> An increasing number of Rinkies seem to have online journals, such as LiveJournal or similar. I'm not the sort of person who would ever do this, so I'm curious about what people personally feel they get from it.
>

My journal is fairly private - only RinkyDinks, my best online friends, and my offline friends know about it. It's not the kind of thing just anyone can go and read. Further, there's a bunch of entries that anyone just viewing that page *can't* see... the most personal entries are protected further, and restricted to closest friends (all of whom have LiveJournal accounts).

As for why? Well, I like doing it. :) I love to write, and my journal provides another outlet for that. There's more interest to be found in the happenings of everyday life than one might think. I find the adventures (and misadventures) that my journalling friends have to be more interesting not because eating a bowl of cereal is an intrinsically thrilling act, but because of their unique perspective and writing style. And because all the journals I read belong to my friends, there's no element of voyeurism - it's the same things they would tell me, say, over lunch, if they were physically present.

It's also an excellent way for me to keep tabs on my offline friends from high school, who all have journals, and they've told me that they like being able to keep track of me and what I'm up to through my journal. ;)

And the more personal, private entries? I use them to work things out (I usually write out my problems to identify them and then work with them) and to share personal hopes and struggles with the people I most care about. I find their commentary and encouragement most valuable, yet because I'm writing on LiveJournal (as opposed to, say, e-mailing them) I don't feel as if I have pestered them into helping me. (Don't ask; that's a weird quirk of mine that doesn't need to be explained right now.)

And, uh, I like writing and having another outlet for personal expression. I don't just write my day-to-day life, sometimes I'll write poetry or stories, or post freshly-made art, or write out short memory-pieces (one of which, that I did recently, is one of the best pieces of non-fiction writing I've done in a while). I'm happy, my friends are happy, and it works out well for all concerned. :)

Sosi"firm lover of the online journal, so long as TEH INNTEREDNET AT LAREG can't see it"qui