This post was guest blogged by Alan Johnson, the author of The Online Business Handbook.

I have previously listed 5 of the most potentially dangerous online timewasters and I've explained why you should always be careful and not go overboard when it comes to them and today, I will be referring to 5 of the most important online timewasters which can and will make a difference as far as your personal productivity level is concerned.

1) Google

Leaving all of the things they are doing wrong aside (and there are more than a few of those), I have to admit that Google can indeed prove to be quite a timesaver under certain circumstances. For example, if you forget the URL of a certain website, rather that asking other people or trying to remember it yourself, you can simply enter a few specific keywords which you know have to do with that website (again, try to keep them as specific as possible, a certain phrase you remembered or a part of its title), the website in question will most likely appear on the first page and, as a result, your memory will quickly be refreshed.

2) Wikipedia

Let's assume that someone asks you some general information regarding something over the phone. If you are next to the computer and have an internet connection, you can be certain that, in most cases, Wikipedia will prove to be extremely useful.

3) Email

Email can also be seen as a potential timewaster if you don't have the right attitude but let's face it: rather than contacting a certain company by phone, for example, sending them an email is the best way to go under certain circumstances.

When talking to the phone, you may forget a few important aspects while, when sending an email and when you have the message in question right in front of you, the chances of something like that happening are extremely low.

4) Online Stores

Sometimes, you are simply far too busy in order to visit a regular store and, as a result, an online one is the way to go. Aside from that, when searching for certain products online, everything is just one click away. You can find all sorts of offers and compare products quite easily online, rather than having to visit several regular stores yourself and that is definitely an important advantage.

5) Elance and Similar Websites

As an online entrepreneur, you will most likely reach a point when delegating will be in order and that's when websites which help you find freelancers (such as Elance, for example), will prove to be quite important timesavers.

Each freelancer has a reputation, so that making an informed decision will be a lot easier. Rather than finding someone in your area to take care of a certain task for you, posting an ad on such websites can indeed prove to be an extremely time-saving decision. You will receive offers from all sorts of interesting parties and, based on their reputation as well as on your budget and expectations, you can definitely make a decision you will not regret down the road.

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OK, the headline is a bit on the sensational side but that’s what this NY Times story is implying. The writer, Matt Richtel, tells the story of two recent deaths that was apparently caused by too much blogging.

Two weeks ago in North Lauderdale, Fla., funeral services were held for Russell Shaw, a prolific blogger on technology subjects who died at 60 of a heart attack. In December, another tech blogger, Marc Orchant, died at 50 of a massive coronary. A third, Om Malik, 41, survived a heart attack in December.

Other bloggers complain of weight loss or gain, sleep disorders, exhaustion and other maladies born of the nonstop strain of producing for a news and information cycle that is as always-on as the Internet.

You Got To Be Kidding Me?

The only thing I have to say about this story is, you got to be kidding me? No wonder the mainstream media is losing ground so badly to the Internet. Some 60 year old has a heart attack. It must be caused by blogging! I guess the fact that Om Malik weighs something like 400lbs has nothing to do with his heart attack, right?

The writer goes on to talk about TechCrunch fonder Michael Arrington gaining 30lbs in the past three years and tries to tie blogging to the cause. A quick check of TechCrunch shows Arrington made a grand total of 21 posts in the past week, or three posts per day. If that is blogging too much then we all better stop blogging right now before we die!

This story reminds me about everything that is wrong with the mainstream media. It ranks up there with that story about the teenager who was struck by lighting while listening to his iPod. Let’s see, kid was mowing his lawn in a thunderstorm while listening to an iPod. What’s the lesson? Don’t listen to an iPod or don’t mow your lawn in a thunderstorm? If you’re mainstream media, the lesson seems to be don’t listen to your iPod.

Maybe this is the NY Times’ way of getting bloggers to quit blogging so their paper can survive for a few more years. The really stupid thing is, most people reading the story will now be concern that their friends/kids/family members are now at risk because they blog.

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