Tales from the Handbasket

When you started your online diary?
March 23, 2000

Marital Status?
Engaged to be married to the most incredible woman ever

Occupation - What kind of work do you do?
Web Applications Developer

Hobbies - What do you like to do, besides keep this diary?
Role-playing games, hiking, travel, reading, writing

Location - Where are you from? Where are you now?

Why did you start writing your diary online?
I started writing my on-line diary because I have a lousy memory, and because my family and friends said that they wanted to be able to keep up with my life through my website. I also just figured that I've got a big enough ego to believe that people would be genuinely interested in what I have to say.

Do you communicate with readers of your diary?
When they communicate with me, yes I do. I answer just about every e-mail that comes to me from my journal page.

How much email feedback do you recieve from your diary? Is it mainly positive or negative?
I haven't received all that much feedback. The feedback that I have received has been mostly positive, though I did receive one nasty e-mail in response to my entry about the last Presidential election.

Have you met any new friends because of the diary?
I've met a couple of people up in Portland, OR, where I spend quite a bit of time because of my job.

Has your motivation changed over time?

How has the diary changed your life?
I wouldn't say that my life has changed because of my diary. On the other hand, my life has changed so much since I started my diary -- new job, new fiancee, new everything -- that the diary has become more a chronicle of these changes.

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?
Yep, everyone I know knows that I keep an on-line diary. I haven't had any negative experiences because of that, fortunately.

How has the diary benefited you? Your friends? Or total strangers?
It's benefited me in that it has helped me focus on certain issues and make sense of some of my feelings on some things. I think that for my family and friends, it helps them keep track of what's up with me. I have no idea if it has helped any strangers or not, though one person did write to me and tell me that my honesty in one entry helped them focus on an issue of honesty in their own lives. 

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?
Well, the entry I posted last night got me into a bit of trouble with my fiancee since I inadvertantly blatted out what we were planning on giving the bridesmaids in our wedding for bridal gifts. But once I edited it, I was out of the doghouse once again.

If you had to do it over again from the beginning, what would you change?
I don't believe I would change anything... though perhaps I would change the database I use in order to make auto-archiving easier. 

What do you look for in an online journal, as a reader?
A sense of humor, topics that are interesting to me, and experiences that are different than mine. 

Do you use your real name in your diary?
Yep. I have no shame. 

Do you censor yourself in your diary?
Yes, I do; I know that my family and friends read my online diary, and I know that at least one of my co-workers reads it as well (and even my boss, at times). Since I sometimes gripe about my job or write about personal experiences, I have found that it's appropriate to leave out names of people (except my fiancee), and to leave out the name of the company that I work for.