Blogging is time consuming. There I said it. Especially when you write for multiple blogs and web properties. Blogging is somewhat addicting, but it is very time consuming. Blogging is all about getting the word out, getting the story out and communicating your opinion. So when an article about the stresses of blogging was pointed out to me this morning I thought that I needed to share it.
Unless you actively engage in a blog, you have no idea of what it takes to maintain one. It's a lot of work. The article that I was referring to was from the NY Times and was written by Matt Richtel. In the piece, Richtel lists a number of prominent bloggers who have experienced stress, health issues and even death due to the tiring demands of blogging. Richtel writes:
A growing work force of home-office laborers and entrepreneurs, armed with computers and smartphones and wired to the hilt, are toiling under great physical and emotional stress created by the around-the-clock Internet economy that demands a constant stream of news and comment.
Of course, the bloggers can work elsewhere, and they profess a love of the nonstop action and perhaps the chance to create a global media outlet without a major up-front investment. At the same time, some are starting to wonder if something has gone very wrong. In the last few months, two among their ranks have died suddenly.
Two weeks ago in North Lauderdale, Fla., funeral services were held for Russell Shaw, a prolific blogger on technology subjects who died at 60 of a heart attack. In December, another tech blogger, Marc Orchant, died at 50 of a massive coronary. A third, Om Malik, 41, survived a heart attack in December.
Other bloggers complain of weight loss or gain, sleep disorders, exhaustion and other maladies born of the nonstop strain of producing for a news and information cycle that is as always-on as the Internet.
You know I can relate to some of these items, especially the sleep disorders and exhaustion. The article goes on to state thta:
Even at established companies, the Internet has changed the nature of work, allowing people to set up virtual offices and work from anywhere at any time. That flexibility has a downside, in that workers are always a click away from the burdens of the office. For obsessive information workers, that can mean never leaving the house.
Blogging has been lucrative for some, but those on the lower rungs of the business can earn as little as $10 a post, and in some cases are paid on a sliding bonus scale that rewards success with a demand for even more work.
There are growing legions of online chroniclers, reporting on and reflecting about sports, politics, business, celebrities and every other conceivable niche. Some write for fun, but thousands write for Web publishers — as employees or as contractors — or have started their own online media outlets with profit in mind.
Everyone is trying to break the latest story. There is certain amount of stress in trying to get the scoop before all of the millions of other bloggers post about breaking news. Information travels fast and is digested quickly online. The need for updated information is a must in the blogosphere. But at what cost?
The entire article from the NY Times can be viewed here. There are some dangers of blogging. The fact is, like business, this is often overlooked as a result of the bottom line... getting
the page views, clicks, or earning profits.
Labels: blogging
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