Saturday, January 19, 2008

Why Do I Blog?

A few answers are below:

I'm a Finalist by Dr. Wes.

Why I blog by Kevin, M.D.

Why do I blog?

This blog is a type of educational portfolio. I also use it during my teaching months to make a list of the topics discussed during the rotation with the residents and get feedback. And last but not least, this is the "blog of ClinicalCases.org with medical, tech and other interesting stories."

Currently, there are more than 2,000 subscribers via RSS and more than 1,000 daily website visitors but even if nobody reads it, I will still keep the blog up. Why? Because I have found that writing a blog can be useful, educational, entertaining and time-efficient. It creates your own section of the web that you own and trust. It also creates a relationship with some of the smartest people around the world that you would probably have never had the chance to meet otherwise. If you do not have a blog yet, may be you should consider starting one. The 2 easiest and free options are Blogger.com by Google and WordPress.com.

There are many downsides of having a blog, of course. But just like with any useful treatment, the benefits outweigh the risks for most people. I am not sure what is the "number needed to treat (NNT)," though...


This Google video shows that it takes 2 minutes to start a blog on Blogger.com. Creating a web site has never been easier.

From Twitter:

Ves Dimov, M.D.
AllergyNotes "Blogging keeps your mind sharp, improves your writing, brings you closer to intellectual people" http://tinyurl.com/9tuban

Ves Dimov, M.D.
AllergyNotes Blogging: A book that you write slowly over time http://tinyurl.com/9tuban

Ves Dimov, M.D.
AllergyNotes Blogging Is Like Going To The Gym… For Your Brain http://tinyurl.com/9tuban


Related reading:

"One of the best decisions I’ve made in my career was to start a blog and a wiki, leaving a paper trail of ideas" http://bit.ly/GX7Z6C
How To Use Your Blog To Make 2008 Your Best Year Ever! LifeHack.org.
Using a Blog to Build an Educational Portfolio. Clinical Cases and Images - Blog.
Topics Discussed During the Internal Medicine Rotation at Cleveland Clinic in October/November 2007. Clinical Cases and Images - Blog.
Blogging Is Like Going To The Gym... For Your Brain. Adam Singer, The Future Buzz, 01/2009.
Why Blog? Smartzville, 2009.
Why I blog? Life in the fast lane, 2010.
As A Busy Physician, Why Do I Even Bother Blogging? http://goo.gl/fSF3 - Excellent summary.
Why blog? Notes from Dr. RW. A perfectly reasonable list. All doctors should consider blogging. It's do-it-yourself CME.
Beautiful example of how blogs can disseminate medical information much more efficiently than journals, NEJM included (http://goo.gl/rOvNq).

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