Online Journals

Foxxz writes "MSNBC has a story on online journals. personally, ive been writing in an online journal for almost a year using a perl script i whipped up. It can be a great outlet for a bitchfest." This is a great example of the whole "peer to peer" journalism that everyone wets their pants over about the Internet. Call it what you will, but the ease of accessibility to the materials is, IMHO, one of the most compelling reasons for web surfing.

an interesting exercise in self-awareness.

I kept one for a couple of years, a few years back... It was an interesting exploration of self in a place that's not-quite-real. You learn to dive deep into your psyche to pull out some new nugget to mull over in a matter of minutes. Contemplating the nature of a word; remembering a day gone by differently...

Towards the end though, after two years of daily entries, I'd covered pretty much everything of importance in my life up to that point in time. It was time to start living some more life worth writing about. :-)

I'll probably start another in the future, but not just yet...

online journals, diary-x.com, etc

Hi everyone,

I'm Stephen Deken, the creator of diary-x.com [diary-x.com], one of the sites listed in the article. I'd like to address some of the more common concerns that many /.ers are already raising in previous posts.

The first thing people usually ask about online journals is "why would anyone want to keep an online journal?" The answer to that isn't simple, but it can be boiled down to the fact that writing about your problems helps you to overcome them. Many, many people (diary-x has around 4000 users, diaryland has about 20,000) find online journaling to be a very useful and theraputic service.

The next question is usually "okay, but why online? Why not in a paper journal?" Again, the answer is complicated but it comes down to the ability to easily manage the journal - you can't shuffle pages with physical journals as you can with online journals. Not only that, but you have the added psychological bonus of being contacted by other people who have gone through the same things you're going through in your own life, without those people knowing exactly who you are.

Another concern is about security. Journals on diary-x (as well as the other services) can be 'locked' if you're only wanting the service for the convienence, so only you, or the people you trust, can read your journal.

People here seem to be giving an awful lot of flack to the spelling and grammar of many online journalers. Bear in mind that free services such as diary-x attract a very young, mostly non-net savvy user base -- the age of the user is what dictates the 'feel' of the journal. Most young people (by young I mean younger than 20 or so) don't look beyond themselves, and so yes, their journals are somewhat tedious.

But as these same posters have pointed out, there are gems in the sand. To find the really great journals, you have to sift through the ones that don't live up to whatever your standards are - just like the rest of the internet.

For further perusal, you can check out diary-x.com [diary-x.com], as well as my journal [diary-x.com] on it. Or, take a stroll through the member's lists [diary-x.com] if you want to try and find some of those gems.

Thanks,

--
Stephen Deken
awdang.com [awdang.com]
diary-x.com [diary-x.com]

What are diaries and blogs good for?

While targeted, topical, and intellectual collaborative weblogs can serve as a useful tool in disseminating information and fostering a community [metafilter.com], I'm of the opinion that most personal online journals are pointless [disobey.com] and/or worthless [wrongwaygoback.com].

Yes, the majority of my online friends have jumped on this latest fad (establishing online diaries [opendiary.com] and blogs), but when I peruse them I primarily see just overhyped cookie-cutter angst and cries for sympathy on the diary side, with meaningless mental tidbits coupled with a race to establish the most feel-the-love linkylinks on the blog side.

Thing is, I can't tell if the primary motivation for all these activities is more exhibitionism or narcissism. I have to agree with the above comment [slashdot.org] by ChuckFlynn when he says online journaling and blogging reinforce self-delusions of grandeur that your trivial day-to-day experiences are somehow relevant or helpful to the world; and the AC who pointed out they're usually 'self-centered unimaginative ramblings' with a limited and egotistical perspective.

Online Diaries are cool.

If you're looking for some interesting reading, or maybe even a diary of your own, check out Diaryland [diaryland.com]. It is no surprise that you can have hours and hours of deep insight into the lives of tens, if not hundreds of people you will never want to meet. However, there are a few beacons out there. I ran into this one [diaryland.com] a while back. She's funny, interesting, and she has a consistent style. I ran into the site totally on accident, and it inspired me to start my own diary(My sig).

Go start one today. Maybe no one is reading. Who cares? Dead tree journals are all right, but if nothing else, you can atleast html format one of these babies. Spill your guts. Or better yet, lie! Have fun and good writing.

--Raymond Stray

Re:Online Journals are asking for TROUBLE

I'm sorry you don't see the fun in it. My suggestion to you would be, bluntly, to lighten up a little. Journals are as open to the world or as closed to it as you want. You can make them accessible to everyone, you can make them accessible only to yourself. Password protect them if you want, and only give the pw to your friends. If you're afraid of people knowing too much, don't write too much.

I'm not saying you should start a journal. It doesn't sound like you'd have very much fun with it. But don't suggest it's a waste of time. Slashdot, arguably, is a waste of time. That rant of yours, arguably, is a waste of time. No one is forcing their opinions on you unless you decide to read their opinions.

And as for "plagarism" who cares! It's a diary! I hope someone would quote me if they used my writing, but more than anything else, I'd be flattered that they thought it was good.

Jon Katz writes to an audience, so I can see how some of your claims make sense with him. But the nice thing about slashdot is it allows you to turn off Jon Katz, which I have. Don't bemoan free expression. Not even stupid free expression. Do what I do. Ignore it.