Christina Baldwin said, “Journal writing is a voyage to the interior.” Jotting down thoughts has always been a very important part of human expression, and it still continues to be a very therapeutic form of artistic expression today. Journaling used to consist of scratching out feelings and day-to-day comings and goings in notebooks and paperbound journals, but a new form of extracting thought is becoming more and more popular. Blogging. Thousands of sites on the net exist solely for the purpose of blogging: Diaryland, Deadjournal, Blogster, but Livejournal comes out on top. With its easy to use, customizable posting system, Livejournal users proclaim it to be the best blogging site on the web. Users create an account, choose their own name, customize the look of their pages, and then post freely. Each user has a profile page, complete with a friends list(users whose journals they love to read), interests list, and bio. It allows for anyone who hits their page to get to know a little about them. Each user also gets the opportunity to upload user icons that identify them when posting comments on other user’s journals. They can tailor tiny icons that hint at who they really are, whether it be pictures of them or things they love.
On their daily journal entries, users can post poems, pictures, day-to-day happenings, rants, raves, website links… Almost anything. In user posts, members are allowed to freely use their first amendment rights (as long as inappropriate posts are hidden.) This brings me to security. Users can decide whether or not they wish to show their entries to the public, just to friends, or even keep certain posts to themselves. This security system gives Livejournal members a safe place to express their thoughts. The best quality of Livejournal, though, is that it is free! Users sign up for a free membership, and this incredible journaling tool is free to them! With a minimal fee, extra features can be added on, but the basic account is wonderful all by itself. I would encourage anyone looking for a great place to blog and meet other bloggers to visit www.livejournal.com .