A Yale graduate student contacted me (actually she contacted "Aries Moon" as though that were my proper name; she obviously didn't bother to see who actually wrote it) to request I participate in her quest to prove "online journal communities often reach a level of connection/support that is not found elsewhere on the internet..". Since I don't, in fact, buy into the notion of an online journal community, I went ahead and answered her questions, knowing I'd be one of the lone dissenting voices. And here's the interview.
1) Why did you start your online journal?
I had been writing and self-publishing for years. When I created my first web page I knew I wanted dynamic content, so starting a journal was a natural.2) What do you write about in your online journal? How do you decide how much/how little of your life to reveal?
I write a newspaper column style journal, rather than a personal journal. I never write about anything I wouldn't be willing to discuss in court.3) How is your online journal like or different from any paper diary you keep or have kept?
It's public, not private, so I do not discuss my personal life in any detail, nor do I discuss other people's lives. Amazingly, there's still plenty to talk about.4) What journal related webrings or groups do you belong to?
Open Pages, and Archipelago (which I created in April 1997).5) Do you feel part of (or believe there to be) an online journal community?
No. I am certainly part of a web-based subculture, but I wouldn't call it a community. The mere fact of keeping an online journal does not automatically give me anything in common with another journal writer aside from our happening to both write regular commentary for our web pages.6) If you do feel part of (or believe there to be) an online journal community, what makes you feel that way? How is the community created--through webrings, awards, discussion lists, guestbook responses, reading other journals, or something else?
Not applicable, see above.7) What sorts of friendships/relationships have you developed through online journaling?
The same kind I develop when I meet them in real life: the discovery of mutual interests usually fosters a friendship, the discovery of incompatible values or personalities usually precludes a friendship. Getting acquainted online isn't significantly different than getting acquainted over lunch. It does offer the advantage of making time zones irrelevant.8) What is your relationship with your audience/readers?
Distant, but friendly.9) Have you ever met any fellow journalers or readers in Real Life?
Oh, sure. I've met some really great people. But in general I don't feel much urge to meet up with other journalers. It's enough to have an email friendship.10) Do you keep your online journal private from your family, friends, or employers? Why or why not?
It's completely public. If I wanted to keep my writing private I wouldn't publish it on the web.11) What's the best part of online journaling?
It's a creative outlet, it allows me to hone my skills, it gives me a place to talk about what interests me, and it provides a virtually limitless audience. [This is the answer I gave Catherine DeCuir for her much more interesting set of questions over at About.com.]12) What's the worst part of online journaling?
It has no drawbacks.
Frankly, I know my answers aren't what she's looking for, and I'm sure there's an infinite number of journalers who will gush fatuously about how they really get to know someone in a special way by reading their journal first. Maybe it's my age, maybe it's my personality, but I don't think most journalers are intrinsically interesting, and I certainly don't feel a sense of community with them. I mean, I read the back of cereal boxes but that doesn't give me a sense of sisterhood with other people who read the back of cereal boxes.
I have made new friends through keeping a journal, and some of them are also writers of journals. It's definitely a fun way to meet interesting people, but I don't see it being more supportive and caring a network than, say, getting to know someone via a chat room. Personally, I would argue live conversation on IRC or a MOO is a more effective way of making friends and creating a sense of community, and probably more reliable a gauge of reality than a crafted, static journal entry. I think the grad student's theory is interesting but flawed.
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