If you don't have and online diary, or maybe even if you do, you may wonder why someone would write their most personal thoughts and feelings online. I have asked some online diary authors why they wrote theirs. Thirteen of them responded and this is what they had to say. (WARNING: This article became very long, read at your own risk.)
- Living In The Bonus Round
"I began writing the diary back when I was sick and truly dying of AIDS. The page gave inspiration and support for caregivers who were having trouble communicating with the ones they were caring for. So, in reaching out to help myself, I found myself helping others." - Realm Of Fire
"The simple answer would be "cheap therapy." If I put my thoughts and feelings out there for all the world to see, I don't feel so much pressure (mostly internal) to keep things hidden from other people... or from myself. It's easier for me to cope with things once they're out in the open." - Tony Morelli's Home Page
"Hi! To quote my "About This Site" section..."...the primary function of this site is to serve as an experimental and educational tool in HTML coding and in the maintenance of online community. Either that or it's a self-indulgent ego trip."
I use the diary format because I feel it gives potential visitors something to come back to. I want to make my site a regular stop on my friend's surfing loop. I want to offer something new at least every couple of days... The easiest, and most fun way to do that is to put up a diary. It also helps shape the personality of my site."
- The Underground Rants
"good question. i never really thought about it,to tell you the truth. i guess i started due to a friend of mine introducing me to her site jennifer of jen's online journal and teaching me HTML. i didn't really know what i wanted to accomplish with it, whether it be cheap therapy or just a way to vent my frustrations that my parents would have no access to -- they were completely computer/internet illiterate but had indeterminate access to my room, which didn't lend much to privacy to actually write a journal. it just eventually became a thing for me to do, and when people started reading, i decided to keep it up, even after being very close to quitting a lot of times. but also with online, you can get feedback from people who may have suggestions or solutions to problems that you write about, which you wouldn't get from a paper journal that you keep completely private.
that's my story and i'm sticking to it."
- Owl's Eye View
"This is actually a tough one -- mostly because I started writing online mostly "on a lark" so to speak. I guess the reason I keep on doing it, is that it's cathartic. I can write and while for the most part I don't know who the audience is, someone else is hearing me speak. From time to time, I get meaningful feedback on what I've said, that part makes me feel less alone. It's comforting to know that other people have or are currently, going through some of the same kinds of things. That support can be enlightening." - Diary Of An Average Australian
"I've been writing humour for some time, and I realised a couple of years ago that a lot of what I was writing was based on personal experiences. A friend suggested I compile them as a diary, and since then I've tried to write more about my every day experiences, concentrating for the most part on amusing anecdotes. I keep it online because I know other people enjoy reading it, and I certainly enjoying writing it." - Tamara's Attic
"Writing for me has become a tic, as in nervous I think. When things happen to me and mine, for good or bad, it just seems that I don't lay it to rest until I write it out. I had a ton of them sitting in my hard drive, when my husband suggested I put them on a webpage. As he put it, there are a million homepages out there, but darn few with actual content. I knew zippo about doing a homepage, but with a good editor and minus some stands of hair, I ended up with one. It's become in my mind a repository for anyone to read and identify with, and maybe laugh about.. Human experience breeds common understanding and we ain't all that different when you come down to it."More of This Article: Why People Post Online Diaries - From The People Themselves
