This is one widget I wish I didn't have to put on my blog. But,when you write about business/careers/worklife this is the Big Story. 1.9 million people have lost their jobs in 2008 - with one million of those losing their jobs since September.

These days it feels like it's the only business story out there. Okay that's hyperbole -- there are other business stories out there:the bailout comes to mind.However,even if the auto industry gets it's money there will still be layoffs, many many more layoffs.

Trying to write about these layoffs is like covering a natural disaster of epic proportions. There's the disaster itself and then there's the aftermath: the devastation, the victims, the survivors.

This week just when we thought it was safe to come out of the water, we were pummeled with wave after wave of layoffs from every industry sector.The devastation was widespread.It seemed that no one was spared. Not the media, not high tech,not the blue chips.

Krista Summitt is one of the victims. Her blog, Downsized Diaries  chronicles her life as a former employee. Prior to being laid off, Krista worked for the same large technology company for 20 years. In fact, it was the only company where she has ever worked.

I’ve been avoiding changing my ‘title’ on LinkedIn. Technically I’m not “out the door” for another 6 weeks or so, but… I am looking for another job, so I need to make this known on LinkedIn.  My personal hang-up has been, I can tell when someone’s been laid off on LinkedIn because their title has changed to something like:”Dynamic, Experienced  Sales Manager”.  When I see these, my heart kind of sinks because I know the person isn’t employed.  My impression has been some of  these ‘title changes’ come off like a desperate match.com profile.

Over on Twitter, Ginger* tweeted that she was one of the survivors of a major layoff at her company.She works for an online marketing company that is directly related to the automobile industry. As she told me," the dealers are suffering, so we are suffering."

In a phone conversation, Ginger shared that despite the fact that all of her friends were laid off,she thinks her job is safe for the time being.

However, Ginger says she now is trying to think like someone who has already been laid off --she's networking more, brushing up on some old and new skills, working on establishing a brand for herself, and trying to get a sense of opportunities that may be out there in the event that she doesn't survive the next round of cuts.

So far Ginger says she is not suffering from survivor's guilt --then again the layoffs of 10% of the staff just happened last Monday. What she does know is that her workload will double. And, if the rumor is true that there will be yet another wave of layoffs, Ginger says her workload will triple.

In covering the layoff story this week, BusinessWeek ran a story called Blogs Keep a Company Death Watch. The irony --the story's focus is that the blogs covering the demise of many businesses will not survive themselves because of a glut of these deathwatch blogs opening up for business.

The more sites that emerge, the harder it will be for any one to stay afloat. There's still not enough interest in the topic for an entire category of such sites, says Michael Arrington, who runs the TechCrunch blog and maintains a popular running list of failed Web startups called the "Deadpool." "Sometimes negativity gets more attention," Arrington says. "But if a lot of it happens at once, people get numb to it." There's probably space for a single stand-alone, Deadpool-themed site to prosper, if it manages to engage a community of readers, Arrington says, though he doesn't want to be the person who attempts it.

Jim Hopkins is one of those blog owners. Hopkin's GannettBlog has actually been around for nearly two years when he was still employed by Gannett. He started the blog in protest of the way the company was treating employees.It is now command central for Gannett employees.

Gannett has eliminated 1,904 newspaper jobs in a mass layoff that moved into high gear last week, a new Gannett Blog survey today shows, as employees who survived the cuts now look ahead nervously to vastly changed working conditions.

For his part, Hopkins has raised about 50% of his goal for this quarter. If even half of the 1900 people who were laid off donated just $5, Hopkins would reach his goal for this quarter.

Francine McKenna has been writing about layoffs in the accounting field at her blog, Re: Auditors. She says the layoffs are continuing at Deloitte, KMPG and Ernst&Young but it's difficult to document because the layoffs are conducted on a local basis and the firms are reluctant to publicize the exact number of people who are becoming redundant.

McKenna says right now there are job opportunities in New York City but the firms no longer pay for moving expenses and since many people can't move because they can't unload their homes, it's difficult to make a transfer.

Because she does write about layoffs, many laid-offed employees contact McKenna for advice. She says too often they get in touch after they have signed a severance agreement they never should have agreed to.

Her biggest piece advice:plan ahead. McKenna believes all employees should anticipate they are going to be laid off, and find out exactly what their rights are before they get called into a meeting, shown a severance agreement,and are told if they don't sign immediately the offer is off the table.

Once you sign on the dotted line, there is little anyone can do to help.

While there are certain to be more layoffs this week, we can anticipate that after December 12th there should be a layoff truce until January 2009.

Historically, businesses don't like to lay people off too close to the holidays. This year it should mean the blood baths will stop on Friday December 12th.
It will be a temporary truce - experts are predicting millions more will lose their jobs before it's all over.

*Ginger is a pseudonym.

Elana blogs about business culture at FunnyBusiness