Do you think that there's a difference in weblogs and journals? Do you feel that one is more legitimate than the other? Some people see weblogs as the New Thing. Does a weblog sacrifice content?

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2000

Answers

Well, weblogs seem to be more random and disjointed, while journals follow a more coherent theme... wait a minute...

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2000

A weblog isn't sacrificing content. It's just a different kind of content. It depends on the presentation, too - there are blogs like Robot Wisdom that are just a list of links, and then there blogs with more commentary, like Hack the Planet Prime or Camworld.

I find the latter type much more interesting, but I'm sure there are folks who want exactly what Robot Wisdom provides, too.

Besides, since we don't have clear definitions of either "Weblog" or "Journal", it's tough to compare and contrast.

My site is done in a weblog format, with stuff posted now and then, and 5 days worth of...stuff displayed at a time, but sometimes an item is just commentary, with no link involved.

I don't think that "legitimacy" enters into it - if you've got something that you need to publish, then do it. Use whatever format you're most comfortable with.

I changed to the weblog format because I figured that if I could update my site by pasting some text into a form, I'd update it more often. So I rolled my own set of Perl scripts, and lo and behold - now I typically update twice a day, instead of once a week.

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2000

As someone who has both on my site, this is what I see as the difference. My journal tends to be more about me, what I do, who I talk to and that sort of thing, and is inspired by the events and activities in my life. My weblog tends to be links plus commentary inspired by the link. Usually I find a story or site that makes me think, and then link to it. But sometimes I will have a thought, and then seek out a link that matches it.

I don't really see one as a more legitimate forms of expression than the other, and I think a lot of people have made interesting hybrids of both. Beth and Stef come to mind in that category.

As far as "community" goes, I think some of the 'bloggers have a bit of a condescending attitude towards journallers. My half-baked theory is that this is because 'bloggers are more likely to be engineer, programmer or techie-types, and see journals as too personal, emotional or angst-y. I realize that is a huge, sweeping generalization and one I will probably regret as soon as I hit the submit button.

My weblog is a lot easier to update, which is why it gets updated multiple times throughout the day, while at this point I'm lucky if I update my journal once a week. If I only have two sentences worth of something to say, I can still update the weblog.

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2000

I agree with much of what Kim (Fresh Hell) said. I have a journal, which is personal, thoughts, events, etc. I also have a web log (which isn't live yet 'cause I keep playing with the format) which is going to be the place to drop interesting links or commentary that isn't "fleshy" enough for a full journal entry.

It was interesting to be in Pamie's online journaling roundtable and the one about web logs (at sxsw). There may be some mutual condescension with *some* bloggers seeing journals as Kim described, while *some* journalers see blogging as taking the easy way out. I happen to believe both are perfectly valid methods of 'semi-regular updating of online content on a personal web site.' I also think there can be a lot of crossover or merging of blogs/journals.

But in the end, does it matter what it's called? If you like to do it, do it. And just read what you like.

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2000

Rich...

Rich, restrain me, Rich...

Oh well, what the hell.

A weblog is lazy. There's no thought put into it; there's no time for reflection or discipline. Just bam, zip, you're gone.

If you think weblogs are good, try and imagine Pamie's site as a weblog. BLECCCCH. All the comedy, humor, and all-around goodness of Pamie would be sucked off into some "powered by Blogger" vortex.

Screw blogging. If you're gonna be on the web, make something better than a bunch of links.

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2000

First, thank you to Kim for mentioning me. I think this group of us that always jumps up to defend our "hybrids" should take over the world.

Yes.

Anyhoo, a very large number of the weblogs that I frequent rarely post lists of links. Yes, many of them do. But there is a big trend lately in making a weblog more like a notepad for quick thoughts that you want to mention, but just can't turn into a larger piece at the time.

No, Pamie's site should NOT be in a log format. But I also don't want to see worthy people with something fun to say having to struggle over a longer format that just isn't comfortable for them.

Also, a lot of the weblog thing is just a matter of formatting. Many journallers post shorter entries and make a separate page for each and blah blah blah. If these all showed up in one page with a little date on each, it might be mistaken for a weblog.

