I just read another blog, zeebahtronic, entry trying to define the difference between an online journal, diary, and blog without much success. However, I was intrigued at the author’s use of the word insular to describe his/her feelings about online journals and diaries. Being ever curious, I looked up the word to be sure I understood the definition in the context it was used.

Insular: 1. of, or having the form of an island 2. living or situated on an island 3. like an island; detached; isolated 4. of, like, or characteristic of islanders, esp. when regarded as narrow-minded, illiberal, or provincial.

I’m assuming the author meant that online diaries and journals are too isolated and/or too detached from the rest of the Web. I’m hoping he/she didn’t mean that they are narrow-minded, illiberal, or provincial. An online diary or journal can’t be narrow-minded, illiberal, or provincial. The author of the diary or journal can be one or all of those, which will be reflected in his/her writing, but the author of a blog can be narrow-minded, illiberal, or provincial also. So, that definition or distinction between these three writing methods just doesn’t float in my book.

The author linked to LiveJournal and DiaryLand as an example of online diaries and journals that felt too insular to her/him. I just had to explore these two sites for some meaning to why the author felt they were too insular. I did see many with meaningless chit-chat, meaningless to me but probably has some meaning to the author and those that know him/her. I also found some with poetry and short stories, some with well scripted opinions on important matters concerning almost anyone with a brain, some with personal insights and experiences, some with reviews of books, movies, and music, some with Web design information, etc. DiaryLand does seem to cater to a younger group, which could feel a bit insular (narrow-minded) to an older, and/or more mature, person. But the same can be said for a blogging community that caters to a younger, less mature, crowd.

Now, just to be clear, all young people are not necessarily immature, nor can their unique perceptions be deemed less important then us mature folks perceptions. We can learn from them if we so choose. But that’s another story better left untold for now.

Back to the concept that online diaries and journals are too isolated from the rest of the Web. I can find no evidence that this is true just because they are a diary or journal. The two sites, LiveJournal and DiaryLand, may isolate their users if the users can not optimize their diaries or journals for search engines. Meaning they can’t manipulate the meta tags and pages for their individual diaries and/or journals, making it harder for the search engines to find them. But that has nothing to do with the medium and everything to do with the publishers layout.

I will continue to search for a definitive difference between online journals, diaries, and blogs but for now I stand behind my original post, Journals, Diaries, and Blogs: Is there a difference?.