# Starting a "blog" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 11, 2003, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669 "2003-11-11T20:49:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669/1 "2003-11-11T20:49:40Z")
I think it would be therapeutic to vent my life troubles on a weblog. So what’s a good way to get started? I’ve heard LiveJournal is free if someone wants to share their code with you. Is that a good site? Any bloggers here? How has your blog been working out for you? ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669/2 "2003-11-11T21:01:59Z")
I’ve been mulling over starting one too. Call it a trade-off between wanting to write down my thoughts and keeping my private life private. There are more than enough LJ users here that at least one could provide you with a code you’d need. My brother uses [Blogger](http://www.blogger.com), but I don’t know anything about how it works differently. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669/3 "2003-11-11T21:59:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by av8rmike \* > \*\*I’ve been mulling over starting one too. Call it a trade-off between wanting to write down my thoughts and keeping my private life private. I figure I’ll be fine as long as only strangers read it and nobody I know in real life. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669/4 "2003-11-11T22:19:16Z")
I have a ton of LJ codes if you’d like one. Email me at gingerofthenorth at [hotmail.com](http://hotmail.com) and I’ll get you one. ---
**Author:** ![Baby\_Fish\_Mouth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a8b319/32.png) [@Baby\_Fish\_Mouth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baby_Fish_Mouth)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669/5 "2003-11-11T22:55:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blalron \* > \*\*I figure I’ll be fine as long as only strangers read it and nobody I know in real life. 😃 \*\* Then make sure your name is nowhere to be found. Google is a powerful tool. Also, be careful about posting identifying info about people you know. ---
**Author:** ![Harli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c0e974/32.png) [@Harli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harli)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669/6 "2003-11-11T23:23:11Z")
I’ve also got some spare LJ codes. Email me through my link here. ---
**Author:** ![WILLASS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/54ee81/32.png) [@WILLASS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WILLASS)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669/7 "2003-11-12T01:27:56Z")
Why not just start a good old fashioned diary if its for theraputic purposes? I think online blogs are really, really boring… Unless of course your really interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669/8 "2003-11-12T01:28:38Z")
I have my journal up and running now! yay! ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669/9 "2003-11-12T02:03:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by WILLASS \* > \*\*Why not just start a good old fashioned diary if its for theraputic purposes? I think online blogs are really, really boring… It’s mainly a personal diary for myself, but if others want to read it… well, good for them. > [@](#): > > Unless of course your really interesting. \*\* Interesting is open to interpretation. I once had a relatively successfull message board (now defunct) that was pretty much a blog for my personal life. I figure this time around I’ll just make it into a blog and not burden people with the expectation that they have to reply to me or come up with solutions (which is what tends to happen with messageboards) ---
**Author:** ![Super\_Gnat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Super\_Gnat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Super_Gnat)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669/10 "2003-11-12T02:46:14Z")
Would you mind posting the name of the journal? It’s fine if you want it to be private, but I’d like to add you to my friends list. (Also, be sure to join the SDMB community, assuming you’re on LiveJournal). ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669/11 "2003-11-12T02:47:04Z")
Beware the [DANGERS](http://www.theonion.com/3944/news3.html) of the blog. Trust me, you don’t want your Mom to know. . . Tripler Then again, I go for months without updating mine. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669/12 "2003-11-12T02:57:28Z")
> [@](#): > > Would you mind posting the name of the journal? It’s fine if you want it to be private, but I’d like to add you to my friends list. (Also, be sure to join the SDMB community, assuming you’re on LiveJournal). [http://www.livejournal.com/users/blalron/](http://www.livejournal.com/users/blalron/) ---
**Author:** ![Super\_Gnat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Super\_Gnat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Super_Gnat)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669/13 "2003-11-12T03:00:35Z")
Gotcha. (I’m sarafinapekkala.) ---
**Author:** ![Ripley2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ba9def/32.png) [@Ripley2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ripley2004)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669/14 "2003-11-12T11:12:11Z")
I’m a blogging addict. Blogger is great and Free! but I wanted more control of content and no ads. I’ve switched to Typepad (they have a free 30 day trial right now). It’s simple, clean-looking and has much more versatility. I love it. ---
**Author:** ![belkathy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@belkathy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belkathy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669/15 "2003-11-12T12:01:08Z")
Anyone else use blurty? ---
**Author:** ![Hemlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Hemlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hemlock)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669/16 "2003-11-12T12:08:41Z")
I got into it purely because (as a non-techie) I was thrilled to bits at making a web page on Geocities and wanted to keep it alive. I thought writing an on line diary was original. Since then, I’ve found out everyone’s doing it. Regardless of the mechanics (whether to use Blogger, etc etc), there are two questions to ask… 1. Do you have something new to say, at least 2 or 3 times a week? I’m not sure there’s a point in doing a blog otherwise. It’s like keeping a diary on paper - you have to feel a need to do it. 2. Are you going to reveal your identity? It will seriously cramp your style if you do - friends and family will read it, but probably no-one else. I suspect blogging is a mental health issue - but who cares? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669/17 "2003-11-12T15:22:15Z")
I just got into the blogging habit as well… Look for “komiksulo” on LiveJournal. 🙂 I am being very careful about personal details in my posts. ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669/18 "2003-11-12T16:07:44Z")
Welcome to LJ, **Blalron**! The way I look at it, it’s not just a personal diary. It’s also a way to keep in touch with friends, make new friends, share ideas and thoughts and get feedback. In a lot of ways it’s like MPSIMS only more personalized. I don’t feel that I’ve got an obligation to be interesting; if someone doesn’t find my posts interesting enough for them they’re free not to read them, or to not friend me. Even though it’s more than just a diary, it’s still a diary, and it’s still mine, so I’ll write as a I please. ---
**Author:** ![KerriB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47c2d/32.png) [@KerriB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KerriB)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starting-a-blog/212669/19 "2003-11-12T21:06:38Z")
Um hello, My name is kerri and I’m an LJ addict… Okay not really. But I’ve found in incredibly therapeutic, I love that you can make whichever entries completely private. Two thumbs up for weblogs and LJ is the best one I’ve found.