Thanks to a link from Robert Scoble’s Scobleizer, I’m now fearing for my life. The New York Times just ran a piece on the blogger culture, where bloggers are paid by the post. They stress to the max to stay on top of the latest trends, churn out posts, and make their blog rise, or stay at the top. So much stress, in fact, that in recent history, bloggers Russell Shaw and Marc Orchant have both died – most likely at least partially from conditions brought on by the stress of the blogosphere. While my blog isn’t anywhere near the top, I’m still getting a little tinge of this stress. Throughout the day thinking about what the next story will be, who will read it, what else it will tie into etc. It’s great to have my own platform to discuss whats interesting – but a big responsibility too.

Wired’s “Death by Blogging” story also ties into an article published in the April 2008 Wired about the bitter rivalry between tech-gadget blogs Engadget and Gizmodo, and what it’s taken their editors Brian Lam and Ryan Block to stay on top. This includes competitive trade show sniping, year in advance hotel bookings, and two week long abstenence rituals, like Thai Boxing trainers. The stakes, and stress are ultra high for these guys – but so is the payoff. 

Read about Death by Blogging

Read about Tradeshow Sniping