Policies: comments/email/doctor people

comments

You know you're rethinking the way you budget your functional time when you come up with a comments policy for your measly blog. The short version is that I can blog, or reply to comments, but rarely both, so I thought I'd try just blogging and see if it enables me to post more frequently.

The long version is that the budget has to be ruthless when you're working with a daily credit limit of $1. Tending to basic survival and interaction needs adds up to 90 cents. The 10 cents left over gets saved up for maintenance of relationships, computer time and paying off accrued interest from stunts like talking on the phone too long.

When I first started blogging I didn't factor in that it would be interactive: I genuinely thought nobody would ever see it. I remember ticking the box that said people could leave a comment, but I mistakenly thought blogging was the internet version of Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park - some may stop and listen for a moment before going about their business, a couple might heckle, but that'd be it. I didn't realise that blogging, ideally, is a conversation.

So when I got my first ever comments (and they were nice, thoughtful comments), I almost keeled over in consternation and delight. Ye gods, actual people were reading, I'd have to lift my game. The sense of community engendered by the conversation on people's blogs is a lovely thing.

Of all the activities that can be pruned, social contact - virtual or otherwise - is the hardest. I appreciate that it takes time to leave a note, and feel I'm ignoring people by not responding, which is not the case. It's solely due to the budget shortfall, which is beyond my control. Sorry greenlings, but for the indefinite future, I'm going to be disciplined about not responding to comments, and will be minimal in my comments on other blogs too.

Please don't let that stop you from sharing your thoughts/introducing yourself! Comment to your heart's content. You can be anonymous or invent a nom de blog. I've made it easier for you to leave comments by taking off the word verification thingie - it does my head in.

email

I'd love to hear from you. If you have something to say away from the glare of the whole internet, try emailing me, the address is also in my profile.

I'll reply when I can, though it can take a while: days...weeks...months...once it took me two years to write back to someone. Not surprisingly, I didn't hear from them again.

I'm not able to regularly write lengthy correspondence, so consider this an advance warning of brevity. If you'd just like to write to say hello and are happy to forego a reply, that's good to, just let me know when you write.

Thanks for understanding!

doctor people

Names and identifying details of my treating medical professionals are omitted or changed on the blog to maintain confidentiality - I'm not able to give out their details out via email either.

If you're looking for an Australian doctor or other medical professional with experience in treating ME/CFS, try asking at OzME or one of the other Australian forums listed in the sidebar. I understand first-hand how hard it is to find good medical people, and I wish I could personally help everyone who asks me to find someone, but I can’t.

Good luck!