Blogging's only a few years old and we're already debating what's real blogging and what's just journaling. I know lots of people spend lots of time pouring themselves into their pages, but really now, isn't it a bit early to be discussing authenticity in the new medium?

From where I sit, I see three kinds of blogging: smalltalk, writing, and listing. Lots of people do the listing thing: post a link, write "interesting...", and they're done. Plenty stick to smalltalk: writing about their day, telling us what they had for lunch, who stopped by, etc. Fewer have the discipline for actual writing, i.e. taking the time to develop a unique point or perception, however personal.

The part that disturbs me is the undercurrent assumption that personal reflections are by their very nature less worthwhile than journalistic posts. If there were a dial labeled "personal" I could turn while I write, what kind of respect would I lose if I cranked it up to the full "warts and all" home-movie setting? Would my professional readers be turned off or would they welcome the realness?

Guess there's only one way to find out. Since I'm heading into a very difficult week personally, I'm gonna have a go at writing my very own grade-school daily diary. If you're here just to read my views on the semantic web, I'll be back with a tangle yarn on FOAF in just a few days.

Till then, let's see what "just journaling" can bring.