Is Blogging Hazardous to Your Health?

Last week, in my shameless plea for a book deal of my own, I noted that blogging had become “mainstream” because it’s now being written about in the NY Times Style section.

Today, we went beyond mainstream - blogging made the FRONT PAGE of the NY Times!

That’s good. What wasn’t so good was the subject matter. Here was the headline:

“In a Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Till They Drop”

Our big debut “below the fold” focused on the recent deaths of two prominent bloggers of heart attacks, and their possible connection to a greater blogger health hazard caused by the “around-the-clock Internet economy that demands a constant stream of news and comment“.

Not the most glamorous way to introduce ourselves to the non-blogging universe, is it?

While I certainly understand the strain and pressures that those who blog for a living are under, I don’t think two deaths constitute a good enough reason to make this front page news. There are millions and millions of bloggers, and I’d be willing to bet that the overall health profile of this group is no different than what constitutes the norm for the general population.

If major newspapers like the NY Times are going to introduce blogging to the masses, why not talk about something more positive (and more easily proven) - the huge contribution of this medium to meaningful and fulfilling social and business interactions and relationships.

I continue to be absolutely amazed by what blogging has done for me in that regard - a great example was my attendance at this weekend’s “Blogger Social” in New York City. Here were 80 people from 20 different states and a few different counties, getting together because of only one reason - they were bloggers who “knew” each other virtually, and now wanted to meet each other face to face.

I probably NEVER would have met all of these wonderful people if it wasn’t for the fact I was a blogger just like them.

One of the founders of Blogger Social, Christina Kerley, put it best at the event when she said that because of blogging, the “world isn’t getting flatter, it’s getting smaller“.

Of course, SOBCon, the other blogger event in Chicago that is dear to my heart (since I’m a founder), has also enriched my life in a hundred ways because of the connections I’ve made there (and will continue to make at this year’s event from May 2-4).

Blogging is shrinking the world and adding an incredible social dimension to millions of lives.

Now THAT’s a front page story!