analyst by the end of the year — OK, I’ll admit, probably just certifiable.

No, wait…the worst is this blogging obsession:   

A perfect example of OBD is in ending this post.  You see…I don’t want to.  It’s like signing off on myself.  To hit that “publish” button each time I finish a post is such a finality, as if to say, “This post encompasses all that I feel and know about this subject at this time, and possibly ever.”  I need to post a disclaimer that I often become much more knowledgeable after reading the comments left by my few regular readers (who are quite articulate and well-read), or have better clarity as the day progresses, or often just serendipitously hear some new information by the end of my day about what I posted this morning.  I will inevitably throw my fist to my forehead as I think of something “brilliant” that could have been included in this morning’s post.  This is exactly why I could never deal with writing a book.  Seriously, how do authors do it?

One thing is for sure — OBD has taken over my life.  Hubby is noticing huge chunks of time out of my day.  There are days that the clean clothes pile a bit in the baskets for folding.  He’s starting to ask where the groceries are.  LOL  I’ve got to get this under control before he starts to ask when this new hobby is going to make some money.  That’s a laugh.

I have also learned that I now feel naked when sitting without the warmth of a laptop on my thighs.  Yep, that’s OBD for ya.  It’s even so bad that my weary-eyed family often says, “You’re going to put that in your blog, aren’t you,” not even waiting for a reply.  It has, however, prompted a call or two from hubby from work with, “Hey, here’s something you might find interesting for your blog…”  See, they have become my enablers and feed this habit.

Still, even in being afflicted with Obsessive Blogging Disorder, it’s the most fun that this nerd has had in a long time.  I am convinced that my family will have my headstone one day read: Beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, blogger. 

Ugh…now, just to push that “publish” button…here goes!

~ by Galvanized on April 5, 2007.