Zhurnal Themes

Happy 4th Anniversary, ^zhurnal!

A critical look back suggests that entries here tend to fall into a handful of overlapping categories. Five types are arguably healthy in their motivation:

• sharing --- offerings of ideas, metaphors, the occasional pretty pebble found on the beach ...
• quoting --- noteworthy phrases, aphorisms, literary excerpts, newspaper clippings, and the like ...
• coaching --- exhortations to myself to try harder and be a better person, or at least emulate one ...
• sharpening --- attempts to focus and clarify my thinking, and to identify areas that need improvement ...
• remembering --- observations that I fancy I might wish to revisit some day, rather like notes to a future self ...

Then there are two forms of ^zhurnal item that seem significantly less noble:

• catharsis --- self-psychotherapeutic venting of disgruntlement, anger, shame, or other emotions ...
• exhibitionism --- juggling, sword-swallowing, high-wire walks, fire-eating, and miscellaneous intellectual showings-off ...

What other pigeonholes can posts be sorted into? Should the TopicIndex list be expanded? (Recent additions have included "Language" and "Recreation".) Which themes deserve more (or less) attention? Is it time to can this project, or change it radically? What other questions should be asked?

(see also Zhurnal Zero (4 Apr 1999), AnnalsOfJournals (4 Apr 2000), ZhurnalAnniversary2 (4 Apr 2001), Zhurnal Three (4 Apr 2002), ...)

TopicZhurnal - TopicWriting - TopicJournalizing - 2003-04-04

(correlates: Zhurnal Three, SiMonumentumRequiris, TomorrowSinger, ...)