Journal collabs bear first fruit
14 SEP 1999 16:38 PST

Two new journal collaborations this week unveiled their first entries, documenting adventures of both summer break and bovine varieties.

The Groove Collective, founded by 33-year-old Kansas diarist Shelly Brewer, is titled "My Summer Vacation." So far four participants have already posted retrospectives on the last few months. Brewer has said she will accept submissions through the end of this week.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas author Jane Doe, 24, has rustled up eight entries for "Favorite Cow Stories" the democratically-chosen topic for the first Writing in the Sand collaboration.

Some diarists have really taken to the concept. 21-year-old Rachel of Los Angeles, for example, actually wrote entries for both projects.

The collaborations come months after Australian journaler Mark Bridgeman, 27, apparently abandoned The Journal Collection in February. Until recently, similar efforts were mostly limited to webrings and other membership-based groups.

Metajournals returns to scene
9 SEP 1999 18:11 PST

With little fanfare but lots of style, the third incarnation of Metajournals has been launched.

Holding true to its original tagline "the art of online journalling" the webzine shuns simple link lists and how-to columns in favor of richer coverage of the people behind the hypertext.

"Rather than continue to be a general survey of the online journalling community, we've chosen to highlight those aspects of it which have either been overlooked or under appreciated," explains Metajournals Producer Gabby Hon in her inaugural letter.

"It was a long, difficult journey to get here, but I hope you'll agree that it was worth the wait," she wrote.

Much like the site's original launch in July of last year, this latest unveiling came after a couple of delays. But by all accounts, the extra work paid off, with the Metajournals staff enjoying heartfelt acclaim from readers.

One of the key new features of the new Metajournals is Meta-Talk, a discussion forum for both journal readers and writers. There are already 100 posts on topics ranging from site design to simple gossip.

Webring rounds West Virginia
9 SEP 1999 12:58 PST

Originally built between friends, the aptly-named West Virginia Diarist webring has grown to link the handful of diarists living in the southern state.

"My journal, 'Random Notes,' has been online for a little over a year," said Terry Estrep, 25, the webring's founder. "To add to the fun, my friends decided to try their hands at it, and now you have four different journals by a reasonably close-knit group of friends who were all attending Glenville State College at the same time."

But starting with the new faces in the Diary Registry, he said he's going to bring more into the fold.

'Speak Freely' finds new home
8 SEP 1999 06:45 PST

The Speak Freely Webring has moved to a new and still free server, but continues its battle to fight the marginalization of diary sites.

"Sometime a fascinating journal is overlooked because it happens to reside on one of the much-maligned free web providers," explains ring manager Emily Thomas. "We didn't see a problem with using sites like Geocities or Tripod and thought we'd give those journals an extra boost."

Thomas, 24, is the ring's third caretaker. It has flourished over the months, and now has more than 50 members and conducts regular journal collaborations.

Another journaler attains momhood
UPDATED 10 SEP 1999 17:53 PST

Colorado diarist Melyssa Royersmith is now a mother, giving birth to a 7-pound, 11-ounce baby girl shortly after midnight on Sept. 6. The announcement came down DIARY-L courtesy Dreama, who recently became a mother herself.

Born at home with a traditional midwife, the baby didn't have a name until four days later: Brenna. "Naming our baby was the most difficult thing accompanying pregnancy and birth," Royersmith wrote.

The centerpiece of her site was Made From Scratch, a pregnancy journal. Now it has been updated to include several photos of the latest addition to the family.

Hardcore coders to network
31 AUG 1999 04:31 PST

Escribitionists looking to take their sites to the next level can now turn to Dev-L, a mailing list devoted to the more technical aspects of online journals.

The forum was established by Austin journaler Matthew Sturges and Eileene "Iko" Coscolluela of New Jersey.

"I'm hoping to create an environment where seasoned web pros can trade their secrets, and those who are just getting started can get their questions answered in a forum that exists just for that purpose," said Sturges, 28. "Consider it an addition to the Clearinghouse."

Introducing frames, setting up your own domain, working with JavaScript, and introducing advanced functions like CGI scripts and ASP are among the many potential Dev-L topics.

"It's for seasoned professional developers as well as people who are interested in learning, and there are provocative questions asked regularly," Sturges said.

Journalers to gather in Austin
29 AUG 1999 17:18 PST

Impressed by the success of the recent diarist gathering in New York City, a handful of Texans are now planning the Austin Shindig.

Austin native Jette is coordinating the event, tentatively scheduled for November.

"We'll all get to talk face-to-face and hopefully some people will read excerpts from their journals aloud," Jette wrote. ""It's a very Austin-y thing and I think if all goes well, it could be a whole lot of fun."

She added: "Austin is lovely in November!"

Jette has started a mailing list for interested diarists to discuss the specifics.

