A Brief Blog Review plus a bit of Vocabulary 1/18/08

I recommend both Commie Journal and Insane Journal to anyone looking for an alternative to Live Journal or Multiply.com.

Live Journal continues its' public relations fiascos with a brand new 2008 news announcement which is epic fail. The announcement claims (falsely) that the 500 journals suspended in May 2007 were immediately restored and is generally full of teh stoopid. Any announcement which hails a flagging system so the trolls can rat out the rest of us just goes to show how the corporate brain works.

Commie Journal is an adults only site with free, annual, and permaccounts (currently selling for the cheap until the end of January). Because Commie Journal is adults only, there is a certain relaxation there associated with not having to police other peoples' rugrats on the web. Communities are not really functional yet due to lack of users. Definitely worth a look however and hopefully the site will grow.

Insane Journal is not adults only however is similar to Commie Journal in other ways. Communities are a bit more functional but still lacking the flair of personalities which developed on El Gay.

And now as promised is a brief vocabulary review. Readers may add their own vocab words for blogging in the screened comments.

ban_set: blocking an annoyance from posting comments on your journal.

Barak: a past boss of El Jay who was caught mocking users in a community devoted to same.

Blog: short for web blog, usually focused on one topic or subject and may include pictures, artwork, opinions, references.

Blogspot: this here site, duh.

Brad: legendary dude who started El Jay but who has since defected in order to have a real life.

Cat Macros: what happens invariably whenever Live Journal staff make yet another profane announcement of what is happening or what is going to happen to the users.

Censorship: something Live Journal engages in to protect hundreds of children who are too stoopid to lie about their ages in order to read the good stuff.
something Yahell 369 has engaged in to protect its' trolls from everyone else.

Comments: what readers may post in response to user posts on a blog.

Commie Journal or C.J.: Commie Journal-- run by my friends Nebris and Shamangirl-- a fantastic site for adults only which doesn't give two shits about social acceptability.

Communities (or Asylums on Insane Journal): places where folks with a common interest can get together and kick it. The following example is from the Insane Journal Asylum thefridayfive over at http://asylums.insanejournal.com/thefridayfive/1627.html?view=9051#t9051

1. Would you rather be alone OR surrounded by enemies for the rest of your life?

I like my own company; so, alone. I am indeed solitary by nature in many ways.

2. Are you an early bird OR a night owl?

Night owl. I used to be an early bird. As part of my sleeping disorder manifested itself (the part that puts me into REM sleep very late in the sleep cycle, not the part that is the sleep apnea and treatable), my sleeping pattern changed to what it is now.

3. When sick, do you prefer to be pampered OR left alone?

Leave the food right over there please and now go away. The worse thing: having company when throwing up. The best thing: I rarely throw up.

4. Do you believe in the relative OR the absolute truth?

I don't know. And I remain unconvinced that anyone, including all the philosophers, really do know. Perhaps there is a bit of both without any one statement belonging to both at the same time.

5. Which is worse, the Burning Question OR the Painful Truth?

Neither. Both must be faced up to and wrangled with. It is better to question than not to question for out of a question comes possibilities (and sometimes an answer or two). And it is better to know something unpleasant (like the state of one's health or one's relationship) than to live a lie or a fiction. Knowing implies ability to take some sort of action that is meaningful and direct. Deceit leads to plastic living and missed opportunities.

Covenspace: designed with pagans and heathens in mind.

Dashboard: on blogspot the place which shows your blog information and from which you can update your profile or your blog(s).

El Jay or El Gay: Live Journal, site where censorship is becoming the norm.

emo: never capitalized; possessing a Beatles haircut and a dramatic flair for description of ordinary events.

epic fail: cruddy and opposite of full of win.

F'Locked: Live Journal users who haven't left are friends-locking their posts in order to protect themselves somewhat from the Censoring Trolls.

full of win: awesome and opposite of epic fail.

G.J.: Greatest Journal, a dying journaling site which had a fair share of fanfic lovers and spambots.

hijacking the thread: same as in e-groups; a troll making irrelevant comments in a thread which causes the subject under discussion to change.

Icons or avatars: small user pictures usually 100x100 or less inserted into a journal by the user.

I.J.: Insane Journal, another fantastic journaling site run by Squeaky who swears not to censor unless forced to by a properly filled-out legal takedown order.

Journal: something like an on-line diary which may include anything that a blog can include, with the added feature of a friends-list. Live Journal, Dead Journal, Commie Journal, Journal Fen, and the now almost defunct Greatest Journal are all based on the same open-source code with individual embellishments.

Journal Fen: another fantastic site where fanfic folk tend together.

Llama Drama: chaotic mayhem created by El Jay users.

Live Urinal: El Jay on a regular business day.

mockity mock mock: making fun of a user or posts to a blog or community which is full of teh stoopid.

Multiply: where many of my Yahell 369 friends and blogging buddies fled to. potential for future censorship is great.

My Space: a blogging site primarily overrun with teenagers and their stalkers.

Pagan Nation: a board associated with A. J. Drew and the Drewbies vs. the Dancing Wiccans-- the Frosts. has free wordpress blogs associated with it, however the words "So Mote It Be" appear after every frigging post.

Paganspace: a take-off of Covenspace, designed with pagans in mind.

Posting: typing an article, essay, or thoughts onto a blog.

Posts: the user's contribution to the blog.

SUX: variation of S.U.P. which stands for Single User Portal i.e. the Russian Company which bought out Live Journal from Sux Apart (or Six Apart or 6A).

teh stoopid: self-explanatory. In common usage: Teh stoopid has taken over teh corporate brain at Live Urinal.

Troll: someone who skates around the internet with the intention of causing mayhem and division.

Users: bloggers or folks who use a particular blogging or journaling site.

wank: reaction of fans to anything wanky; mental masturbation on paper.

WhacKKKoes 4 Installation-of-spyware: Warriors for Innocence who claim they are doing it all for teh children.

Word Press: for the serious intellectual blogger.

Xanga: a blogging site much like My Space without the emo.

Yahell 369: yahoo's blogging site which is now going to be terminated at the end of January.

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