Philip Newton's journal

Because there is lots of drama in real life. And instead of just a conversation between a few people, when its on LJ, its open ended. It can go on for days or weeks or years, and it can include a hell of a lot of people.

And its easier to say what you're feeling online than it is to someone's face. Most of them are not people who have to see every day, or work with or ever come in contact with. The consequences for pissing them off are few.

And in re the whole friends of issue, I do understand it. I have friends who dont use Livejournal but who read mine and look at my info page. They dont know what friends/friends of means, and so they might look kindly on my having been friended by cock_sucker. My journal can be searched through google. My friends, family, employees, teachers could all find my journal. And to people who dont understand how livejournal works, the text on someone's userinfo page reflects directly on them. And even if you then explain to your friend or teacher or whatnot, many of them will ask, "well then why use this if you cant stop them?" A journal like cock_sucker reflects badly on the product and badly on the individual journals.

Especially since there are companies like greatest journal that allow users to control their friends of list, it really isnt that simple.