I've been using LiveJournal since I was in eighth grade... five years ago. My first account lasted for about a year and a half, and I've had my current account for almost two years now. For those of you not familiar with LiveJournal, users have a few options for how they write their blogs:
a. they can lock all posts so that they are the only one who can read them
b. they can lock all posts so that the people on their friends list are the only ones that can read them
c. they can lock entries on sensitive subjects, but keep the rest of their journal public
d. they can post all entries publicly.
I started out as type D. My first LJ was all type D, and my current journal was like that for the first 6-8 months I had it. Then, I started growing my friends list (flist) and suddenly locking entries became a good idea. I'm now a type C blogger, but as I move forward, I'm edging closer and closer to type B. Although, I can assure you that I will never be a type A blogger. If I didn't want anyone to know what I was writing, I would, and have, written it in my own, private, paper-filled notebook. I never have, and never will see the point of writing a very regular blog and posting it online, if I'm the only one that's going to see it.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not craving attention. The things I write about in my LiveJournal aren't exactly cries for help... they're actually more rants about TV and Broadway...but I like getting feedback and making sure my online friends know I'm still breathing.
And, yes, I have online friends. Without a type C or even type B journal, I never would have met some of my closest friends--on and offline. I met one of my best friends at school via LiveJournal. It was one of those small world moments where I did an interest search for an obscure off-Broadway (soon to be on-Broadway) musical and one of the journals I found belonged to someone I sat 100 feet away from every morning and had never even spoken to. With a type A journal, I would have never conducted that interest search, and I would have never met Lauren.
I do realize that not everyone blogs to meet people and to form a community, but I don't understand why they would choose to post those blogs on the internet. They're called Word Documents, and I hear they're wonderful. And, hey, if you don't want it on your hard drive, there's always web-based e-mail sites and you can send yourself a blog.
Anyway, that's my starting rant. Just be glad it wasn't about the commercialization of Broadway or how my speech team refuses to wear suits to tournaments.
-Tally
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
Like you, I've kept my online journal to keep update with my friends, and reply to their post. And also liked you, I was a type D, but I jumped directly to type B. I didn't want anyone to snoop around. There are some people I don't want knowing too much about me.
I do write my private post in my live journal. It's just better organization. With word document, you only access it in the computer, unless you email it to yourself. With email, it wouldn't be with your other entries, so if you want to reread something.....you have to log into both place. Second, email doesn't have the same feel as your blog. Thirdly, there are post that I wrote initially to make friends view, but decided against it afterward, so I just keep it private.
Wow, that was pretty amazing. Did you notice her? Did you feel awkward when you see her in real life, after you've contact her online? There some online friends I would love to hang out offline, but we simply live too far away :(
It's not awkward at all. She had her name on her journal, and I easily figured out her social group based on her interests, so I just went over on the next day of school and said "Which one of you is Lauren?" It worked. I have other internet friends I'd kill to hang out with; luckily, I get to meet up with a couple of them over Spring Break, and we talk on the phone a lot.
I have posted the occasional private entry, but I can't log-in when I'm at school, so e-mail/my notebook is easier. I don't really have a problem with the occasional personal entry, but I don't understand why people keep entire private blogs.