Diary vs Blog

Yesterday, four of us (faj, shinta, noe2l, and me) were involved in a tense discussion to define the term 'DIARY'. It was rooted from the same agreement that: a blog is not supposed to be a diary!
For the sake of our 'too-high-dignity' for our blog not to be judged as a diary, there we went... diary vs blog.

According to Google's definition:
The word diary comes from the Latin word diarium ("daily allowance", from dies, "day" - more often in the plural form diaria). The word "journal" comes from the same root (diurnus = of the day) through "journey".

In dictionary, it is defined that:
diary : A daily record, especially a personal record of events, experiences, and observations;

'Diary', daily record, whereas 'Journal' came from the same root as 'diary'.
Blog was initially created as an online journal. Then, does it differ from diary ? Is 'diary' a subset or superset of 'journal'? or how?

*tweoweoweoweoweoweow...*

To decide whether a blog is diary or not, we should know what 'diary' is and what its characteristcs are.

There were some aspects that we were viewing in defining a 'diary':

1. Confidentiality.
   It contains personal and top-secret matter. In fact, we deserve some slaps if we read other's diary without permission.
   What about published diary, like Anne Frank's, Zlata's ? Are those diaries still be considered as 'diary'? Hmm... may be under the provision that those diaries are permitted to be 'read' by public. Or how ??
   
   *tweoweoweoweow.....*
   
   
2. Point of view.
   Diary is normally written as if the author was talking only to the diary.
   Here are some examples:
   "dear diary,
   I am feeling blue today... why the sky's so blue and the sun's so bright ?"
   or
   "dear diary,
   I had no money today. Can I borrow from you some ?" (faj,2004)
   
   Thus, the point is: there is no intention in involving audiences but the diary itself, in diary writting.
   Will this be sufficient condition ?
   
   Hence, it is only the matter of the way we are retelling the stories. Isn't it?
   So, do you think the one below is not a diary writting ?
   
   "hi everybody,
   I am feeling blue today... why did he never call me today ? I've been longing for it...oh, please, somebody, let him know that I am waiting for his call!"
   
   *argghhh... yaiks... so disgusting !!!*
   
   
   
3. Content.
   The content of a diary is more about the author's personal matter. *That's why it is confidential*
   Yet, in its growth, Diary tends to be associated with love matter and melancholic type of writtings *well, it must be because of the influence of many radiostations with their 'dear diary' program!*.
   Actually, personal matter could be anything! Could it be about financial, contemplations, etc etc.
   
   Yet, the concern now is: there's no standard in determining whether something is confidential/personal or not. For an introvert person, everything could be personal, even the fact that he/she has not eaten for the whole day... Yet, for a very expressive person, he/she would not mind if everybody knows his/her love history.
   
   How ?
   
   Or may be, as long as we don't write about love matter and melancholic things we are safe ?
   
   *tweoweoweoweoweow....*

The discussion ended up with indecisive conclusion.

A good point from Shinta: "Just consider blog as your own private publication with you yourself as the solely author. Just like a publication(e.g. newspaper), blog may have breaking-news corner, poetry corner, daily corner, etc.." *what about private whine (ind: curhat) corner?*

Hey, I agree with you, shin! just be yourself! express yourself as you wish! Just use your blog to express yourself. No matter what people may comment, it's my blog. My own publication, so what! hehehe...

As the final say, to save our 'dignity' from having a diary-style blog, we decided to put a disclaimer in our blog:
no matter what the contents of our blogs are, our blogs are not 'diary's!