Open collaborations launched
28 AUG 1999 12:33 PST

Frustrated that today's diary collaborations are often tied to memberships in webrings and subject to requirements and restrictions, two online journalers have set up projects that are open to everyone and completely voluntary.

The Groove Collective is the brainchild of longtime diarist Shelly Brewer. She said she loved diary collaborations, which have unfortunately become increasingly rare over the years.

"I liked exploring a subject from so many points of view, and I liked having at least one day I knew exactly what to write about," wrote Brewer, 33, a Kansas resident. "It was challenging. A little bit of a stretch. A focus."

The first topic is, fittingly, "Summer Vacation." Entries on any aspect of the theme are encouraged, and all submitted links received by the Sept. 15 deadline will be posted.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas diarist Jane Doe, 24, has launched Writings in the Sand.

"There aren't any restrictions to this collaboration, or guidelines that have to be followed," Doe wrote. "Journalists can choose which topics interest them to put the pen to the paper."

And she's introduced a twist: the montly topics are decided by an open vote. The current leader for September is, "Favorite Cow Stories," followed closely by the more straightforward, "What made you decide to keep an online journal?"

Diarist delivers
27 AUG 1999 15:47 PST

Less than a day after giving birth, Pittsburgh diarist Dreama was back online, gushing over the latest addition to her family.

Dreama, 32, and her husband Tom became the proud parents of a 8 lb., 12 oz. baby boy shortly after 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 26.

The news first hit the net in an e-mail from Tom, acting on her exhausted but elated wife's request. "Dreama is terrifically tired out, moreso than ever before, but she was in labour for less than 12 hours, and that's a lot of work to do in such a short period of time," he wrote. "All things considered, I'd have to declare that she did a fabulous job."

The next day, "in a compromise settlement," Dreama was given access to a laptop so she could thank her many well-wishers herself.

"Thanks again, everybody, for all of your congratulatory messages and warm thoughts," she wrote. "It means more to me than you know."

Dreama has declared that she is on 'baby hiatus.' But while her journal, This Precious Shining, has been put on hold until sometime in September, she has already been spotted lurking online.

Big Apple diarists praise bash
16 AUG 1999 16:05 PST

The NYC Online Journalers Reading has been declared a "tremendous success," and a second, and possibly third, gathering is already planned.

On Saturday, August 14 at Cafe Sha Sha in New York City, thirteen escribitionists converged to meet, socialize, and read entries from their web diaries. The event was organized by New Jersey journaler Eileene "Iko" Coscolluela.

"I had lots of fun and it was great to have people there," wrote Coscolluela, 24, announcing that the event site had been updated to include pictures, links to the entries that were read, and of course links to the participants' individual entries reflecting on the gathering.

"The afternoon was a tremendous success, and I, for one, was thrilled meeting everyone and putting faces and voices to the written words," said New York diarist Sara Astruc. "The journaling community is healthy and thriving in New York City."

The next reading is planned for January or February 2000, with a more informal get-together possible in October of this year. For more information, send an request to be added to the announcement list.

Journalers follow 'Artist's Way'
11 AUG 1999 08:36 PST

New Jersey diarist Elspeth, is .

Elspeth, 38, says she was inspired by a suggestion from Kate, a 31-year-old diarist studying at the Univ. of Georgia. The pair is coordinating an online writing group over the internet based on The Artist's Way, a popular book devoted to reviving the creative spirit.

"The book is a 12-week program intended to help unblock creativity by means of various exercises, including the writing of daily stream-of-consciousness 'morning pages,'" Elspeth explains. "I thought working through the program as part of a supportive online group would help keep me motivated enough to stick with it."

The book, which links creativity to spirituality, has spawned a remarkable number of support groups for artists who practice its exercises together. While a few already communicate over the internet, applying it to online journals seemed the next logical step.

"If you feel your creativity could use a boost and you're ready for regular and supportive participation, consider joining the group," Elspeth wrote.

"Read your way through it so you have an idea of what to expect," she adds. "We really don't want anyone dropping out because they didn't realize what Week 4 was about."

The program is scheduled to begin at the end of this month. Contact Elspeth via for more information.

Cyberjournal material 'booked'
03 AUG 1999 10:01 PST

An author cum journaler has made the big jump from pixels to pulp with the publication of a book based on entries from his online diary.

Jim Valvis announced this week that The Winters in Jersey is now in limited release from Mt. Aukum Press, an independent publisher based in California. The 40-page, glossy-cover book is a collection of five short stories that originally appeared in his web journal, Nothing, By God.

"No fancy design, but it does have a certain spare charm," Valvis said. "The book is dedicated to my sister and to my deceased grandmother."

