Friday, April 13, 2007

The Psychology of Blogging

We all have different blogging styles and that makes me wonder if our personalities show up in the way we blog and the way we organize our blog. If the Today Show can push the idea that swimsuits can reflect our personality, I think we are on safe ground in using blogs to look at how blogs can reflect our personalities. This post will be full of all sorts of technical jargo so be prepared by going ahead an opening this link. Make sure to read the fine print.

Blogging Personality Inventory:

The anxious/perfectionistic blog: Some blogs are nice and tidy. There is not a simple blogroll in the sidebar. There are eight to ten blogrolls, one for several different areas of interest. These may even be subdivided further to make browsing these a breeze. These bloggers may have perfectionistic tendencies and suffer from anxiety and fear loss of control if things are not in their proper place.

The ADD blog: They have no apparent theme. They have had an endless number of series that never quite reach completion. They may say, "Next up, a 10 part series on parenting" but only make it 3 posts in before something else gets their attention, never to return. These blogs have good intentions and have a wide array of interesting information.

The OCD blog: These are the blogs where you post a comment and within five minutes you have gotten an email from the person or a comment in reply. If you have already checked your blog and email and responded to said email within the next five minutes you also may be the owner of your own OCD blog. These are the bloggers who incessently check their statcounters and sitemeters. They know as soon as you have visited and visit your blog in an instant. They have 19,762 profile views because they check to see if it has gone up so many times that they have single-handedly pushed it near the 20,000+ mark. Other warning signs that this might be your blog:
  • If every other comment is your response to the previous comment. It may be a sign that you check your blog more times than everyone else combined.
  • If you think about your blog more than 5 times a day and even at inappropriate times, like when your boss is talking to you and all you can do is wonder if someone has left a comment.
  • If you have more than one blog stat device embedded into your. Isn't one enough?
Any similarities to your blog found in the previous description is not intentional and in no way was meant to offend or cause any harm. The thoughts expressed above are in no way, shape, or form attacking any blog in particular but have been formed on the basis of observing many blogs over a long period of time and are generalities. If you still feel that you have been attacked or defamed in this post you may be the next kind of blogger we will talk about, the paranoid type.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ha! That's too funny ... and too close. Which do you think I am? I see me in each of those. (sooo embarrassed)

Wade Tannehill said...

Hello, My name is Wade and I'm an anxious / perfectionistic blogger. I admit it. So what kind of blogger are you, Matt?

And what's up with Lisa' question? Is she tryiong to put someone on the spot having you guess which you think she is? Dangerous.

Bob Bliss said...

I am definitely the ADD blogger. I have great plans but get distracted easily. I spend as much time commenting on other's blogs as I do on my own. I also forget where I've commented. Oh well.

Matt said...

When students study to be doctors and psychologists they often feel like maybe they have the conditions they are studying. I am a little ADD when it comes to blogging. There are several series I haven't ever finished and several drafts that I just never got around to finishing.

Lisa,

I think I will refrain from answering that question!

TREY MORGAN said...

Hello, My name is Trey ... I'm glad to be at B.A. (Bloggers Anon)... I need help. Welcome Lisa, Wade, Bob and Matt. Glad you could be here too.

Anonymous said...

Love it!

Paula

www.paulaharrington71.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Wasn't trying to put anyone on the spot!! I'm seriously all of the above. I think that's pretty bad!!

Matt said...

I have bits and pieces of all of those as well so don't feel too bad!

Adam Gonnerman said...

Hmmm...I don't quite see myself in any of those. There is a strong bit of narcissism in any blog, though.

Anonymous said...

I will tell you if you come by my blog six or eight times today.

Religion Blogs - Blog Top Sites Christian Blog Topsites