Feb 15 2008
Journal Poll Update
A few days ago, I asked the question “Do You Keep A Written Journal or Diary?” My thought was that like me, most personal bloggers started blogs or keep them as an extension to or instead of their written journals. The results really surprised me. Though hardly a scientific poll, the results showed that most people do not keeps personal journals. With 8 votes, the results were:
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3 Votes, 38% - No, never have
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3 Votes, 38% - No, haven’t for years
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1 Vote, 13% - Yes, but stopped when I started blogging
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1 Vote, 13% - Yes, in addition to my blog
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0 Votes, 0% - Never have, but my blog is my journal
So it seems that the popular thinking regarding personal bloggers is not really true - personal blogs are mostly NOT just online diaries. With that being said, why do you blog? Leave a comment and/or write a post about it, and link back here so I can read all your results. I’m very curious now.
No, definitely not an online diary/journal, specially since my blog has my actual name and all attached. I have friends and family all over the world and I basically started my blog as a way of letting them know what I was up to - just news and stuff. Of course then you read other people’s blogs and start ‘conversations’ or start linking to articles or blogging about events and issues or whatever, so now, though it’s still a personal-update sort of thing, the content it a bit more general as well.
Some of it may be generational (though I’m kind of shrinking the term) - I can’t see putting really personal stuff up there, but my 18-year-old cousin, on the other hand, has no issues with it at all since all her friends put everything about themselves up too.
Nadia, I can definitely see the newsletter aspect of it. With today’s technologically centered society, it’s easy for a blog to become a way to keep up with everyone without having to write letters and wait for the snail mail. I have to admit, though, I do love getting letters in the mail!
I mainly blog because that’s the easiest way to stay in touch with people. Instead of shooting off emails to everyone and their grandmother and having them delete it due to lack of interest. I give my friends and family the option of seeing what’s going on in my life now. I try to stay in touch with my online buddies via messenger, but it’s just so hard when we’re scattered thru various timezomes. I think blogs help online buddies stay in contact.
Another reason why I blog is because I enjoy scrapbooking. Keeping a blog is the easiest way to keep track of important moments so that I have something to look back on when I’m working on a page.
I do keep a “personal” journal but it’s very scatter-brained with dates and events. It’s not as detailed as my online journal.
Michele, that’s what I’m finding. Those who are into pro blogging are of the idea that personal blogs are just journals, and while they may appear to be to many people, personal bloggers have many different motivations for having them.