"I suppose this is the first book to be published as a direct result of keeping a journal," he said. "I think this is good for online journals the more our work appears in regular print, the less gap there seems to be between print and electronic writing."

In the book's introduction, Mt. Aukum editor Ben Hiatt writes: "You are in for one hell of a ride. These stories will get into your head. I found that the only way I could get these stories out of my head was to read the next one."

Valvis said he's hopeful The Winters in Jersey will one day be a collector's item.

"It has a limited press run, so time is of the essence if anyone wants a copy," he said. "Already I have gone through half of the first shipment and I expect the rest to be gone by the end of the month."

Contact Mt. Aukum Press or directly for ordering information.

Convention planning poll opens
03 AUG 1999 10:01 PST

After weeks of discussion and research, organizers of JournalCon 2000 an ambitious, first-of-its-kind convention of web diarists are turning to the journaling community at large to make the call.

The location and date of the convention will be determined by a public vote, which opened today and is scheduled to end on Aug. 15.

Journalers in four cities have put in bids to host the event: Chicago, Illinois; Honolulu, Hawaii; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Each proposal includes a detailed breakdown of travel and accomodation costs, local attractions, and transportation options.

As to the date, four weekends in the latter half of 2000 are on the ballot, one each in July, August, September and October.

Thanks to some slick coding by Hawaii diarist Peter Li, the polling site presents the results as soon as each votes is submitted. With only 40 votes received so far, however, it's too early to guess where and when journalers from all over will converge.

Journaling cams, kin linked
01 AUG 1999 13:33 PST

Now web surfers can find those cyberjournalers who take exhibitionism to the next level.

Hawaii diarist and Diarist.Net founder Ryan Ozawa has launched The Journal Click, a directory of escribitionists whose sites feature live webcams.

"While by definition, web diarists expose themselves through words, some of us literally open a larger window into our lives with live cameras," Ozawa said. "The Journal Click gives you a candid look at us at work, at home, at play."

He also simultaneously launched Family Ties, a list of diarists linked to each other in extra special ways.

"Whether husband and wife, parent and child, brothers, sisters and even sweethearts, Family Ties shows that the mania that is online journaling can run in the family," Ozawa said.

Diarists' musical tastes explored
UPDATED 28 JUL 1999 14:27 PST

Just how universal is the appeal of the Beatles? Are there other journalers who have heard of the Kronos Quartet? Enter The Köechel Project.

Quotes from songs and lists of discs in the CD player are regular features of many online diaries, presented as another window into the mind of the author. Austin diarist and devoted musician Greg Bueno hopes to make it easier to discover what soothes the savage journaler.

The Köechel Project lists journalers both by their favored musical genre as well as a handful of their favorite artists or groups. From country to new age, from Louis Armstrong to John Zorn, web diarists are not surprisingly all over the musical map.

True to Bueno's background, the inspiration for the directory's name is fittingly and musically obscure.

"Köechel ... refers to Ludwig Ritter von Köechel, the guy who cataloged all of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's compositions," Bueno explained. "Anyone willing to attempt to organize the musical tastes of close to 1,500 potential diarists has to have the determination of Köechel to undertake the task."

Courting journalers to meet
27 JUL 1999 17:10 PST

An online romance crosses into the realm of real-life this weekend for a pair of cyberjournalers.

"This weekend I am heading cross-country to do the one thing that I think a lot of young, single journalers secretly or openly wish they could do," Canadian diarist Simon, 31, told his readers earlier this week. "I am going to meet a person with whom I have developed the kind of bond you can only get from this new online consciousness we all share."

That special person is Jess, 19, of Albany, New York.

"Yes, yet another set of journalers have taken a romantic interest in each other, and we're cementing our new-found relationship by meeting this weekend," Jess said. "He's coming all the way from Ontario, Canada, to my little corner of the world here in Eastern New York, and we're both quite excited."

Jessi said the last few weeks has made it difficult to write entries, almost because it would have been out of character.

"Most of my writing comes with slightly darker undertones ones of longing and desire and even sadness," she wrote. "And now I find myself to be excited, nervous, anxious, but most of all, happy."

Pros, southerners link up
22 JUL 1999 17:50 PST

Two new 'burbs, or categorized journal lists, sprouted up over the weekend.

Pro's Prose seeks to bring together diarists who also write as a profession. "People who get paid for writing, people who've actually gotten published, this one's for you," wrote founder Nancy Birnes.

She said Pro's Prose will be more active than most 'burbs. In addition to introducing professional writers to each other, the 'burb is designed to help aspiring writers as well.

"I thought it would really be neat to put the working professionals in one place and let them field questions moderated, of course from those who want to break into the profession that has no shame," Birnes wrote.

Meanwhile, It's A Southern Thang has arrived to fill what seems to be the last gap in the North American regional 'burbs.

