I just read an article saying the blogging is overrated. If you ask me, it's a Human Factors question. Does blogging serve a REAL user need in a way that is easier (to access, to learn, to use) then other methods? I think that blogging is relevant for many situations, but it is probably not the universal panacea that some have claimed. There are a few good human factors-related blogs, such as Good Experience.

I also decided to help a friend overcome his fear of public speaking. My first thought was to try to elicit his schema of public speaking, identify the links to fear (physical, instinctive, cognitive), and then work on redirecting the activation. If that is possible, then Human Factors can become the next form of cognitive psychotherapy :-D.