Are journaling and blogging the same? Some bloggers say yes, while others disagree. Everyone is familiar with the multitude of blogs used to dog the footsteps of the rich and famous, chronicle the wrongdoings of politicians, publish breaking news or post sports statistics. But someone who wants to journal would point out that as opposed to a regular blog, what’s implied by the very word “journal” is something much more personal, like a diary, except that others are allowed to read it. It would be this contrast that creates the disagreement.

One difficulty with definitions stems from the blurring of lines between a personal blog and one obviously geared toward public consumption. Some personal blogs that clearly wouldn’t count as journals would be those dealing with books, recipes or pets. There’s no denying that personal details of one’s life appear in such web-logs, but those simply augment the main topic. Even posts about one’s children might be less about family life than about sharing helpful experiences with other parents. One thinks of journaling as something done primarily for one’s personal growth. Others might be able to read the entry, but the emphasis is on the writer’s self-expression and reflection on their own life.

So blogs used for journaling will require somewhat different elements than those used for more public purposes. Writers will undoubtedly want to keep some blog entries private, so they may prefer to blog at a site like www.livejournal.com or www.wordpress.com, both of which enable private posts. On the other hand, www.blogger.com does not. It does, however, allow a degree of money to be made from blogs while the others don’t, yet someone writing a journal may not be interested in making money from their site anyway. Then there is the question of photographs, and whether their host site allows them to be uploaded.

The types of entries made in journaling are different than those made in a more public blog, meaning that the basic requirements of the writer will differ as well. Their needs may vary from something that allows less complicated blog entries, like the Diaryland site, or a place where they can play and write more elaborately, like WordPress. Often this more personal blog will even be hosted on the same site as a public gossip blog, yet the two will be almost nothing alike. One serves a very public purpose, while the other is for personal contemplation.

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