Bloggers often gather into communities. One of my Internet "communities" is a folder in my Bloglines aggregator called, "Favorites list." These bloggers are like friends for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it is because I admire them, sometimes because I learn from them, and at times it is because of what we have in common. Others feel as if we are kindred spirits or we share similar values. I am drawn to others because they have qualities I don't have. What do these bloggers know about self care that helps them nurture and maintain their dedication to writing? These are my guesses, coupled with examples of their posts that illustrate my points:

Seven Self-Caring Strategies for Bloggers:

• Limiting Information -- Fayrouz in Dallas turned off the comments at her blog a long time ago, after they had become impossibly abusive. I have always admired Fayrouz's writing and, in recent times, her great photography. Here is her 7/5/08 post, "The Battle of Sabine Pass on Sept. 8, 1863."


• Maintaining Psychological Equilibrium -- Lorianne's blog, Hoarded Ordinaries, is the oldest on my list. Her recent post, "Dry Spell," illustrates why her "place blog" photos and writing have been so enduring.


• Honoring One's Own Truth -- "The Demons are Still Legion (The Joseph Dwyer Story)," posted Jul/30/2008, at Eric Folkerth's blog, When EF Talks. Eric is a Dallas minister with a very big heart.


• Focusing Through Prioritizing -- Anthropologist Grant McCracken is another of my very long-standing favorite writers. His blog is called This Blog Sits at the: . . . (Intersection of Anthropology and Economics). Of necessity he writes professionally to enhance his visibility, but it not obvious. He wrote a "handy how-to" for a beginner in his field called, "How To Be a Self-funding Anthropologist." The (7/30/08) post illustrates how his consistently fine writing shows good ability to keep his priorities straight, great readability, and appropriate self-disclosure. It garnered many admiring reader comments.


• Enhancing Personal Peace -- Margaret, of Glued Blue Glass , wrote a couple of posts upon returning from a two-month trip to Lebanon, where she was born. Her writing was all about regaining her personal peace after that experience. The posts are linked above and here: "Where Glued Blue Glass is Right Now" (7/29/08).


• Uplifting One's Spirits -- Spadoman, a deeply spiritual and peaceful activist asks, "Am I Old Enough To Have Wisdom?" at Round Circle. (7/31/08) I admire his work for peace often combined with thoughtful self-reflection.


• Building In Rest -- "betmo," a friend of Spadoman and my blog friend, too is also an activist extraordinaire. At her blog, life's journey, she recently (8/3/08) went on record and took a bit of time away from her computer, telling readers what to expect from her next.

Technorati tags: blogs blogging bloggers writing psychology community internet favorites

My topical post today at South by Southwest is a cross-post of this piece.