Sara

Journal Cheating

April 1, 2002

It feels like I'm cheating on my other journal. The journal
site is growing rapidly. Good for the site owner. The jury is
still out if it's good for me, personally.

I think I have a basic understanding of the goal for the
site; i.e., create a site of passive, active, contributory,
and community. This is a good thing.

Unfortunately, for me, it seems the attributes that drew me
to the site, have changed. I liked the mix as it was. It
seemed like a special secret club whose members were
individual in thought and life style and acceptance, sharing
in celebration.

Now, I feel buried under an avalanche of people interested in
competing, impressing, entertaining, and lecturing. It no
longer appears to be a site of individuals simply sharing
their personal journals.

I've been reading the newbie journals which is probably my
big mistake. After reading others' journals on the site, it
seems to affect my thoughts and feelings in ways that are not
conducive to my ability to express myself in my own journal.

Perhaps it's the concept of personal? Does personal mean
individual versus corporate, professional, or educational?
Has personal taken-on a different meaning when pertaining
to on-line journals?

I had the impression that a personal journal was private.
From one's own point of view. A venue for self-expression in
the form of the written word. A place. A personal private
safe place to discover one's self or hide one's self. A
place to escape too. A place tear-stained and dog-eared. A
place to very well rant and rave and rage and whine with
impunity!

With books titled "The New Thought Police" being published,
it seems individual society is in need of personal journals
more than ever.

~Sara