Do you think about why you blog or keep an online journal, assuming you are one of the many who do?

For me it's part yap therapy (keeping that idea that someone out there is listening to me) and part seeking eternal and very enviable fame. The fame part sounds better, less wimpy than saying I'm lonely or looking for sympathy. Who wants to be seen that way?

But, when you write, if you really write and not just make impersonal notes or detached observations, you have to write with your heart and your soul. The brain can only do so much on it's own. At least that's my theory.

That doesn't make it easy. Exposing your tender bits is never going to be easy. If you didn't care they wouldn't be tender bits. If you stop caring your words will be empty and lifeless, just letters typed on paper.

So, how do you balance exposing yourself with keeping a few shreds of pride and a sense of self? Or can you? I know I've written things at BackWash that I had second thoughts about. One reason I don't go back over my old columns is that I know how hard it would be to resist the temptation to edit them. I don't mean a spell check or grammar type edit.

Anyway, life keeps things interesting. Writing about it all just makes it all that much more public, and interesting for someone else. At least in theory.

The act of writing is very much about the five senses. But, how do we know there are only five?

I've wondered if there are other basic senses we just don't know about. I don't mean a sixth sense like ESP. Beyond those metaphsical senses. What if there is something just as physical as sight but since we don't have eyes we can't see it?

We know music because it's a sound and we can hear sounds. Hearing is one of our five senses (sight, touch, smell, taste and hearing). We know what we like to eat because we can smell and taste it. It seems to be there could be other things we will never know, things we aren't equipped to sense.

I have no idea what other sense we might be missing. How could I? I don't have the sense to figure it out. But, it does seem possible for something like that to exist. After all, there would be no music if we couldn't hear it. Just as there would be no words if we couldn't read them.

Clutter! There, I said it! Are you cringing just thinking about it? I do. You see, I am a clutter bug.

Sitting in front of my computer I am surrounded on nearly all sides with a clutter of my own making. It's 90 per cent paper, biodegradable eventually, if I let it sit in the same spot that long. But, there is the odd coffee mug (empty but for the dregs on the bottom), a jar of vitamins (because here I know I will remember to actually take them), there are multiple and assorted pens. The pens are kind of funny since I type everything. But, I do make the odd note, maybe once or twice a week. There are also many PC games. Everyone needs their procrastination of choice. I'd be doing myself a favour if I made them less accessible. Like, if I moved them out of easy reach. That's not likely to happen, get real!

I'm not a complete pack rat, but everything does seem to settle around my computer, eventually. I could throw out some of the newspapers. If I haven't read them a month later I should make myself give up on them. But, I might find a really great source for something I'd like to write about. Or, I might come across an ad with a great graphic I could use. (Not copying graphics, just using the ideas to make my own.) Or, I might find an article that says something really amazing, even better than I ever thought to say it myself. Sigh It's so hard to let go.

What's your clutter? If you had to make a dent in it today, could you? What pile could you sort through fastest? Which one did you last trip over or have to restack when it all slid to one side?

We have an endless supply of information. But at some point we each have to find a way to control it. You can't do much about the source or the temptation but you can try to limit how much you keep. If you're living with a path to the computer, it's really time to take action and let some of it go. Don't worry, there'll be more information overload tomorrow.

You are the company you keep, don't surround yourself with paper, it has a really bad habit of bringing those little buggy worm things. Ick!

Happy decluttering, you know you won't be alone. I've just brought a big green garbage bag to the computer for my own clutter.

NOTE: Last week's newsletter didn't get sent out to everyone. Check the archives at BackWash to read about writing your own FAQ.

Try this: Consider your website (or your computer if you don't have a site) and put together a FAQ (frequently asked questions) page all about your site. Don't forget a guide to how to use the site as well as the purpose for it being there. Study a few other FAQs to get ideas.

This is what I wrote as the new writing exercise for HerCorner. What do you think? Could you write a FAQ for your website? You should be able to. In theory at least, your site should have a theme, one main idea or purpose, right? So, it seems reasonable to expect a FAQ could be forthcoming.

Anyway, I like the idea. So tonight I am putting my fingers where my mouth is and I am creating a FAQ of my own for HerCorner. I might even do one for my personal site. But, I freely admit my personal site is not a great example of sticking with one idea.

So, getting down to the FAQ of it. What do you need to include in a FAQ? Likely you've read a few or skimmed them as I tend to do. Which is a good point, actually. Your FAQ should be skimmable when you get it into HTML. Do you know how to set up targets? Targets are those clickable points in the middle of a page. You can read a table of contents and find a clickable link to that exact section of the large body of content. If I sound like I'm gabbling send me an email and I will hunt out a link to demonstrate this target idea for you. Most FAQ's will use this, if you check for examples on your own.

Now, the meat of the matter. What does a FAQ need to include? I think the first thing is a statement of purpose. Someone reading this sentence (or short paragraph) should be able to understand what your site is about. But, this is a time to keep it simple. Just the basics. If it appeals to them they can dig into your FAQ for the details and specifics.

Next, explain the parts. Think basic and plan out what you really need people to know. Put it all into logical order, sort of a learn as you go thing. Read it back, try to think like someone who doesn't already know the answers. Did you miss anything?

Do your best, ask for feedback at the end and don't try to be some computer melded brain. It's almost certain you will leave something out that someone else will pick up on later. You are not the world's most perfect writer, you're just someone trying to be creative and share their FAQ with the world.

Now go get FAQ'ed!

Proofreading is boring. If you're a new writer I may as well give you the bad news now. It doesn't get better with age. It's boring even though I've been writing online for six years. It was boring when I began. Well, maybe not that first week when everything was new and wondrous.

Ugh! Why can't we just get it right the first time? Is it some kind of brain blockage? Are our fingers not nimble enough? Do the words change so quickly that we can't catch them fast enough? Is grammar really all it's cracked up to be? I go with the nimble finger theory.

My fingers are complete klutzes. So often they aim for two keys at once. They miss the letter completely. Worst of all is when they think I mean 'whole' when I really meant to say 'hole'. What's wrong with fingers these days? I'd send them to school but I know they did that, I was right there with them, sort of watching over their shoulder. It didn't seem to help. In fact, I remember crying over my fingers during a typing test in grade nine. We failed that course. It was the only one I didn't pass that year. I blame my fingers.

There was that time when I had typed a whole essay for English class and my dratted fingers hit some strange key that deleted the whole thing. It wasn't the delete key because that always gives you the chance to change your mind. I would have changed my mind, trust me! What can you do? We only get 10 fingers, no replacements, no warrantees. Basically, you're stuck with the fingers you've got.

So, proofread. Proofread till it hurts. Yes, it's boring but you look like a fool if you can't type. You see, everyone assumes the fingers are innocent and it's YOU who can't handle grammar or spelling. Yes, there's the rub. No one ever assumes your fingers are the saboteurs.