Keeping posted
When Christine Ho, 21, first posted on LiveJournal her freshman year of college, her first entry was about how much she liked tomato soup, as that was what she was eating at the time.
“It
was fun at first,” Christine said. “You can post anything.”
While expanding the scope of her LiveJournal - joining communities that share the same interests as her, posting quizzes and polls - Christine continues to be open by posting her thoughts and events in her life her friends might find useful.
“It was something fun to do because it was LiverJournal; anyone could see what you’re thinking,” Christine said. “Now it’s a good way to keep track of people if you haven’t spoken to them in awhile. Most of my friends are online geeks anyway.”
Christine does not filter her postings. If she feels silly, her friends can find out at what time during the day and why she was in that mood. If she is in a bad mood, she will post online her mood and her friends can decide to stay clear of her.
“Usually, you post when you want people to know something,” Christine said.
| And that's
because a) I'm lazy and b) I've been really busy this week. Luckily
though, I don't have any finals on the actual final days. I just have
projects and presentations and finals by next Wednesday. So after
that I'm free. At least I think so.
I thought I had more to say, but I don't, I'm gonna go shopping after classes, need to buy Christmas presents. :) -excerpt from Christine Ho's LiveJournal |
The community aspect can be very helpful, Christine said. In a Gainesville, Florida community, people can sell books, find out about new restaurants and hear about other general information relating to the city. She is also a part of a community called “Girl Fighter” where women who practice the martial arts can relate experiences and trade tips. Saving postings lets someone come back to a specific tip or bit of information.
Theses specific groups are better than a message board, Christine said, as the communities are more personalized and stick to the topic at hand. It is also still a part of a person’s LiveJournal, she said.
The communities can bring what some may call a small world even smaller. One day, Christine’s boyfriend was talking via an online messenger to a woman he had met through the Gainesville Community. They soon found that Christine and the woman were both in the same class at UF.
Most likely, Christine made sure her friends knew about this coincidence through LiveJournal the next day.
