If you don't have one yourself, you probably know someone who uses LiveJournal. A Web site melding e-mail, guestbooks and instant messaging together, LiveJournal has been an online repository for the thoughts of millions since March of 1999.
LiveJournal seems only natural, as everything that used to be on paper is slowly crossing over the digital threshold. Invented by Brad Fitzpatrick and run by a small staff out of Portland, Ore., it has gained momentum in the past few years.
"LiveJournal is not just an online journal; it's an interactive community," reads the Web site's FAQ section. This statement depends on why a person wants an online journal, however.
Before subscribing to LiveJournal in August 2002, I used a simple but heavily limited online journal called Diaryland. Diaryland allowed me to jot down reflective thoughts for my own personal enjoyment. A quiet site, hardly anybody surfed into my journal and nobody could bombard me with comments.
When I drafted my first few LiveJournal entries, several friends and strangers ambushed me with comments. It was then that I noticed publishing online had taken out the introspective aspect of journaling. I felt uncomfortable with my creative writing displayed publicly.
To boot, the site's subscription method is a bit unfair. Some people have to fork out $25 per year for their account while others pay nothing. This is because LiveJournal allows users to dish out codes to friends, meaning they receive a free account.
LiveJournal apparently rakes in its revenue by lavishing paid members with perks that primp their journal's visual style. Still, the free accounts offer a plethora of customization options and a much-sought-after community experience.
Although my introspective diary days died, I bonded with friends by witnessing their writing styles. Like America Online, users opt for witty profiles pushing interests, tastes and phrases they love. Free or paid, LiveJournal users can click on a specific interest of their own, a band for example, and find other matching users.
In a standard entry a person can post their text, but they can also use mood icons, list their current music, add links and inject commentary. In addition, any type of user can spice up entries with stylistic flare such as a font change, altering colors and the page layout.
Jazzing up a journal is simple. Since gaining extreme popularity, LiveJournal has adopted a new skin to facilitate entries. It relies on a programming language coined Perl, which derives from a smorgasbord of other programming languages. Adopting a classy, emo or avant-garde look is easy for less-than-savvy computer users.
If you haven't heard of LiveJournal, you still might have heard of its dark parody, DeadJournal. To spite LiveJournal, DeadJournal takes a fuming approach to online journaling.
"DeadJournal.com is a journal site (much like LiveJournal), but as you will quickly see, not all journals are apple pie and fruitcakes," says the site's opening paragraph. "Here is where you find the journals that nobody else wants to see, or even host."
Although DeadJournal mocks LiveJournal, it defaults to charging the same account fees (this time $15) or requiring the code from a friend. It gets even funnier when you scroll to the bottom of the page. Written in an undersized font it says that Brad Fitzpatrick, creator of LiveJournal, designed the site.
Really, any online journal is not meant for private entries. In LiveJournal, a small lock guards over an entry, making people without access feel trivialized. If you don't want anyone to leaf through your thoughts, return to book-form diaries.
Moreover, if you want to barrage users with a message or let everyone know the intricacies of your day, LiveJournal is an open channel with scores of listeners. Just understand that in a community with thousands of posts an hour, someone is always writing and always reading.
Chris Kark is a reporter for the Web Devil. Reach him at christopher.kark@asu.edu.
