Got the RSS blahs?

So, my experiment in RSS has truly changed my internet habits in the last three weeks. I'm not sure they're all for the better, though mostly that would be a matter of opinion.

I'm spending way less time surfing, which means more time to do other things, and thus, have gotten a decent amount done on revisions--though not sure how much more proportionately. (It's summer, the kids are home ...) But I also feel a weird sense of "disconnectedness" (is that a word?) from the folks whose blogs I've frequented over the months or even years in some cases.

It would seem, then, that doing this might increase productivity, but decrease a sense of relationship. Both of these are important things for a writer. All the books say to limit your time online to increase your productivity, but be sure not to isolate yourself from the world. Sure, I realize the point is to actually get OUT and see real people, talk to them, observe them, get your senses working, and so on. Because, how can you write a book about the world if you don't live in it? I get that.

But, there are also a limited number of writers in my "real world," and I miss that interaction. The element of surprise when I browse to a fellow writer's blog and see they've updated. My tendency to read their post with a sense of expectancy--there will be something I want to say back at least half the time. Not to exclude blogs of those who aren't writers, because I usually have a similar reaction. But, these are my "co-workers," my partners in crime, the people who "get" me, and believe me, there aren't that many of those people in the world if I do say so myself. :)

So, what's a girl to do? Right now, I feel like I'm reading a blog magazine every day. A magazine that magically gets new articles periodically throughout that day, but a magazine nonetheless. Magazines don't have names and faces that feel quite as tangible as a person's blog page. I can't "hear" the conversation that goes on after I read a magazine article like I can after I read a blog post that piques my interest, where I go to the comments and check them out. (I don't seem to do that as much, even though I can click to the actual post from the RSS delivery.)

I will have to think on this. What's the balance?