Have you ever considered starting a blog? Many people have, yet few stop to consider the possible repercussions of what they post online. How will this impact my life? Will this impact my family? What impact could this blog have on the topic or the people involved? These are very important questions to consider especially when writing a blog on sensitive an often controversial topic such as Lyme Disease. I wondered if other Lyme bloggers had the same concerns as I did so I sought out the opportunity to talk to Jennifer from “Living the Lyme Life”. Jennifer who has had Lyme disease since 1995 started blogging in March of 2008. Here's what she had to say on the topic.
What was your motivation for starting your blog and what do you hope to gain for yourself or your readers by writing?
I began my blog as away to create memories for myself. I was struggling during my treatment to remember things and after reading several non-Lyme blogs I began to ponder starting my own in order to journal the memories. I wanted to write down not only Lyme Disease things, but also normal activities as a sort of diary for myself. However, I also knew that others would eventually find my blog. I hoped that it would give them knowledge that those with Lyme can get better even though I was still struggling with Lyme at the beginning of my blog. I wanted to share my good and bad moments with others so they could get to know me better as well as others with Lyme Disease. I wanted to bring Lyme to the lime light and wanted my friends and family to understand what I was going through.
How do you manage having a blog while balancing other aspects of your life like relationships, social life, hobbies, work and your treatment?
If I have a few ideas for upcoming blogs about information, I immediately write a basic post and schedule it to post a month or two in the future so I can work on them daily until they are ready for publishing. I currently have four posts waiting for publishing. Some are completely ready to post while others only have a title. I try to post a variety of things which include my relationships, social life and hobbies. I have to be careful about my specific treatments because I am seeing a controversial Lyme doctor. I am very cautious about protecting him and his practice. I would never want to compromise my doctor because of something I say on the blog. As far as work and family, they are pretty much an off limit topic on my blog. When I am at work, I rarely think about my blog or my Lyme for that matter. My family knows I maintain a blog and in fact they read it. It keeps them up to date with what I am doing and it allows us to talk about other things. Currently, my treatment is limited. I am essentially just on supplements that help me maintain my energy level. Some months I write more than others. Sometimes I get so busy in regular day to day life that there aren't enough hours in the day to devote to my blog writing. I also choose to work on the blog when my husband is still at work.
Given that Lyme Disease is a very controversial subject what made you decide not to blog anonymously and make your blog more personal? Do you worry that you may be making yourself into a target?
After being a blog reader for several different health issues, I learned very quickly that I was more drawn to those that were more personable. I went back time and time again to those families that posted photos and talked about not only their illnesses, but other things as well. Because Lyme is such a controversial illness, I don't want people to think that I am fake. There are so many fake stories running around on the internet that I did not want to be accused of faking a story to get attention. Essentially while I know that I'm being read, I don't really feel that I am a public figure in the Lyme community. I am a single patient that happens to write a blog. I am a single patient that has happened to write two articles for the Public Health Alert. I don't worry about me being a target, but I do worry about my doctor being a target.
Do you ever worry about being a “non-expert” (ie. Not a doctor or specialist) providing information to the public about Lyme Disease? Do you worry about providing the right information about the disease or possible treatments?
As a Lyme patient, I feel that I'm in a great position to discuss the possible treatments. However, one treatment does not work for everyone. Everyone is unique in their treatment needs. Some Lyme doctors believe that only antibiotics can heal Lyme. I believe in an integrative approach, but also understand that this approach isn't for everyone. I hope that everyone that reads my blog understands that my intention isn't to suggest that Integrative treatment is better than Traditional treatment. I honestly feel that if I hadn't decided to go with the Integrative approach that I would be dead. Some bloggers talk about going to Germany, others talk about the Rife Machine, others talk about all antibiotics and some even talk about going to Mexico. What works for one may not work for another and I just happen to believe in the Integrative Approach.
Do you think it is necessary for people to educate themselves completely on their subject matter before starting to write a blog?
I think that people can start a blog at any point in time about any subject they like. The only thing that ever bothers me is when I find my exact wording on another person's blog. It's only happened once, but it bothered me. I had worked really hard on one of my posts when I had major brain fog. It took me three weeks to compose and a few weeks later I saw it on another blog. Shortly after the person asked me if it was okay. It would have just been nice if she wanted to use the "article" if she had referenced it to my blog instead of just writing it as if it were her own. When I read other blogs, I do look to see if they have knowledge of the subject they are discussing. As far as blogs specifically Lyme related, Lyme treatment and ideas change every day. If we waited until we were all knowledgeable on Lyme, then there would never be blogs on the subject. I wish I had started my own blog prior to getting the diagnosis. It would help me to remember exactly what I went through to get to the point where I mostly consider myself well.
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