Journaling Privately and Publicly

[annofowlshire]

In my early 20s, I got introduced to online journaling (aka LJ), and later on blogs. I used them extensively and nattered on about just about everything in my life. In my late 20s, I got introduced to 750Words, in which I nattered on privately and even more intimately.

Then, in my mid-30s, I went through some serious life upheavals and changes, and I found that even journaling "privately" on someone else's server felt uncomfortable and potentially invasive. I've moved through various versions of offline-but-still electronic journaling, and then moving into old fashioned pen and paper. I've even become proficient in a form of shorthand/code to further increase my privacy (but sadly means whoever inherits them will probably not be very interested in them :P)

Anyway! The thing is, when I reverted to private journaling, I left my online journals in neglect, and even now, I'm finding myself having trouble knowing what to write on them, because either I feel like I'm not being personal enough, or I'm revealing too much. Even behind locked posts.

So now that I've blabbed on about myself, I turn to ask you--what do you put on your online/public journals? How does it differ from what goes into your private journals? I find high value in journaling privately, but I miss being part of an online journaling community. Please give me advice on how to be an online journaler again!

Comments

[lucymorningstar]

I think it's about figuring out how much you're comfortable with sharing about other people, what you want them knowing about you. whether you want your online journal to be a diary or a memory keeper or just about one topic or a general thing. I always find it's easier to be more open here because it's not as easily connected to ME as my planner is.

My planner, for me, is more pre-planning. It's my checklists and my routine and what needs to be done. It's keeping track and accoutability. But my DW is the things I want to remember combined with things to spark conversation and connection with people.

[annofowlshire]

things to spark conversation and connection with people

Thank you, this is brilliantly on the head. I want to have conversations with people.