The Open Diary survey

1. What led you to make a diary in the first place?

This is the first "diary" I’ve ever kept.  I have kept the more manly sounding "journal" since I was 16 or so.  "Open Diary" was revealed to me by a young woman I had a sort of crush on while I worked at the Oregon Zoo.  It wasn’t that I wanted to like, rip her clothes off and umm, have my way with her, it was more that she was a facinating person and I wanted to get to know her better, and in umm, deflecting what may have seemed like some old guy (19 years difference) hitting on her, she told me about OD and said I should read what she’d written.  I found I couldn’t leave notes on her entries unless I was an ODer too, so after considerable thought (give up my anonimity?  Hmmm) I became a member and began writing here and posting stuff I had written in the past – and began getting notes.

And why does anyone keep a diary but to remember and reflect and rant?

2. What have you learned about yourself by keeping a diary?

I have learned that my arrogance is not misplaced, that I am much the guy I want to be, that how I am seen here closely corresponds to who I want to be.

3. Why have you chosen to write here at Open Diary?

Simply put, it stokes my ego.  More complexely, it is a rewarding way to meet people I’d otherwise never know, in places I will likely never go.  It is a Very rewarding way to share my pictures too.

4. What are your expectations about your diary?

You mean, besides it being here when I want to write for public consumption?  I don’t really have any expectations as such…

5. Do you write in other online diaries?

Awhile back, one of my high school friends ( my brother’s former girlfriend) got a hold of me.  She said something about buying me a plane ticket to fly down and see her in the San Diego area, then went silent for most of a year.  I’m used to disappointment, but earlier this year, she e-mailed me and said she was now living in Ohio, and that if I wanted, I could check out her MySpace.  There again, it was something I couldn’t see unless I was a member, so I have a MySpace of my own, but it is a boring space- lots of porn bots asking to be my friend and take my money.  I write almost exclusively here- 99%.  As far as I know, there is nothing better than Open Diary out there.

6. If so, how many?

Just Open Diary and a trivial MySpace entry, which I have put almost zero effort into- I mean, duh, I can only post a dozen pics there at once, while here on OD, I have posted over 2000 pictures.  Winner by default: Open Diary. 

7. On the scale of 1 to 10; 1 being not at all, and 10 being extremely; how satisfied with Open Diary are you?

I’m very satisfied with Open Diary, so I  have would say "9".

8. What is the one most important thing you would like to change about your diary?

I wish to learn how to post music, but since a lot of my readers have dial-up, I haven’t really pursued that- ‘twould be less than fair to make them wait for big music files to download – as it is, I make ’em wait to see my pictures…

9. What is the one most important thing you would like to change about diaries in general?

I have no specific wishes to change anything- I will adapt to what is.

10. If these diaries were not anonymous would you speak truthfully and openly in your diary?

I save the really open stuff for Favs only entries, but yes I would.  I have little to hide and much to show.

11. Do you pay little, some, or alot of attention to your notes?

The notes I have recieved – over 13,000 of them so far, are icing on an already sweet cake.  Yes, I pay a lot of attention to them.

12. Do you have a regular schedule to write or do you only write here when you feel like it?

I write when I feel like it, on no particular schedule at all.  I rarely do not write and often write two or more entries a day.

13. Would you pay to be a reader only if you did not keep a diary?

Almost surely not.

14. Do you ever make changes in your life because of what you read here or the notes you have been left?

Yes I have.  Wisdom is where I find it, and if something someone writes sounds like it would be good for me to do, I do it.

15. If the diaries were not accessable to others would you continue to write online?

This question assumes that I don’t write anything on my computer or on paper, doesn’t it?  Next question please.

16. What are your three best experiences from keeping your diary?

1.  Meeting and corresponding with people all over the world.  2.  Finally being able to show off my photographs.  I know I am very good at it and have taken pictures most all of my life and have found an audience here who appreciates my work. 3.  I have learned more- a lot more,  about one of my favorite subjects – women.

17. Three worst?

In no particular order, being very occaisionally misunderstood, losing months of my diary in 2004’s hacker attack, and not yet meeting a new "soul-mate", lover, friend.  (I haven’t met a permanent lover, but I have met lots of people I think of as friends in every sense of the word)

18. Have you telephoned or spoken with other diarists before?

The woman who introduced me here was someone I used to talk to on the phone, and I have e-mailed and instant messaged other diarists.

19. Have you met in person with other diarists?

I have met about a dozen diarists in the 2 and a h

alf years I have written here.  Last year, a women here in the Portland area took the inititive to meet me and we had an interesting relationship for six or eight months.

20. Do you think there should be annual or regular meetings of writers at this diary for the purposes of getting better acquainted and socialization?

I don’t think there should be, but I would like it very much if we all had a chance to meet in person occaisionally.  If I could, I would vist my favs.

21. Please make a statement as long or as short as you wish about this diary or other diaries in general.

I have found a medium that agrees with me in substantial ways here on Open Diary, and while I have not tried any other spaces like this except for MySpace, I am satisfied that this is the best space for me to present myself, my photos, and my words.  If I could have, I would have bought one of the Lifetime Memberships like so many of my readers have, but for the time being, I will be a OD Plus member at the very least until next April, thanks to the annonymous gifts of 18 months of Plus memberships.

Who ever gave those to me has my thanks and gratitude, and my hopes that they feel that they are getting their money’s worth out of the expense… I know I am.  Thank you very much.

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