• Mon, 1 Jun 1998

From: Unknown
Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 00:00:00

Do most of you read journals of writers whose lives are most like yours or least like yours? Is your audience mainly those who identify with you or those who find you exotic?

From: Jackie <jackier@ptialaska.net>
Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 10:58:53 -1000

All the journalers I read are within five years of my age, except for one that is closer to 15 years older. (I'll be 26 in two weeks) I read only one male journaler and he falls in my age range. I believe I have to connect in some way (no matter how remote) or I get bored. I find myself to be somewhat in the middle considering the lifestyles of those I read. Half are more "gentile" than myself and the other half are far more angstful. But these are my regular reads. There are some that are so far removed from my own existence that I prefer reading them in huge chunks as opposed to daily.

From: Danny McGuffin <mcguffin@mcguffin.org>
Date: Sun, 7 Jun 1998 14:04:54 -1000

The journals that I read are of people that have a slight relation to me. For instance I started reading Scotts journal because he was a fellow asian. Then I continued because he has got to have the most incredible job stories I have ever heard. I read Island Boys Journal because he's a friend of mine that I have known for a long long time. I read Teri's journal becuase she goes through somewhat the same experiences that I had in college. I read Wallys journal because it is kinda funny. But I do not read journals based upon a specific thing. It also has to be compelling and at least keep my attention.

I would suggest to anyone to read Scott Liles archived entries. It is pretty graphic, but it does kind of show how many problems there are in the world. Check it out at:

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Gallery/5535/jindex.htm

I have a new resepct for the medical profession after reading his journals.

From: Pearie175@aol.com
Date: Sun, 7 Jun 1998 14:15:33 -1000

When I discovered journalers' webrings back in January, I started reading journals by people of my gender and range of age (females over 30). I still do...I can't seem to make myself read journals by males, college students, teenagers, etc...I guess I'm at a phase of my life when I need to relate to somebody in one way or another as I'm an unemployed and homebound grad school dropout. My tastes are very simple and I can't connect very well to funky journals that are overly poetic, philosophical or angsty. However, I'm a very visual person...I enjoy photos and beautiful/interesting graphics.

As for my audience, I have no idea who they are. Perhaps I should set up a survey or something if I'm so overcome with curiosity.

From: sarah <word@western.wave.ca>
Date: Sun, 7 Jun 1998 14:22:13 -1000

I read pretty much anything. Sometimes someone in here will have a funky sig file or url name that I will follow. Sometimes I'll follow a link from a page that recommends it. I suppose I'm just interested in such a wide variety of lifestyles, ethinicities and opinions that anything does the trick. Often times the journals I connect well with are written by people with vastly different lives than mine. Makes me appreciate what I have.

From: Samantha Marcelo <halcyon423@hotmail.com>
Date: Sun, 7 Jun 1998 14:58:10 -1000

>For instance I started reading Scotts journal because he was a fellow
>asian.

Same here. Also Jay's and Julian's. [http://www.voyager.com/~julian] But I continued cuz they were cool.

>It also has to be compelling and at least keep my attention.

Ditto on that.

I also like female journals that aren't whiny and depressive. I usually stop reading the instant I see stuff like that.

>I would suggest to anyone to read Scott Liles archived entries.

I agree. I say we start ScottAddict-L.

Shameless plug #2: His Feb. 9 entry. Read it now!

From: Vindictu@aol.com
Date: Sun, 7 Jun 1998 15:06:29 -1000

Both. I read some because I would swear that the writer and I have the same brain, and some because the person describes things that I would never (or -could- never) do in a zillion bajillion years.

I think, at least to me, a journal appeals to me because of a style of writing, not necessarily a style of life.

But then again, I'm weird, too.

