Editing Escribitionist

{{Neologism|date=May 2011}}

An '''escribitionist''' is a person who keeps a [[diary]] or [[Diary|journal]] via [[electronics|electronic]] means, and in particular, publishes their entries on the [[World Wide Web]].  The word was coined in June 1999 by [[Erin Venema]], an online [[diarist]], in the course of a discussion on a mailing list for web journalers. At issue was how to distinguish web journal authors from keepers of traditional [[paper]]-and-[[ink]] diaries.

The word comes from a combination of the [[English language|English]] word "[[exhibitionist]]" and the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] word ''"escribir"'', meaning "to write". (The latter is [[cognate]] to the English "[[scribe]]"; both come from the Latin ''scribere''.) It also evokes the marketing gimmick of using the letter "[[e]]" as a prefix to imply a link to technology and electronics, although that was not intended.

Coined before the widespread use of [[Blog|weblogs]], the word escribitionist is often used to distinguish [[Online diary|diary]] keepers on the web from weblog authors, whose writing often involve far more diverse styles, perspectives and subjects than those used in personal journals.  While a weblog author may engage in journaling, or [[Journalism|reporting]], or [[political]] commentary, an escribitionist is focused on personal experiences and reflection.

==See also==
*[[Online diary]]

==External links==
*[http://lists.yeehaw.net/mailman/listinfo/journals journals] The e-mail discussion list on which the word was coined.
*[http://www.escribitionist.org/ The Origin of "Escribitionist"] Shmuel Ross' single-page site created to preserve the origins of the word.
*[http://www.eccentricflower.com/index.php/Eccentric_Flower:200004/Twenty_Rules_for_the_New_Escribitionist Twenty Rules for the New Escribitionist] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710165038/http://www.eccentricflower.com/index.php/Eccentric_Flower:200004/Twenty_Rules_for_the_New_Escribitionist |date=2011-07-10 }} Columbine's April 2000 essay offering advice to someone looking to start an online journal.
*[http://www.diaryhistoryproject.com/ Online Diary History Project] An archive of individual recollections of the early days of online journaling, or escribitionism.

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[[Category:Bloggers| ]]
[[Category:1990s neologisms]]

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