Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Telltale Signs that You're Addicted to Blogging

My husband opened a blogger account for me back in September 2009.  At that point, I had written a few journal entries that I saved in Microsoft Word and had then transferred them over to my blog.  I didn't know much about blogging, joining communities, and gaining followers, so I let my blog stay stagnant for eight months until I decided to check it in late May.  As you can already guess, my blog still looked the same way I had left it--with my few pathetic entries and a goose egg for responses.

Somewhere between May and June, a switch flipped.  I can't exactly describe what happened to my brain, but an intense interest in blogging took hold of me like no other.  Perhaps the interest came when I gained my very first follower, or perhaps it happened after reading so many other creative and inspiring blogs.  All I know is that once this mind-altering change occurred, I've never been the same.  Now I find myself thinking about my blog all the time. 

If I'm not brainstorming new ideas, collecting information, or taking pictures, then I'm checking my blog hourly to see if I've received any new responses.  (Actually, with a little one at home, I probably check my blog about three times per day, but if I had a more flexible schedule, I'd be checking it hourly.)  What happened to me?  Now that I'm hooked, I can't stop, and when I can't write a post for a day, I feel disappointed, even sad...

Alright, if you've been reading all of this so far and nodding your head in agreement, then this top ten is for you.

You Know You're Addicted to Blogging When...

10.  Getting a new follower gives you an instant high--even more powerful than caffeine or any adrenaline rush you've ever known.

9.  You're childhood friends complain they've been replaced by your blogging buddies.

8.  You keep a bedside journal to capture all your nightly blogging inspirations.  (Of course, this journal gets taken everywhere you go too.)

7.  You think of your next blogging idea while making love. (Hey, multitasking is often necessary in this business.)

6.  Your family feels like they've become professional models because they're constantly on call for photo shoots.  "Wait.  Can you make that surprised look again?"

5.  Your friends and family are completely confused by your "bloggy" lingo.  "I'll be down for dinner as soon as I finish sharing some bloggy love on my BFF's meme.  I just need to link up my RSS feed to Mr. Linky's Magical Widgets..."

4.  BFF no longer means "Best Friend Forever;" instead you refer to it as your "Blog Frog Friend." 

3.  You proudly display your blogging awards, like a Boy Scout displays his merit badges.  In fact, your "Sunshine Award" and "Foxy Mama Award" mean more to you than any of your high school and college certificates/trophies combined.

2.  You identify more with your avatar than you do with the image in the mirror.

1.  You celebrate milestones like your 500th follower or your third blogoversary like they're national holidays--complete with free prizes and giveaways. 

And finally, you know I like to add a bonus... 

"If you do not participate in a current blogging conference, challenge, or boot camp, you feel guiltier than if you had skipped an actual exercise boot camp.   In fact, in order to lament the fact that you cannot attend the conference, you join memes created by other bloggers who can't attend, so you can console each other and give each other support."  

Want more laughs?  Please check out my other top ten lists such as...

Top Ten Wedding Bloopers Revealed or Top Ten Verbal Cues that Ruin the Romantic Mood