From: scott liles <scott_to_trot@email.msn.com>
Date: Sun, 7 Jun 1998 15:32:18 -1000

I read various journals for different reasons. Started out reading about people whose lives are vastly different from mine. Some have interesting discussions like Zach's journal. Al's strength is in his incorporation of scientific thoughts. Danny's has the LA connection and is very easy to relate to for me on many levels -- I appreciate the fact that he never minces words, and he's always straightforward with us. Sam is a very likeable person with excellent writing and creativity skills -- her entries are always a joy to read. I could go on... but every journal I read because they offer something that I can relate to in some obscure way while offering a different perspective.

From: Al Schroeder <al.schroeder@nashville.com>
Date: Sun, 7 Jun 1998 16:22:02 -1000

I think I enjoy reading journals from people different from me more than like me...viva la difference, or something. I KNOW what it's like to be me. I want ot get insights into OTHER lives.--Al.

From: S Ross <sross@sssnet.com>
Date: Sun, 7 Jun 1998 16:39:18 -1000

I generally read in my age group. Lynda, Al, etc. I read only one teenage journal, Michelle. The other journals either because I like the person and/or understand where they are in their lives right now, or that one or two that read like a car wreck, a very BAD car wreck, that morbid curiosity thing.... Checking my book marks, it's evenly devided between men and women journal-ers.

From: IslandBoy <islandboy@friedtofu.com>
Date: Sun, 7 Jun 1998 18:03:58 -1000

I don't think I have an audience. I think that I'm really maintaining my journal for about 5 of my friends and that the rest of the hits are from random links off open pages.

Also the fact that whinyness in journal entries has fallen out of favor leads me to believe that I should be much peppier in my entries.

From: James <jamesf@efn.org>
Date: Sun, 7 Jun 1998 18:12:42 -1000

>Also the fact that whinyness in journal entries has fallen out of favor
>leads me to believe that I should be much peppier in my entries.

Oh, for shame! Are you telling me that you are willing to change the "you" of your journal just to please others, or try to increase your readership? Unless, of course, that *is* you. If so, then go for it. Otherwise, don't worry about the readers who only want to read the "happy" journals because they think only those kind are worth reading. If they think that and they aren't reading yours, then you haven't lost a thing ;)

From: IslandBoy <islandboy@friedtofu.com>
Date: Sun, 7 Jun 1998 18:46:57 -1000

Well, I'm not so much advocating a censorship of myself due to unfavorable content. My life is kind of like a roller coaster in that I have extreme ups and downs. I just think that I should dwell a little less on my downs.

I don't buy Pearl Jam or Nirvana anymore. That doesn't change the quality of their music, its just that I don't want to hear that type of message anymore. My tastes have changed.

As far as myself is concerned, I think that I am me and I couldn't change that if I wanted to. What I can change is what I reveal about myself to others. The message I am getting is that whinyness gets old fast. I agree with that in real life with regards to my friends. I hate hearing one friend in particular complain and complain and complain.

I now realize that if I was just some random person reading journals, I wouldn't want to hear someone complain constantly about the same old shit. I hate listening to my friends whine and bitch so I think that I should spare the community and myself the same agony.

I look at it like this: If I look back a year from now at my old entries and I sound like a whiny bitch to myself then I know I won't like what I read.

Sure it's important to acknowledge that every once in a while we all have shitty days. I just think that its better if I don't dwell on it.

From: Kymm Zuckert <hedgehog@hedgehog.net>
Date: Sun, 7 Jun 1998 20:02:01 -1000

Good question. I read people of all different sorts, but I think that they all have at least a similar sensibility. Tracing and Terry Baker are like me in that they live in NY, Scott Anderson and Amanda Page are like me in that they are the same age as me, Olana and Melody are like me in that they remind me a great deal of what I was like at their ages, not to mention now as well. So there are the similarities to latch onto, but it's the differences that are the most interesting. I am not British born Chinese, I am not Australian, I don't live in Hawaii, and I like to read about the everydayness of a life unlike my own.

I think alot of my readers find me faintly exotic, though, because of my living in NY.