When you started your online diary?
July 15, 2000.
Marital Status?
Currently living with my boyfriend. Yeah, I am gay.
Occupation - What kind of work do you do?
Currently a temp, but also a freelance copy editor and web designer.
Hobbies - What do you like to do, besides keep this diary?
I enjoy taking photos, listening to music and shooting pool, sometimes simultaneously. I'm also involved with two local bagpipe bands, though not as much as I'd like to be.
Location - Where are you from? Where are you now?
I was born and raised in the Bronx, NY; I've lived in Pittsburgh, PA, and Rockville, MD; and I currently live in Washington, DC.
Why did you start writing your diary online?
Two reasons: first, I used to do a lot of writing in high school and college and after leaving school I let it fall to the wayside. I wanted to get back into writing, even semi-regularly, as I feel it was one of the few things I really excel at. Second, there were plans for a weekly diary from the time I launched FREDOsite.com back in February 1999, but it never really gelled until I discovered Blogger quite by accident.
Do you communicate with readers of your diary?
Absolutely; if they bother to write me, I'll bother to write back, even if it's just to say, "Hi! I like your blog," or "Hey, you fathead, you suck!"
How much email feedback do you recieve from your diary? Is it mainly positive or negative?
The majority of feedback from my diary comes from the discussion links on each of my posts. I rarely ever get an email message from one of my posts, though it does happen, and not one has been negative.
Have you met any new friends because of the diary?
Yep, online and off. I've only met one person offline; the rest I correspond with via email or instant messages on a semiregular basis.
Has your motivation changed over time?
In terms of why I do it? Yes, it has. When I started out, the journal was about my life and how I react to things going on in it. Now it's a little more true to weblog form, but still peppered with tidbits from my life for balance.
How has the diary changed your life?
I now have a small but loyal following. I like that.
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 friends know and most do read it; my family doesn't know at all, as far as I'm aware, and I prefer to keep it that way for now. Even though I've come out to a majority of my closer relatives, I'm not prepared to knowingly share intimate details of my life with them. Of course, if they find the site on their own it's out of my hands. And no, I haven't had any negative experiences thus far.
How has the diary benefited you? Your friends? Or total strangers?
I've been able to meet some rather interesting, even fascinating, folks while my existing friends have had the chance to gain a little more insight into my life and what makes me tick.