1.) One, unless facebook is counted as a blog. 2a-c.) I sometimes have friends-only entries, but that's mostly if I'm including information that discloses my specific location; there are a couple friends-only entries that are locked because of a certain significance of the entry, but I've never friends-locked to keep any individual or group of individuals from reading anything I've put in. I don't use tags. 3.) I've only used this feature once, and it was so as to not clog my friends' page with a useless entry that I did not want to delete. 4.) Yes, facebook and my AIM profile. Anyone who has my SN and/or facebook profile most likely knows me personally, and if they don't, they know somebody who does. There isn't anything incriminating in my LJ that I wouldn't want a relative stranger to know about me. I'd say it makes a pretty public (and relatively boring, unfortunately) blog a little more accessible, but only for people interested enough to click on the link and peruse in the first place. 5.) It's personal in that I'm the only one who ever posts in it and I have complete control over what I place in it. It's public in that I have no control over who comments on what, in the same way that all LJs are the above. But to answer what I think the real question is, it's a pretty public blog in that I don't put anything in it that's related to my emotional well-being, and the only "news" that goes in it are things that people who know me personally should know already (with a few exceptions, e.g. when I got into grad school, I posted as a "general announcement" because I couldn't get to everybody personally). On the other hand, it's a way of keeping up with my life for those who do know me personally but who have little to know contact (e.g. Brandeis people who can't really coordinate their schedules to hang out with an alumna). 5a.) A blog absolutely can be "personal" if it's accessible to anyone; I consider "personal" to be entirely subject to the CONTENT. I'd consider a certain apartment mate of yours's LJ to be quite personal even though many of her posts are open to anyone. I also have friends who have completely friend-locked entries who use most of their space to talk about the fandoms they watch, etc., and whose blogs say almost nothing about their actual lives. It all depends on the user and on the content. 5b.) I tend not to post things that are too personal, for several reasons. 1--if it's that important to me that I'd consider it "personal," I'll want to communicate it in person to the people whom I know care. 2--If people who read my blog aren't particularly interested in whatever I'm doing, I have no desire to tell them. 3--The Internet is never secure. I would never write anything in a blog that I wouldn't be okay with people seeing, because even locked and private posts can be accessed and exploited (albeit under rare circumstances). 4--I'm a perfectionist enough about my own writing that even were I to choose to talk at length about my "feelings" or personal activities, I'd wind up proofreading so much that the entry wouldn't even wind up getting posted for a while, and I just don't have the time to do that, especially with my schedule. 5--Probably the most significant reasons I don't post "personal" things is that anything I can think of that's low-key enough for me to be willing to share in a blog--happenings of the day, thoughts, emotions, classes, etc.--seem important enough to write about in a public forum, and the things that I deem significant enough to write about at length aren't fit in my opinion for posting in a blog and are reserved for personal communications only.
2a-c.) I sometimes have friends-only entries, but that's mostly if I'm including information that discloses my specific location; there are a couple friends-only entries that are locked because of a certain significance of the entry, but I've never friends-locked to keep any individual or group of individuals from reading anything I've put in. I don't use tags.
3.) I've only used this feature once, and it was so as to not clog my friends' page with a useless entry that I did not want to delete.
4.) Yes, facebook and my AIM profile. Anyone who has my SN and/or facebook profile most likely knows me personally, and if they don't, they know somebody who does. There isn't anything incriminating in my LJ that I wouldn't want a relative stranger to know about me. I'd say it makes a pretty public (and relatively boring, unfortunately) blog a little more accessible, but only for people interested enough to click on the link and peruse in the first place.
5.) It's personal in that I'm the only one who ever posts in it and I have complete control over what I place in it. It's public in that I have no control over who comments on what, in the same way that all LJs are the above. But to answer what I think the real question is, it's a pretty public blog in that I don't put anything in it that's related to my emotional well-being, and the only "news" that goes in it are things that people who know me personally should know already (with a few exceptions, e.g. when I got into grad school, I posted as a "general announcement" because I couldn't get to everybody personally). On the other hand, it's a way of keeping up with my life for those who do know me personally but who have little to know contact (e.g. Brandeis people who can't really coordinate their schedules to hang out with an alumna).
5a.) A blog absolutely can be "personal" if it's accessible to anyone; I consider "personal" to be entirely subject to the CONTENT. I'd consider a certain apartment mate of yours's LJ to be quite personal even though many of her posts are open to anyone. I also have friends who have completely friend-locked entries who use most of their space to talk about the fandoms they watch, etc., and whose blogs say almost nothing about their actual lives. It all depends on the user and on the content.
5b.) I tend not to post things that are too personal, for several reasons. 1--if it's that important to me that I'd consider it "personal," I'll want to communicate it in person to the people whom I know care.
2--If people who read my blog aren't particularly interested in whatever I'm doing, I have no desire to tell them.
3--The Internet is never secure. I would never write anything in a blog that I wouldn't be okay with people seeing, because even locked and private posts can be accessed and exploited (albeit under rare circumstances).
4--I'm a perfectionist enough about my own writing that even were I to choose to talk at length about my "feelings" or personal activities, I'd wind up proofreading so much that the entry wouldn't even wind up getting posted for a while, and I just don't have the time to do that, especially with my schedule.
5--Probably the most significant reasons I don't post "personal" things is that anything I can think of that's low-key enough for me to be willing to share in a blog--happenings of the day, thoughts, emotions, classes, etc.--seem important enough to write about in a public forum, and the things that I deem significant enough to write about at length aren't fit in my opinion for posting in a blog and are reserved for personal communications only.
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