Blogging - does it scratch the writing itch?

I don't remember who said it but I was lurking on literary agent Nathan Bransford's blog when I read it, but one editor/agent type said that they are not impressed when unpublished writers start promoting themselves pre-publication (I think he meant before they'd secured a contract). Of course, he may have been being as snarky as hell. It's a pretty snarky blog at times which is why I'm falling in love with it. Anyway, this guy said that he thinks blogging scratches the writer's itch. Another response that surprised me regarding blogging is that some of the commentors thought it would satisfy the readers' itches so that they would no longer want to buy the writers' books. (Yes, I think they mean writers in the plural). Eek! Are we writers sabotaging ourselves blogging? I don't mean writers who post most or all of their book free online and then wonder why they have low sales. Yes, I have seen a few authors do this which makes me go "huh?" and scratch my head in wonder. I have to admit I do spend time daily reading blogs - my bloggie friends as well as general blog hopping. I suppose you could say this cuts into my other reading time, time I would read a book I actually paid for. Also, although I wouldn't say that blogging "scratches my itch to write" I'm often too tired after blogging to do any of my other writing. So are blogs undermining book sales? I suppose you could say free Internet articles and stories also get in the way of sales. My teenage daughter spends hours on free fiction story sites. Hmm... Soooooooooo, while I've been blogging to attract new readers as well as new friends, have I sabotaged myself? Am I helping readers to be delinquent in buying books to read? I rather thought when I started my blog that it was a really cool way to get to know new people, to be part of the blogging community, to whet my readers' appetite for knowledge of superly stupendous exciting me. That is, before the movie of my life comes out on the big silver screen in Technicolor. So, what do you think about all this? Goody! The dogs are going bananas. That means our Chinese take out is here. Gotta run. Chinese beats blogging. :) You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)