Well here you are blogging on Daily KOS, commenting away to what other people have written but have yet to take the leap of writing your own Diary. I know. It's kind of scary. You don't have time. You're not a good writer. You're afraid you might be wrong. You can't compete. You're afraid of being noticed by Big Brother. You like your behind the scenes anonymity.
There are hundreds of reasons not to write a Diary. The first of which is the name Diary itself. It's supposed to be a private thing isn't it? I mean come on. All my life I've been under the assumption that a Diary was a personal journal one kept to vent those secret thoughts that you never wanted anybody else to see. It was your private place where you could blab on without fear of discovery or reprisal. Then low and behold here comes along blogging and your plugged into the #1 progressive blogging site in the country and daily people are challenging the establishment, calling a spade a spade, and shacking the leaves off of the political bushes. And they have the nerve to call what they write and publish a Diary! Just feels like it's a violation of the most personal of privacy laws possessed (up until now) by mankind doesn't it? I want someone here to tell me why in hell what we write on this site is called a Diary. What is the history on this choice of vocabulary? Is this some sick joke?
Oh well, so much for the word choice. Publishing a Diary just seems like an oxymoron to me. At any rate it's the lexicon we're stuck with for the foreseeable future. You have to forget the subliminal meaning of the word Diary and realize you are going public with your opinion.
I'm a newbee to this world of blogging myself. I joined Daily KOS in early September. What an eye-opener this site was for me. There are some real heavy hitters posting their stuff. There is a reason why Bill O'Reilly bashes Daily KOS . It's because what is said here is noticed and important. It matters. Daily KOS shapes and changes the debate and makes a difference every day. When I comment here my voice is magnified by the collective voices of all that participate in the discussion. I love it that I can comment on a Diary written by a Representative or Senator. Makes me feel I'm breaking through the filter just a little.
For me, posting a Diary is just a further amplification of my voice. Sure I put myself out there in a much more personal way, but dammit I have a right to express and contribute my 2 cents. So do you! Hell, so far I've been ignored, racked across the coals, complimented, HR'd, and even called a troll a couple of times. The Diaries I've researched the most have so far been ignored the most. The ones where I feel the need to rant get the most attention but not necessarily positive. But each one I write I learn more about the issue and hopefully improve my writing abilities a little in the process.
All in all I find people here very knowledgeable, super helpful and friendly, very opinionated and possessing a sincere desire to make this country we call the USA a better place!
So if you're a regular commenter, want to write a Diary, but have yet to take the plunge I encourage you to JUST DO IT! I could list all kinds of important reasons to write your own Diary but the one I want to share with you is this: it's FUN! Even though what happens here is serious business I still have fun participating in that serious business. I think it's important I keep reminding myself of that because there's a lot of other crap out there that sure works at bringing you down!
There are a few tips I would like to share with fellow newbees.
1. Read the rules in "About Daily KOS" and in the FAQ. It is KOS's site and you owe it to everybody who posts here to know the guidelines of the game.
2. Write about what you're passionate about. I'm still working on this. I have a lot of interests but I've got to learn to specialize more. It's easy to get pulled many different directions. (The new group feature is helping me accomplish this so I would encourage you to join ones that inspire you and write there.)
3. Don't be afraid to ask for help on how to do things. I've found people bend over backwards to lend a hand or lead you in the right direction. Just yesterday a fellow Kossack (stolen water) helped me by coaching me on how to put a picture in a Diary. He made my whole day with the kindness he showed.
So come on! Take the plunge and join in on the fun!
You"ll be glad you did!