Finally, Blogger is not a tool for creating content. I merely makes the updating and archiving and all the poopy I hate to do much much easier.

I would definitely recommend Derek Powazek's rant about weblogs for those who feel very polarized about the issue.

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2000

I've never completely understood this debate. Weblogs and journals are different. It's not a question of which is better or more legitimate - they have different purposes. And if it makes you happier or fits your life better to have one rather than the other, more power to you.

That being said, I personally will read a journal over a weblog anyday. My purpose in reading journals is to step into someone else's shoes for a day. I like reading about the lives of people I don't know, who I would probably never meet in my offline life, simply because they have different ideas and opinions and experiences. I like stories from people's day-to-day lives and insights into what makes them tick. It puts my own life into perspective, and occasionally I even learn something. Weblogs to me are just too short and choppy to give me a real picture of the person writing them.

That's my take on what I choose to read and why. Write what you want to write, write what serves your purpose, and the people it works for will read it.

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2000

A weblog is lazy. There's no thought put into it; there's no time for reflection or discipline. Just bam, zip, you're gone.

If you really think this, you're reading the wrong weblogs. I put lots of reflection into some of my posts. Certainly more than I put into some of my journal entries.

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2000

I agree; a weblog is a lot harder to maintain than a journal. If you think you can do one without putting any thought to your commentary, then you've obviously never had the pleasant experience of linking to something that turned out to be inaccurate, offensive, or otherwise problematic, without noting that in your commentary. Your readers will let you know if you let them down.

My journal entries take about twenty minutes. The weblog can take hours. What was I thinking?

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2000

I maintained a weblog for about a month. It took a LOT more work than my journal, and was a lot less satisfying. (Less of ME in there.) Guides to interesting places on the vast internet are needed, but I'm too long-winded to make a good blogger. So I quit. Better do a halfway decent journal, than do a bad weblog AND a bad journal.

Others are the exact opposite. I can tell Lynda of (Parenthesis) is enjoying her weblog hugely, moreso than her journal, at least right now. Some maintain both just fine. Just not MY cuppa tea.

Al of NOVA NOTES

-- Anonymous, April 25, 2000

Scott, hey there.. I was wondering when you'd stick your head into this ugly mess. What with your recent popularity among the weblog sect and all. (for those not in the know, Scott's the proprietor of http://www.spoonfed.net - if you visit any weblogs at all, you should know who he is now).

I think Scott's point goes towards more saying that a weblog is a weblog is a weblog. If you happen to be using blogger or some other cookie-cutter contraption as a diary and not linking anywhere, well, then, you're not weblogging, are you?

Journals have 'traditionally' had more flare, more variety, more substance to them. And when the hell did Derek Powazek become this mythical god of weblogging and the 'net?

Geeze.

-rich http://www.inferiority.com

-- Anonymous, April 26, 2000

Could it be that weblogs are the "new thing" because there's suddenly software available that makes them easy to maintain? Diaryland has spawned a zillion not-too-exciting journals, why shouldn't Blogger spawn a zillion not-too-exciting weblogs?

My previous attempt at doing a journal floundered, not because I couldn't sit down and write but because I hated the site-maintenance aspect. Updating a journal site by hand isn't discipline, it's drudgery. I've also never been able to keep a paper journal for long because I hate writing longhand.

Now I have a little script that I found that does it all for me (I just had to make a template and can write entries with minimal formatting) and I might actually be motivated to keep it up for a while.

-- Anonymous, April 26, 2000

As someone who has both, I find them both great outlets for different things.

My journal seems to be more reflective, internal. The weblog is where I mouth off about things that seem too short for entries. I used to find lots of interesting links, and random thoughts and by the time I sat down to the journal, they seemed too disjointed. That and my journal has never been about sending people away from my site.

For those of you who think that blogging is lazy, or that it's nothing but lists of links, you're not reading the right ones. Probably my best response to that is these two:

Swallowing Tacks and Patti. If you don't think those two blur the boundaries of blog/journal, I don't know what will.

See mine if you feel like it: badjuju.org< /a>.

Peace. Out.

-- Anonymous, April 27, 2000