Online journals:  Public or private?

Giovanni Rosendo, staff writer

What used to be private can now be read and commented upon on the Internet.

Secret thoughts and ideas used to be kept confidential in a diary with a lock and key. Now the Internet has taken its role to help people vent and keep friends updated with their everyday lives through the online journal.

The range of online journals is very wide. There are general journals that have no requirements to join. All you need is to set up a username and password, then be on your way. The choice of which kind of journal you would like also determines the price. Online journals aren’t like having a notebook full of thoughts; it’s establishing a web page that fits the writer’s mentality. When visiting a person’s web journal, you can tell right off by the colors, pictures, and music what kind of person they are and what you may be reading about.

Several journals give you the choice of whether or not you want just a trial period, basic service, or an upgraded account. Trial periods and basic services are usually free, but the upgraded services usually ask for payment.

Xanga.com is a fine example of this. When creating an account, you are given a complete walk-through of the whole system and services that are given. You also have a choice between Xanga Classic and Xanga Premium. The Classic service doesn’t have any sort of membership fee. Xanga Premium on the other hand, costs $4 for one month, $15 for 6 months, $25 for 12 months, $50 for 24 months and $100 for a lifetime.

So what’s the difference? Xanga Premium gives the account holder even more options for publishing, designing, and community tools. Publishing includes tools for things such as setting the color scheme. Designing tools are for adding features such as pictures via Internet or digital camera, and community tools allow the user to join “blog rings” which are like chat rooms for people with similar interests. Xanga is very user friendly and allows users to point and drag any html or gifs onto the site. You do have to be at least 13 years of age to participate though.
On the other end of the spectrum, there is also LiveJournal.com. LiveJournal.com gives users basically the same benefits as Xanga. However, this site is more for users who like to deal with codes when creating web pages and dealing with computers. LiveJournal also has the option of a free account or paid account. The prices for a paid account include $5 for 2 months, $15 for 6 months, and $25 for 12 months. This site is also user friendly, if you just want a basic layout. If you are interested in adding any extra pictures or music in the background, this is when knowing your computer lingo will come in handy. You also have to be 13 or older to apply.

There are also more specialized journal websites for teens, people age 18 and older, and some that follow people’s spiritual journeys. Along in this category is DeadJournal.com, which is the ideal journal for anyone who is constantly pessimistic or likes to make other people mad. Also, there is JournalGenie.com, which will analyze any entry you make and determine what is going on in your life and give you advice on how to deal with the situation.

When dealing with anything on the Internet, it is very important that consumers do not give out too much information about where they live or other personal data. These websites take the full precaution of not allowing just anyone to have access to all of your personal information. If you have any entries that you do not want read, then you do have the option of keeping that personal, not public.

Determining on the writer, any of these sites can manage a satisfactory website. Most journals are started by word of mouth and just keep growing. They offer a great way for people to spread thoughts and ideas not only in your neighborhood but all across the globe.