Sometimes, I feel a little lonely on my Oscar blog. The solution: I take a rhetorical baseball bat to a fan favorite, "Borat," and hundreds of rabid commentators appear. Hey, I've got readers.

Independent bloggers can laugh all they want about the imperious posture of the mainstream media, but I and others at The Times have never been more in touch with readers' every robustly communicated whim than we are today. Not only do I hear what people are saying, but I also care.

Sometimes I wonder whether I care to the point that I neglect other things, like, oh, my job. Tweaking the blog is seductive in a way that a print deadline never is. By the time I am done posting entries, moderating comments and making links, my, has the time flown. I probably should have made some phone calls about next week's column, but maybe I'll write about, ah, blogging instead.

There has always been a feedback loop in journalism - letters to the editor, the phone and more recently e-mail messages. But a blog provides feedback through a fire hose. The nice thing about putting out a newspaper was that, at some point, the story was set and the writer got to go home. Now I have become a day trader, jacked in to my computer and trading by the second in my most precious commodity: me. How do they like me now? What about ... now? Hmmmm ... Now?

On his Web log, Pastor Hyatt, the leader of the Evergreen Community in Portland, Ore., has woven in widgets, or mini-applications, that show a selection of book covers from his personal library, present the most recent posts from some of his favorite blogs, and serve up random quotes from the television show "Arrested Development."

"You start small, and it's kind of like an addiction," said Pastor Hyatt (his blog is at bobhyatt.typepad.com). "TypePad has a whole section of widgets, and they're adding more all the time," he continued, referring to a popular blog-hosting service.

According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, about 12 million Americans now maintain a blog. Widgets are elements, often in the left or right columns of a blog, that enhance its usefulness or aesthetic appeal. (The term "widgets," confusingly, can also refer to compact applications that operate on a computer's desktop.)

"Widgets pull content or services from some other place on the Web, and put it into your personal page," said Fred Wilson, a venture capitalist at Union Square Ventures in Manhattan.

you have more blog friends than 'real life' friends.

you're blogging in your head before you fall asleep.

your out of town husband and you converse in your blog's comments.

you tell your friends and family things like, "I'll ping you and you ping me back," or "Okay, I want to trackback on your last comment..."

you blog in your head an event that's happening at that very moment!

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I loathe blogs, those Internet compendiums of people's thoughts on politics, news, gossip and their own navel lint.

During my last year in school, a close friend of mine constantly reminded me that I was falling behind. Blogs, he said, were the future

Gone is the intimacy of a personal phone call.

When I want to find out what friends are doing, I have to read their blogs.

Most of the time, that's just depressing because many bloggers I know suffer delusions of fantastic grandeur.

They seem to think managing a public forum is a little like being the hand of God, even if you are only posting about the price of your bikini wax or how boring it is to drink beer in your underpants on the sofa.

People I've known for years have become self-important. They just type, point and click, and suddenly they're experts in any field: Politics. Media. Deep thought.

After all, I've been stood up -- many times -- for blogs.

Nothing beats a Saturday night alone on the couch. Except, perhaps, a Saturday night when you're following your friends' real-time blog posts while fuming that they blew you off.

Skeptics argue that even obsessive Internet use does not exact the same toll on health or family life as conventionally recognized addictions. But, mental health professionals who support the diagnosis of Internet addiction say, a majority of obsessive users are online to further addictions to gambling or pornography or have become much more dependent on those vices because of their prevalence on the Internet.

But other users have a broader dependency and spend hours online each day, surfing the Web, trading stocks, instant messaging or blogging, and a fast-rising number are becoming addicted to Internet video games.

Dr. Cash and other professionals say that people who abuse the Internet are typically struggling with other problems, like depression and anxiety. But, they say, the Internet's omnipresent offer of escape from reality, affordability, accessibility and opportunity for anonymity can also lure otherwise healthy people into an addiction.

Several counselors and other experts said time spent on the computer was not important in diagnosing an addiction to the Internet. The question, they say, is whether Internet use is causing serious problems, including the loss of a job, marital difficulties, depression, isolation and anxiety, and still the user cannot stop.

Would you say that blogging is very addictive? How many people have you convinced to also start blogging?

True! Blogging is very addictive. In a sense you feel empowered whenever you voice out certain opinions or simply share whatever musings youve got on life in general. Plus, it's a great way to reach your circle. I mean not everyone will be a loyal fan of your site -- that's a given (and a good thing). It's comforting though to know that the people who matter most to you can drop by from time to time and know what's been happening to you lately.

What starts out as a hobby for some can end up permeating their lives and minds. Some of the diarists post repeatedly throughout the day, juggle several blogs and feel anxious if they don't write. Most dedicated bloggers say the endeavor has enriched their lives, but some worry about finding balance and keeping their obsession in check.

Among bloggers, addiction is a running joke. One even offered a checklist: "You are addicted to blogging if you answer 'yes' to at least three of the following questions," Joi Ito, a Japanese venture capitalist with Silicon Valley ties, wrote on his blog (joi.ito.com). "Do you think about everything in terms of whether it will make a good blog entry? Do you keep your computer in standby mode beside your bed and wake up at 2 a.m. to blog? Do you skip lunch and blog instead?"