Got your own homepage? Then you are probably shy, sensitive to criticism and suffering from low self esteem. Chances are, you are male too. So says the psychologists of the Chemnitz University of Technology (CUT) in Germany, who interviewed more than 300 webpage owners.

Some say that personal home pages are futile products of narcissism and exhibitionism.Some say that home pages are "inane, petty, and grotesquely self-indulgent with no redeeming qualities whatsoever".

Well, some say wrong. Home pages challenge timid people to find their own value, the German researchers argue. But it remains unclear if building a home page transforms social anxiety into happiness.

The German researchers do not reveal if the characteristics they've found are culturally defined. They do point out, however, that the majority of the home page owners want to present themselves as naturally as possible. Whatever that means.

Researchers may now want to dig deep into the psyche of bloggers, who according to recent reports have a hard time keeping up with the demands of moderating logs in the face of a job, family and other responsibilities and increasingly suffer from burnout.

Bless. ®

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