Why The Internet Fails

why web journals suck last updated: 6/1/00 Table of Contents Introduction Why You Might Not Want To Keep A Journal Where To Begin Elements Of Excellent And Good Journals Content Writing style Visual style Audience awareness What You Shouldn't Do Star Power: When They Really, Really Like You Types of Journals Frequently Asked Questions (New: October 20) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Introduction, Or Why I've Written This I began my journal in June of 1996. At that time, there were perhaps 20 journals online. I've loved journals and journaling and put up an entire essay on the topic -- there are tons and tons of ways to keep a journal. That page was then and still is now one of the most comprehensive guides to paper journaling online. (There are now others: Diarist. Net and Metajournals, to name but two.) Today there are several hundred journals online, with more being added every day.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

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We love Friends!

At first it was great: I met a lot of great people and read lots of great writing. But now journaling is what someone does with a web page when they can't think of anything else to do.

Why have I written this essay? Why am I putting my thoughts together on what is (obviously) a very personal and subjective experience? For a couple of reasons: I like online journals and I want to help them thrive by pointing out what works and what brings one reader back again and again.

I want to point out some flaws that mar some otherwise deserving journals.

I want to stop this trend of people putting up a web journal when they haven't thought through what keeping a public journal means.

I have an ego the size of a planet.

By deserving journal I mean deserving of being read.

"But!" I hear you...