Oh yes, that is the other journal use, venting/lurking. But yeah, the CDJ phenomenon is kind of interesting. I first started mine as just a writing journal, back on GJ, but the whole meme/character lists/histories/development fad took on. Curious! I like seeing what people do with their journals too.
Yah, same here. I'd rather know people's names if I'm really playing with them, but sometimes it's a friend-of-a-friend thing? Like I was in a game with A, B, and C, but they're in a game with D, E, and F, and F makes icons, so maybe I don't know their names or haven't been given "permission" to know their names? Not that you must have permission to know peoples' first names, but it's kind of a respectful thing, to be introduced to someone *babbles on*