TFP Journals
 

I've heard from some folks who say "What journals?" when I mention the journaling option here.
Any member can start one. They are good for regular or irregular documentation of your life. They work sequentially, so they are also good for extended ruminations on favorite topics or just daily thoughts and things.

The folks to whom I've pointed them out have gone on to make some of the more interesting entries. They said they just didn't notice the "journals" option up in the right-hand side near the top of every TFP page.

It's so simple an interface to use, just pointing the option out to you should be all you need to get started on your own!
......

How do you like the feature?
Please, let us know.
Thanks.

I recently found the journal. I don't really have anything important in there..just alot of rambling..but at least it's a good way to write down thoughts and such.

i started using it in 3.0 but it was all lost and i started another one and have been using it semi regularly.... more since school started... i like it a lot... its a good way for me to put my feelings down so ariekitten and others can know whats goin on with me...

I like the journals. I can say some of the more personal things that I may not feel like saying on the boards, or don't feel has enough substance to turn into a thread. It's kind of nice having it.

ya, like spec said. what i like about it mostly is that, aftter you've posted comments on threads especially, you can go to it and make a larger entry (maybe go in more depth) on a topic without spamming on the boards.

and i love the fact that I can vent and people read it. its like 'wow,. i'm not ignored.' and it feels good.

its lovely and the first unique feature i've seen in years. thanks for creating em.

oh, i love the option of locking it up like a real diary.

its just damned cool.

Re: TFP Journals
 

I enjoy it a lot. I had gotten out of the practice of journaling and even if an entry is mundane, at least I'm writing. If you don't use it you lose it.

Also, I love taking a peek into other people's lives. They fascinate me. I comment sometimes in other's journals and am quite happy to find the occasional comment in mine.
Adding them was a great idea. Thank you.

Its a nice private place to vent, think, formulate, jibber, jabber, and anything else to have to return to and reflect upon; without forcing it upon the community. I think they're a great element of TFP.

Thanks ART! Now I don't have to go to yet another website to do my journal entries. Cheers!

Thank Hal.
I'm just giving them a bit of a promotional push.
And, I agree - they're a great feature...

Hal if you happen to make it over to this thread thank you for all the noticable extras: philosophy, health / fitness, journals, and any future ones you may be considering. Its really a great creation you've constructed here.

Hal just added a "View All Journals" option to "Journals".

This way you can find your faves and also the chances that yours will be found is increased!

great addition! Thanks Hal.

yay... i had been thinking about asking to get a "view All Journals" cuz i was always having to go find a post by ariekitten to see hers...

I think it's a great idea. So far, for me it's usually the thoughts I can't say out loud and most of it...well let's just say it's from the heart. It is wonderful to have a release of sorts.

Lettuce Onion
Whaddya think.
Lettuce Sea
Whaddya sink.

Like it, now that i see it.... i'll write tomarrow tho, too tired to make second entry... heh, thats what first shift does to ya ;)

The journal feature is cool.

It's a good place for me to store my ideas and thoughts on certain subjects.

Y'know, I started to use the journals before, but I was too worried about my wife finding them. :-\ I will probably go back when I've left her. No place on the web is truly secret when you share a computer. *sigh*

What does 'Lock Journal' do exactly?

I'm not a mod, but I use the journal, and I believe when you lock your journal, it is no longer open to the members to read.
I have locked particular entries that I chose to keep private, but I enjoy getting feedback from some members here, so my journal is unlocked.
Unlocked means anyone here may read it.

yeah, journals are good...

i really should update my one a bit more often. actually, i think ill update it now.

I see the journal you are talking about up above. I have never kept one before but I'm willing to take a stab at it. Thanks for the input.

I like the journal. Now, instead of looking back at my early twenties to remember what an asshole I was, I can look at last week! :D

I've experimented over the last year with online journals of various sorts, from creating my own daily-updated webpage to using easyjournal.com and I have to say that eJournals in and of themselves are great ways to formulate exactly what runs through your head. For anyone that doesn't have one, or has never tried one, I highly suggest them. The interface here is easy to use and there aren't ads like on some sites. Probably the best free option I've seen on any online forum/community. Thanks a bunch guys :D

just started mine today. let's see what happens, i'll do my best to use it well.

thanks for it! :)

and thanks especially to all the others who are willing to share theirs. i appreciate the peeks into your minds.

:)

I've had one since the start of TFP 4.0 but haven't written much till late... now I hope to update as much as possible.

When they started during v3.0 I like it so much that I got rid of my other weblog.

Just started one a little while ago, it really helps to just dump all the shit out of your brain every few days. And thanks Double D for the feedback, It's good to know someone's listening.

Hey rockzilla!

You keep writing & I'll keep reading ;).