"I noticed there were burb and rings for journalers from what seemed liked every other part of the country except the South, so I decided to start one of my own," explains founder and New Orleans diarist Kim Hayes.

L.A. station features GeekTV
22 JUL 1999 17:50 PST

A 24-hour webcam in the home of California diarist Sandra Posey and her partner Joel Risberg was recently featured on a Los Angeles news show.

The web-designing pair's GeekTV page was the centerpiece of "Live Webcast Stardom," a segment on the larger webcam phenomenon by UPN-13 reporter Peter Thorne. He emphasized how easy it has become to broadcast live pictures over the internet.

"We're proving that you don't need any talent," Risberg said, laughing.

Thorne described GeekTV as "a live, 24-hour online show about nothing at its finest." Posey simply called it "un-programming."

"People will watch us for hours at times, and sometimes they'll send us e-mail and tell us that they want us to wave at them," said Risberg, who said the page gets as many as 1,500 hits a day.

Journalers share sun signs
22 JUL 1999 17:50 PST

In the midst of so many new journal lists, one of the oldest ideas has also been given new life.

Cyberjournalers can now list themselves under their sun signs Leo, Scorpio, and the like at 'Scopes. Thanks to a custom script, links appear in the directory as soon as they're submitted, getting around the sporadic updating that plague other 'burbs.

'Scopes was built by California diarist Sandra Posey, who hosts it on her Spiritualitea site a directory of "metaphysical resources." She inherited the 'burb from Vanessa Love.

Diarist deployed by Air Force
22 JUL 1999 06:21 PST

An American journaler stationed in Fairford, England is being deployed to Turkey by the U.S. Air Force, meaning a temporary end to his journal.

Josh Doolittle, 20, shared the news with fellow diarists on the DIARY-L mailing list today. "The Air Force has decided that I am needed in Turkey to help out over there," he wrote. "It should only be for 45 days, but you never know."

Doolittle, who works for the Air Force as a munitions systems apprentice, said he will have access to e-mail, but won't be updating his site Silent Nights until his return. He assured readers he'd come back in one piece.

"The natives arn't restless, and seem to be quite peaceful at the moment, and go as far as to be nice to Americans," he said. "But maybe thats just a ploy to get your wallet."

'Burb: the eyes have it
17 JUL 1999 03:05 PST

"We all have eyes, but we rarely get to see each other eye to eye," Carol remarked last week on DIARY-L. Her answer? The RealEyes journal 'burb.

Whether green, brown, blue, hazel or 'chameleon,' the eye-colors of your favorite diarists and perhaps even a photo of their peepers may now be found at RealEyes, which launched today. There are already sixteen journalers listed.

"Of course eye color may seem like a bit of useless information, but as the saying goes, 'The eyes are the windows to the soul,'" she wrote. "Since we can't always see each other up close and personal, thought I would provide you with a little eyesight."

With about a dozen new 'burbs, or categorized diary lists popping up in the last two weeks, Carol said she knows some diarists might be growing weary of the idea.

"If I want to waste my server space putting up something useless like a journal or a 'burb, then I guess that is my prerogative," she wrote. "I just want to have fun."

Mystery site brings more links
16 JUL 1999 00:11 PST

With little fanfare, The Yackety-Yak has been introducing visitors to captivating snapshots from online journals.

The site was only recently discovered by DIARY-L readers who found it in their referrer logs. Its creator remains staunchly anonymous, but admits to keeping a cyberjournal "off and on" elsewhere on the web. Its location will never be revealed, however.

"I think that might form a certain bias about what to expect out of the Yakety site," he (?) said. "If a bias appears, I would prefer it to be solely from the current content of the site, and nothing else."

Although the site a 'zine that proclaims that it's been "keeping an eye on the world's keyhole since 1999" is already updated several times a week, The Yackety-Yak's creator said it's still a work in progress. And it's not exactly new.

"I started the site as an experiment about four months or so ago on a Tripod site ... it was called at that time, 'The Gabbing Gazette,'" he explains. "For two months, I wasn't archiving links, and kept changing the format."

The basic concept has always been the same, however. Almost every day, readers find new links to individual entries in a wide variety of online journals. The site's creator said he tries to avoid reading other diarists' lists of favorite entries, but apart from that, there are .

"The one common denominator that I can really pin down when selecting entries is that the entry must be able to stand alone apart from the rest of the journal," he said.

He said he plans to keep The Yackety-Yak running indefinitely, regardless of readers or a coveted listing in Yahoo!

"Even though I'm linking to other people and not actually producing content, setting it up has been an interesting and ongoing creative process and I'm still looking for ways to improve it without getting too unfocused.," he said.

And the name?

"I really don't know why it's called the Yakety-Yak, other than the name occurred to me at some point," he said.