audience

[lilamp]

i haven't really figured out where i come down on the whole audience issue with lj yet. i kind of randomly decide when to make entries private. i don't really see why i should make them private most of the time, unless there are specific things i really don't want other people to know, which is rarely the case. the only real reason i usually have for making entries private is that i just don't want people to feel sorry for me. other people don't really need to hear all my moaning and bitching all the time... but it's hard to decide where to draw the line. if i'm presenting myself to others in this forum, when am i being dishonest by hiding things?

Comments

[zare-k.livejournal.com]

In principle, I adhere to the "it's my space, I can write whatever I want in the style of my choice" school of thought... but in practice I do cater to my audience somewhat. You may notice, for example, that my journal doesn't have a whole lot of emotional content, especially as relates to interactions with other people. This is partially because of my sense of privacy, and partially because my few emotional entries seem particularly prone to pissing people off. Nonetheless, I don't think I'm being disingenuous by leaving that kind of content out-- no one should be /entitled/ to such an intimate view of my state of mind. I do draw a line at presenting anything that is actively untrue... I'm not interested in actively misleading anyone, just in maintaining my personal boundaries.

unfiltered

[fanlain.livejournal.com]

i generally lead a pretty unfiltered life. i figure my happiness are just as much a part of me as my bitching. and ppl can choose to not read. i don't write something about someone that they don't already know. and if i'm annoyed with someone i don't like name them and write every detail of why i'm annoyed. to me, that's inappropriate. the stuff i mark as private is stuff that i don't want ppl who don't contexually get my life or those of my friends to try to understand or judge me on. i like being open and not having a filter for what i tell x or y - that's too high maintenance for me. obviously i have close friends who know more than others but that's cuz the vibe is there. i like knowing more about others too - it helps me try to gain a deeper understanding of their life. but i think strong ppl should do this, not emotional disaster types.

[censorydep.livejournal.com]

I have the same issue. However, I tend to treat it as my journal and post what I feel. The only time I limit the audience is when I am sharing something that I don't think I would want some random stranger to read. I have never done sub-sets of friends, but have considered doing so, and I don't think I have ever made a private post, but have considered doing that too.

I think you should express as much as you need to, without care for people hearing "your moaning and bitching all the time." If they don't want to read it, they can skip the entry!

[oryp.livejournal.com]

it seems odd to chose to make some entries private and some public.
wouldn't you want your journal to have coherence? in that sense, you could have a private journal that no one ever seens
and a public one. then they get to have internal coherence, and the postings can be looked at in relation to each other.
it's difficult to do that when some things are missing.

did i imagine it, or did some of your postings go missing? is that why you are talking abou thtis?
well - peopel can chose not to read thigns that they find whiny or distasteful... you know, not look at the journal or log off...
ah.. the eternal "to log off or not to log off" question.

ok so if this makes you feel less like a failure, i've been peeing blood for the past month.

[lilamp]

> i've been peeing blood for the past month.

ok now that is definitely something to go to the doctor for!

as for coherence, _i_ don't lose any by making some entries private. i get to see them all. i gain coherence by having a single journal i think. and no i haven't made any entries private that were previously public.

it's not so much that i care about people finding me whiny or distasteful or whatever, but more that i feel uncomfortable when i see people after having posted something about personal problems, people that are really just acquaintances and not friends (yet). i'm paranoid that they'll think i'm just begging for sympathy. i guess this is silly.

oh... i've seen a doctor... i'm going to see many more...

[oryp.livejournal.com]

yah but don't you write your journal for other people, if it's public? anyhoot.
it's not important.

i wonder if i should make an effort to have more friends. no one ever reads my journal. of course, it is only addressed to you, that may explain that...