# LiveJournal and Blogger...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/livejournal-and-blogger/183724>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 23, 2003, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/livejournal-and-blogger/183724 "2003-06-23T07:43:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![RawkStah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@RawkStah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RawkStah)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/livejournal-and-blogger/183724/1 "2003-06-23T07:43:57Z")

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What’s the difference? I mean, I have a 'blog, but I see all kinds of refs here to LiveJournal and LiveJournal codes. Is one superior to the other? Is LJ a 'blog, per se, or is it similar to a wiki?

Mods, please move this thread as you see fit.

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**Author:** ![refusal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@refusal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/refusal)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/livejournal-and-blogger/183724/2 "2003-06-23T13:30:41Z")

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A LiveJournal is a blog. LiveJournal allows people to run online diaries, and have their friends (or other LJ members add comments). The basic format is

> [@](#):
>
> June 17  
> I did lots of rich and fulfilling things today.
> 
> June 16  
> George W is a bastard
> 
> June 15  
> Nothing happened

etc, the most recent entry at the top. This is known as a weblog or blog. They are commonly used to record the details of people’s lives, but can also be used as newsboards or other forms of message board.

A distinction is sometimes made between a blog and an online journal, on the basis that a blog consists of a series of short entries (often consisting of web links and other trivia) laid out as above, whereas an online journal has more substantial entries (often including self-analysis, philosophical reflection, etc) generally with a different layout, commonly one web page per day. In practice you can put the same content in both a blog and an online journal, but the blog format lends itself to shorter entries.

In contrast a Wiki is an interactive encyclopedia with generally factual content, and is a true multi-person venture. Blogs tend to be written by one person, or else different people add different entries, but they are not collaborative in the same way.

In summary, the differences are in content and layout, and possibly single versus multiple authorship.

Links:  
[LiveJournal](http://www.livejournal.com), blogs.  
[Blogger](http://www.blogger.com), blogs.  
[Diaryland](http://www.diaryland.com), online journals.  
[Wikipedia](http://www.wikipedia.com), a Wiki.  
[Everything2](http://www.everything2.com), another Wiki.