Why do I have an online journal?

It’s because I have a community of online friends. It’s different from the one-to-one contact offered by email, just as a group of friends is different from a face-to-face conversation. My community of online friends includes
· A professor of law in Iowa
· A professor of history in California
· An author of children’s books
· An anesthesiologist
· A writer of science fiction stories
· A retired intelligence type person(fascinating)
· A retired chemical engineer
· A columnist for a midwest newspaper
· Etc.

I read and comment on their journals; they read and comment on mine (often in e-mail rather than online). Why do I write a journal at all? Besides the sharing with a community it has also provided me with an opportunity to write about the past and current ideas and issues we all face in the present world. And read others’ comments as well. Sometimes there are great links to articles I would never have come across in my non-virtual world. An online journal is a connection to a much wider world than my everyday home-to-work experience, where my idea exchange arena is limited to bus drivers and supervisors and to a husband who isn’t interested in ideas or discussing them.

If it weren't for my online virtual life and my books, I wouldn't have any intelligent life at all. I need this contact and stimulation.

And why do you have an online journal?