Is there any microblogging software for keeping a private journal?

August 24, 2009 3:30 AM

I'd like to experiment with microblogging as a way of keeping a private diary/journal (stored on my HD, not a server). Does anyone know of any (Windows) software for this purpose, please? I am thinking of a little app like the Digsby Twitter interface that lies in my system tray and allows me to type short posts which it then automatically times and dates and appends to a text file or Word doc on my HD. I know I could do this manually with a text editor or word processor, but I think the microblogging format would provide more of a stimulus.
posted by kitfreeman to computers & internet (11 comments total)

It's not the most elegant solution, but you could use any IRC client that does logging (pretty much all of them do, I quite like xchat) and simply sit in an unconnected window, or (if it doesn't allow that) connect to an empty channel, and then set it to be private and invisible.

Well, if you use IRC anyway, that'd be a solution at least.
posted by Brother Dysk at 5:12 AM on August 24, 2009

If you were on a Mac, I'd recommend using the Append action in quicksilver. Whilst searching for an alternative on Windows, I found this previous question. Several people suggest doing it from a command window.
posted by James Scott-Brown at 5:18 AM on August 24, 2009

If you can get Tomcat for Windows working that might work. I love the app on my Linux box but have not had any success getting the Windows port to run.
posted by COD at 5:52 AM on August 24, 2009

I downloaded Journler after reading the post to which James Scott-Brown links, and it's great. Really intuitive for me. It's not really designed for microblogging, but I've just been using the title feature to jot things down (like "Emailed so-and-so), and the body of the entry for further notes, copies of emails sent, etc. The tagging feature is great, too.
posted by oinopaponton at 6:11 AM on August 24, 2009

I'd recommend trying Evernote.
posted by bertrandom at 6:18 AM on August 24, 2009

Run Bloxsom (www.blosxom.com) locally.

The main download is an OS X installer, but there's also the "for everyone" option which drops a CGI on your computer for use with any web server.

If memory serves, it only creates text files, and it time stamps them well, so it would be a dandy way to create journal entries that you could later import, set as type in a layout program, upload elsewhere, etc., etc.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:43 AM on August 24, 2009

I think that DROE tool does what you want. It's basically a shortcut key that allows you to append text to a text file. The webpage talks a lot about OneNote, but the most recent version let you use just a text file.
posted by gdziengel at 7:06 AM on August 24, 2009

There is an even simpler solution that might suit these needs. Tiddlywiki is a single HTML file with some elegant scripting that makes for a portable blogging solution. It has backup, tagging, auto-dating and RSS features among other things. It even warns you when you try to navigate away from it to make sure you save. Plus it looks good.

I used it for a bit a few years back as my work notebook, and it's still in active development, which is always a good sign.
posted by Hardcore Poser at 8:20 AM on August 24, 2009

Don't look for Tomcat, I think COD is talking about Tomboy. Which is pretty convenient for keeping a log, or for reference notes. However, I have no idea how well the windows port works.
posted by Tobu at 12:12 PM on August 24, 2009

There's something even simpler than Tiddlywiki: Windows notepad.

1. Create a new .txt file.
2. Type ".LOG" (without the quotes) on the first line, followed by a carriage return.
3. Save & close the file
4. Stick that file in the Windows tray or quickstart area.

Each time you open that file Notepad will start up, append the current date & time to the end, and move the cursor to the next line. Type your stuff, save & exit.

Simple, free, & no installation necessary.
posted by Pinback at 4:08 PM on August 24, 2009 [1 favorite]

Yes, Tomboy, not Tomcat. My bad.

And the Windows Notepad trick is awesome!
posted by COD at 11:09 AM on August 25, 2009