Yes, it's a survey...

[mrph]

This is the "how/why do you use LJ" one...

1) Why do you keep a journal on LJ?

Because it's a great way of keeping in touch with people I only see at events (at least 60% of my Friends list...), because it saves me saying the same thing fifteen times and because it's fiendishly addictive.

2) Do you keep, or have you kept in the past, a paper journal?

I've tried, mostly during bad patches. I don't like them - or possibly I just don't like the way my brain interacts with them. They highlighted all the nastier aspects of my personality, didn't help me sort anything out and generally perpetuated the bad things. When life improved, I never found the time or effort to keep maintaining them.

3) What, to you, is the primary difference between the two?

This one works for me - mostly because it's (semi-)public and interactive. A lot of the things I write here would never have appeared in a private paper journal. There's a lot more introspection on here than on paper, actually, which I hadn't really expected when I started it...

4) How would you characterize the bulk of your LJ entries? (i.e.; informational, emotional, chatty, daily, etc.)

Informational in a chatty tone, I guess. This is what I've done, this is where I've been, this is what I'm planning to do...

There are occasional rants, of course, but they're not the star of the show.

5) In keeping a journal on LJ, are you aware, as you write, of having an audience?
6) How much does that influence what you write here?

Very much so. The entire journal is written with that in mind - I don't think there are any private posts in the archives, and the "payback" for writing and posting is usually seeing that people actually read this stuff. As I say, I don't do well when I'm writing strictly for my own consumption.

7) Do you ever enhance reality in your journal to make for better reading?

No, at least not consciously - although some tales (usually the ones involving dmh and bathrooms...) seem to have grown in the telling.

8) How important are responses to you?

To specific posts, not very. In general, feedback is important to me (see #5 and #6) but a verbal "Oh, I saw xyz in your journal..." is at least as nice as an online reply.

9) Does it matter to you how many people are on your friends list, one way or the other?

Not really. It seems to have grown a lot nowadays, but then I've been here for a while (a year as of this Sunday...!), and that tends to happen. Most of the people on it are people I knew (IRL or on Usenet) beforehand - I don't automatically add people who add me.

10) Do you ever post when you don't really feel like it because you feel obligated to?

No. I do post "not dead yet" / "I'm back from X" posts after holidays/events, but then I've always done that with e-mails and phone calls anyway. For which I blame the family. I do occasionally get comments on here that seem to need a swift reply, though.

11) Do you ever comment when you don't really feel like it because you feel obligated to?

No. Although when I'm worried about LJ people I do tend to wonder "phone call or comment?". And I do tend to say something when my name turns up in anecdotes.

12) How well do you think that the people who read your journal on a regular basis know you?

LOL. How should I know, I barely feel that I know myself... I think it gives them a good grip on my speech patterns and quirks, but there's probably a lot less of substance in there. Then again, I probably reveal a lot more than I intend on some occasions. So who knows?

13) How would you rate your journal compared to those of your friends? (Take into account such things as interest, depth, knowledge, information, and anything else that may apply.)

It's busier than most of them, although that's slacking now that I'm no longer an unmotivated office worker with broadband access. And it's a little more stream-of-consciousness than many of them. Beyond that, how should I know? I'd like to think I can write clearly, and that I can hold the reader's attention - but then everyone likes to think that, don't they?

14) To what degree, if any, are you on LJ for social reasons?

Almost entirely. They lured me here in the first place, and after that they wouldn't let me go. It's not my fault, honest.