Vicious Thinks

Online Diary Profile

Age - How old are you now?
33 (note: i also submitted my personal site, mercurial.org)

When you started your online diary?
mid 1998 -- current version as a weblog, using blogger.com to update, has been around since late '99

Marital Status?
single

Occupation - What kind of work do you do?
web developer

Location - Where are you from? Where are you now?
Arlington, VA 

Why did you start writing your diary online?
i enjoyed reading other peoples' diaries and journals online, and i also enjoy writing. i was never interested in keeping a paper journal, because i like knowing that other people are reading what i write.

Do you communicate with readers of your diary?
absolutely! as with my personal site, i really like hearing from people who read my site and take the time to write. most of the contact with readers is currently by way of the discussion functionality provided by livejournal -- the notes get posted to particular entries in my weblog and are available for anybody to read and respond to.

How much email feedback do you recieve from your diary? Is it mainly positive or negative?
i don't get a large amount of feedback, but most of it is positive. i can't remember any message i've gotten that stands out as someone writing to really tell me they didn't like my site.

Have you met any new friends because of the diary?
very much so :)

Has your motivation changed over time?
not really .. i write mostly to share my point of view on things and provide a little insight into my character. it's also a release for me to have a forum to say stuff in where i know people will be able to read and respond to it. i like knowing that things i say might start conversations.  

How has the diary changed your life?
i've become a better writer, i think, and i'm more at ease with speaking my mind and sharing my opinion on things without worrying about what someone else might think. i've also made some really interesting friends and acquaintances.

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?
as with my personal site, they are aware of it if only because it's listed in the sig line of my emails. i don't think they read it, but i don't write anything in there i wouldn't want anybody to know anyway. i like to maintain a line between public and personal life. 

How has the diary benefited you? Your friends? Or total strangers?
it gives me an outlet! i don't know so much that i benefit anyone besides myself -- it really is all about me! ;)  

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?
nope. i'm careful not to write anything if i think it might be seriously invasive to my life or someone else's. i make a lot of offhand, smartass comments about things, but i try to police my own comments and keep the detail-specific stuff to a minimum. if i really feel strongly motivated to write about someone or something that is bothering me, i try to do it in a way that that is very general, and shows that what i'm writing is my point of view and maybe shouldn't be taken as solid fact. 

If you had to do it over again from the beginning, what would you change?
i would start writing sooner.  

What do you look for in an online journal, as a reader?
info and writings that reveal the character of the poster -- something beyond "i had a banana for breakfast again this morning" 

Do you use your real name in your diary?
yes 

Do you censor yourself in your diary?
i try not to post anything deliberately hurtful or inappropriate. 

Do you ever use fiction techniques such as imaginary dialogue?
yes.

Do you ever significantly edit/rewrite past entries?
sometimes, but only if i feel i haven't been clear in my original post or if i rethink how appropriate something i posted is. i try to do my editing before i post, so that i don't have to go back and change what i've said.

Would you describe your diary as traditional, essay, novel, rant, letter to someone, a theme journal, or something different?
all of the above! it's my brain-dump, and i write about anything and everything in a variety of ways. my writing style is heavily influenced by my mood at the moment i'm writing.

What is "one word" that would describe your diary's content?
mercurial :)

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