There's a clear difference between a LiveJournal and a journal. I started using it as an interesting journalling substitute, one which would also give me the opportunity to form new friendships. That it has, though the persistent techincal issues and the longtime inaccessibility of directory services have placed some limits on that for now. A couple of weeks ago one of my LJ friends moved back to more traditional journalling, and today's experience gives me an example of why the two may not always be interchangeable.
I'll write more when my thoughts are a bit more untangled.