When you started your online diary?
June 1999
Marital Status?
married
Occupation - What kind of work do you do?
PhD in a field of applied chemistry
Hobbies - What do you like to do, besides keep this diary?
skating, cats, reading, sewing, fashion design, web design
Location - Where are you from? Where are you now?
USA
Why did you start writing your diary online?
Do you communicate with readers of your diary?
Yes
How much email feedback do you recieve from your diary? Is it mainly positive or negative?
Positive. a few per week
Have you met any new friends because of the diary?
Not offline
Has your motivation changed over time?
I am more motivated as people share their experiences and tell me that my journal has helped to motivate them to pursue an ambition.
How has the diary changed your life?
I feel more connected to other adults having similar experiences
Do your friends and family know you keep this journal/read it? If so have you had any really negative experiences as a result? If not why?
My husband does. He reads it some times. No negative experiences. He likes my writing and supports my skating.
How has the diary benefited you? Your friends? Or total strangers?
I enjoy sharing with others. I have motivated otehr people to follow their childhood dreams into an ice rink to take lessons.
Has your diary ever gotten you in trouble? If so, how? Scenerio: If you were wronged by a person that you know reads your diary, would you bash them anyway? What about family? What about co-workers?
No. I try to stay annonymous
If you had to do it over again from the beginning, what would you change?
I might make the web design itself more sophisticated. I might name my novel something else.
Do you have any favorite entries?
Yes.
What do you look for in an online journal, as a reader?
Interesting subject, relevant to my life.
Do you use your real name in your diary?
No
Do you censor yourself in your diary?
Yes. I try not to use words that are not used on network TV in the US. I don't want to offend someone with language. Theya re free to disagree with my opinions though.
Do you ever use fiction techniques such as imaginary dialogue?
yes. It sometimes helps to simplify an idea.
Do you ever significantly edit/rewrite past entries?
rarely
Would you describe your diary as traditional, essay, novel, rant, letter to someone, a theme journal, or something different?
theme journal
What is "one word" that would describe your diary's content?
skating
As an online diarist do you consider yourself a Web celebrity, an exhibitionist, a public figure, a writer, an innovator, or something different?
a writer
How do you tackle the mechanics of Web design and how do you deal with your frustrations when you can't do what you envision.
I write html. My site is about my writing and skating more than about flashy web design.
Why do you think people are interested in what you have to say?
They are also involved in skating or another sport.
What compels you to design beautiful pages and to write from the heart (beyond just the usual question of "why an online journal")?
My pages are functional more than pretty. I write as honestly as possible so other skaters do not feel alone in their frustrations. I also like to make it humorous.