• by September 19, 2005

A new survey finds that 50 percent of bloggers blog as a form of self-therapy. Go figure. In fact, according to a survey conducted by AOL and Digital Marketing Services, a research firm specializing in Web-based surveys, therapy is a big motivator for bloggers, more so than politics, news, and/or gossip.

The survey finds that one third of bloggers say they write frequently about self-help and self-esteem topics. Respondents are six times more likely to keep a blog than to seek professional counseling. Mmmm. We wonder if that's wise. Guess it all depends on your outlook.

The survey questioned 600 people who write one or more blogs. Sixteen percent say they do so because they're interested in news or journalism, 12 percent blog to stay ahead or break the latest news and gossip, and just 8 percent blog to break political news.

"What we've noticed is that bloggers aren't necessarily wannabe journalists, or people out to break news or get noticed by the public. They're writing for themselves, and their blogs serve as a recreational and therapeutic outlet for their thoughts," said Bill Schreiner, vice president, AOL Community, in a statement. "In a way, blogs serve as oral history. When it comes to sharing blogs and reading other people's blogs, we like to connect with people, learn about their lives, and find common ground."

Other survey findings are in step with the self-therapy theme. For example, 54 percent of those polled say they like to share their thoughts and feelings with others. And in times of high anxiety, nearly one out of three respondents (31 percent) turn to either writing in their blog or reading the blogs of other people who are experiencing similar issues; that's six times as many as those who prefer to seek help and counseling from a professional (5 percent).

Other survey findings:

-- Bloggers can be a relaxed bunch. Sixty percent consider themselves to have a "laid-back" blogging personality. A small number (3.8 percent) describe themselves as blogging perfectionists, obsessive and compulsive.

-- Bloggers are generally not self-conscious. A significant percentage (47 percent) say they feel no pressure at all when they know they have an audience reading their blog -- although 54 percent admit it may take them a little longer to write an entry when others may read it. Still, only 12 percent worry about making their blogs witty. And only 13 percent feel disappointed if other people's blogs attract more readers or responses.

-- Yet bloggers can be sensitive, too. More than one in five (23 percent) worry about offending people in their blogs. And more than three out of five (65 percent) of them admit to feeling disappointed when people post negative or abusive comments to their blogs.

-- Bloggers have a sense of etiquette. Forty percent say it is important to address messages people have posted in their blog in a timely manner. And sixty-one percent feel that posting a comment on another person's blog is the "right thing to do."