Heya double d. thanks for the positive input on my journal. nice to have a little sounding board in the sky to bounce things off of. i'll keep writing :)

A little sounding board in the sky - most unique compliment I think I've ever had :)

You are welcome. It's my pleasure.

unique is something I've rarely had my compliments referred to as. I'm flattered:o

Think I'll update tonight or tomorrow night as things have gotten even stranger. stay tuned :D

Pretty much it seems like an 1337 club. I mean the ones that get the most views are the ones that are the most known, and to be the most known you have to be around for a while. So while it works great for some its completely useless for people like myself and people who post less than me.
And I know the whole well post you get known senario, I moderate over on www.techspot.com and we are going through a whole postcount dispute thing, so yeh I know how it is.
I'm not complaining, just trying to maybe make evident something that may be overlooked by you multi-thousand post posters.

What's a 1337 club?
Ok, I've been a member since mid-April--does that put me in the *most known* club? :) Seriously, sngx1275, I'm wondering why you feel that post counts in a journal mean anything in terms of a person deciding to keep or not keep one?

Point is, your journal is for you. You can write for therapeutic reasons or for notoriety or for whatever reasons turn you on, but IM(never humble)O, it's been a good experience and well worth doing.

well I'll reply just because. 1337 club you know damn well what that is and if you want to play ignorant well its an "elite club".
Why post counts mean in a journal? you have to see that. Its just something you do, you will check out a more recognised name before you will someone you dont recognise.
I read your "point" its to express what you want, my "point" is that unless you are some posting god here or an old time member not much happens, you don't get recognised.
Ah I'm expecting the whole god damn community to come down on me know oh well bring it on, hell probably if you look at the statistics I have more posts than 75% of our "members"

Focusing on public things that are relatively meaningless keeps one from focusing on personal things that are more meaningful.

It's wasteful and unproductive to expend energy focusing on problems that result from relatively meaningless aspects of things, while not taking advantage of opportunities for positive growth toward creating something potentially meaningful.

I think the journals are great. I used to be a Xanga freak until I had some very strange stalker girls intruding on my life. But now I feel safe using this one (mainly 'cause this is a community without anonymity), and it's been working wonderfully for me.

guypunkr,
cool. Thanks for the reminder. I'll check yours out again and comment.

I can't believe that I've been posting for over a couple of months now. I have never been able to keep a diary or journal of any sorts, even when I travel.

But here, I'm able to jot things done, expand on them and look back at my history and maybe pinpoint some recurring issues.

Yeah man. It's working better everyday in there!
Thanks for your efforts and contribs.

I have to disagree with you on this only because I think the journals are there for people to use to express thoughts not to be "recognized". You seem to indicate that only the "popular" members are using them. This is so not true! I started my journal as a nobody and I write in it for me...not for anyone elce. It is a place to put down the thoughts that I can't say out loud, or that are too frivilous to bring up here. Mostly it's just what is going through my brain at that particular moment...whether it's a case of someone pissing me off and my feeling the need to vent or if it's just a matter of me having a great day and logging in to my journal just to say "great day". It's not a writing competition....it's a personal thing. It's for each individual member...some use it an an informal forum for their thoughts...others touch upon it once in a blue moon (and these include some of the "significant" members you seem to be referring to).
There is no elite club....there is no censoring....it's just your thoughts. Not a bad thing, in my opinion.

I am so happy with the journal feature on here. It is so much more personal than my free open diary. Having a journal on TFP, I don't get very many comments but with less comments, I also get less hurtful ones. On the larger journal communities (if you can call them that) there are some people who just go around leaving hateful notes on random diaries. Here I'm not as afraid of that so I am more truthful and thoughtful with my entries.
I feel like TFP inspires me to be creative, thoughtful, and sensetive.

"I feel like TFP inspires me to be creative, thoughtful, and sensetive."

Thanks, little limey, that's what it's all about!

well, it's official. the journal has saved my sanity on more than one occassion. many days I'm just chilling, feeling kinda :| or I see something that makes me go :hmm: and I just post in the journal. Granted, I plug my journal in my own sig, but that's from back before the "view all journals" button, which was a great improvement. Plus it hotlinks me to my own stuff to save a click or two. I'm surprised by just how thoughtful some TFPers are to not only read, but comment with meaningful words and advise along with the encouragement they provide. Thank you all, you really do make this community home for me. :D

That's the kind of significance one can contribute and receive from the TFP journals!

Thanks, rat. I'm pleased it's adding value to your TFPexperience...

I've always tried to keep a journal, it just doesn't always happen to be around when I want to write in it, or I just get lazy and don't. But since I'm on the computer a lot more now, and I like typing more than handwriting, I think I will get more use out of it.

