Upon first looking at Lynne D. Johnson’s diary page, I thought, this looks like a juicy one! I think it was because I like the wide main column, the nice little font, and the white background. A glance at the left-side links to her bio and information about her as a professor, writer, editor, speaker, and black scholar told me this is the journal of an adult, and a seriously accomplished one at that.
The site contains much more than the diary, and it all seems to be designed to promote the author’s professional goals and accomplishments. The diary section gives her a place to express thoughts about current events, culture, and her full life. Reading some of the comments tells me she has a steady audience of other culture-watchers and music lovers.
Johnson’s journal entries are usually long and interesting. Sometimes she quotes from books and articles, conversations with friends, or IM exchanges. One particularly entertaining entry transcribed an exchange of adlibbed rap-style rhymes over IM. Others are thoughtful explorations of life’s dilemmas and decisions and professional issues. Both the entries and the reader comments seem to come from upbeat perspectives and stick to the positive. The site is professionally maintained in the sense that though it’s quite large, everything seems consistent and everything loads properly (except for her link to Blogsnob). Johnson has done a great job with this site.
I think anyone, particularly women of all colors, who is concerned with issues facing high-tech workers, higher education, teaching, or New York life would be interested in this online diary. And the variety within the posts makes me think it will be worthwhile to check back often.
Lynne