I'm a Finalist

I'd like to take a second and thank those that thought enough about these crazy rants and ramblings to nominate me for the 2007 Medical Weblog Award. I really can't believe that I made the cut of tons of spectacular blogs out there to become a finalist in the Best Policies/Ethics Weblog category. I'm honored and can honestly say I've already won in my book. Thank you. If you feel so inclined, head on over to Medgadget to record your vote.

It's a crazy thing, this blogging. You start one day not knowing what the heck you're doing. You post a few thoughts or observations about your field or interest or whatever. Someone comments. Someone really smart. And soon you realize that, damn, this is fun!

Well, at first.

So you post again. Something brilliant, at least so you think. The post goes unanswered. No comments. Nothing. Sheesh. You wonder why. Did I upset someone? Was it stupid? Anxiety sets in.

Then you're walking in the hall of your hospital, and someone comes up to you out of the blue. Someone you've never met. They shyly approach you and say, "I liked what you wrote today." You stand stunned and realize that maybe that effort was worth it after all for maybe it touched a lurker - someone who reads a blog without commenting - and maybe, just maybe, your carefully-selected words still inform, touch a nerve, help a friend, show you're human, or make someone laugh.

And so you post again.

But you hit a stumbling block one day. What do I write? You panic. You surf the web and find a little nugget that is interesting to you, makes you think, or causes you concern. You publish your thoughts and find with great relief that not only did you find today's commentary, but you learned something as well.

And so you post again.

Soon it becomes an obsession, a passion. You become attached to your blog. You sprinkle it with stat counters and meters and neat little plug-ins you stumble upon. Your family wonders where you are. You, of course, have discovered another nugget to post and time is of the essence! So you publish your thought only to find you're late to a parent-teacher meeting, or a dinner, or work. Then it hits you. You have to pace yourself and get control lest you call yourself a blog-o-holic. Or maybe excessive blogging could cause a heart attack. "Fewer posts" you think.

And so you reluctantly post again.

Before long, your readership grows to a point where someone asks you to write for them or interviews you about what it's like to blog. And amazingly, someone even nominates you for your first blogging award. So you start to read what other nominees have written. Then you come back to this planet and realize why you always had a tough time getting that "A" in English class: there are other writers out there who are much more eloquent. While humbled, you remain happy to stand among them.

And so you post again.

-Wes