Good idea! Thanks!

rock on!


write on, too!

I will freely admit that I'm a relative newbie to the journals here - I've only got 22 or so up so far - but for those 22, I'm looking at 140 or more views and I see quite a few comments coming my way as well!

While I personally use the journal feature to let my inner smart-ass out for a well-deserved constitutional, I am at once glad and enthused that others seem to enjoy reading my thoughts, feelings, comments, cracks and (occasional) witticisms.

I'm more of a reader then a poster here at the tfp, but I have been keeping a journal for the last couple of months. It really helps relieve a lot of the stress I have built up plus it will be great to be able to come back and read them and remember all the things that have happened to me in the past. I considered making mine private because I didn't really want to be judged on something that is really only meant for me, but as I read others I figured I might as well make it public. Who knows, someone may enjoy reading about my life.

I can't get enough of the journals. It would be cool if it counted towards your post-count, but this would probably end up with too much participation or people spamming their journals. I also wish you could put links and images in them too, but maybe TFP just doesn't have the resources to allow this much stuff.

After spending an hour or more commenting in other's journal, I used to really wish that my journal comments *counted* towards post-count. I rationalized though, that they count in a unique way--in the way they touch a single person--in a different way than posting to the entire community does.

I have also had the impulse to put links and images in my journal, but alas, it appears for the time being, our journals are staying a bit lower tech than the rest of the board.
That's okay with me, they still rock!

Edit: Now that I've had my daily mug of coffee, it occurs to me that one can indeed post a link in a journal.
I just don't know how :o .

well, you can always do test things like links and such on the testing board.

then, go to the edit screen and copy and paste the working code from there into your journal.

Hey, much thanks, Art!

You can't put images into journals (at least you couldn't the last time I checked), but you can put links in. Just type [url]http://www.tfproject.org[/url]

Again, thanks! You are the best ;) .

right.
also do try the more complex options available in the "add reply" page. you can embed a link in text, etc. (all on the testing board) and then copy and paste into your journal...eventually, you'll remember the syntax.

Ok, so I setup my journal, though I must say I had a bit of a time doing so. I hit the Journals button up there (/me points at screen) and saw nowhere about posting to my journal. After looking for a bit I saw a broken image icon and moused over that. Luckily the description was there so I hit it and started posting away. I wish I had taken a screenshot to prove that I am not actually drunk (right now) and that there was actually a broken image icon.

So, ya. My journal is alive. Yay me.

I love the jounals. It helps me to vent at work, and then at home, and sometimes just blab. It also helps to get emotions out that rarely come out in me. And, I've found that you can make "Journal Friends" by commenting on people's lives and helping to maybe give advice.

Oh, and if you want people to comment in your journal, comment in theirs- communication is a two way road.

yes, thanks to all the new journal-ists.
it's a good and growing thing!

Those damn journals! They are sucking me in and now I don t post as much on the boards, its kind of like Im lost in a big corridor and a maze of hallways, Opening so many doors into other peoples minds and reading there thoughts, It is pretty rad.
I'm really enjoying the journal aspect of the boards.
Just when you think you have run into a wall the TFP opens up a little more to you.
Its a fucking awesome good time.

Heh

hehe, i started my journal the other day, after about a week ago, accidentally creating it. Interesting how it worked out. ANyway, i like to post nonsensical crap about my day there, mainly for my own amusement later on, although should be fun :D

yes, duly noted, all!

some great new journalists.
it's a real scene!

Journal rules?
 

I was wondering what the rules were, as far as responding to peoples entries. Sometimes I would like to respond to an entry, but the entry seems pretty personal. I just don't want to intrude on anybodies space or seem like some kind of weirdo if it's somebody I don't know. Any thoughts? Has anyone had any problems with people not respecting your space? I know that you can lock the journal up if you want, but...I don't know, help please.:confused:

The journals are very personal, however, the poster can either make the entry hidden or available to the public. If it's available for all to see, then feel free to comment. If the person wanted it to be private, they would have made it private or wouldn't have posted it. As long as you aren't posting something to flame the journal writer, I don't see a problem with commenting on any entry. That's how I see it anyway.

Wow...I should have asked my question here instead of members playground....maybe somebody can move it on over!

Done.

And I thank you.

So how come I can't view journals anymore?? I'm signed in, I go to journals, try to view my journal, and it says I don't have access to do this...What is the story here? Oh yeah, after it says the bit about not having access, I get logged out!!!??? Help?

This happens every once in a while.
Usually you can fix it by clearing your cookies and logging in again.
Let us know if there are problems after that.

I have enjoyed every aspect of the TFP community since I've gotten here. The journal was just an added bonus -- a chance to add to the community in a way that is completely my own. IMO a great addition to this discussion forum.