Free Online Diary for Windows

Free Online Diary offers people a chance to take their personal thoughts into the 21st century by going digital with their diaries. With some added features, this program wants to be the final word in online writing, but its design might hold people back.

Free Online Diary is actually a companion program to access a site of the same name. When opened on your computer, it offers only a menu with links that takes you directly to sections of your online journal, including Diary, Notes, and a To-Do List. Beyond this, the software doesn't have any other features. It merely provides quick access to your online diary.

The actual diary Web site kept our secrets and reminded us of upcoming events, but it was far from perfect. Its interface was a little vague, such as not having a clear way to navigate between the diary, Notes, and To-Dos while on the site. In addition, the diary's description sounds as if entries can be saved on your hard drive, but we found no such option while testing the program. If you are already a member of the Free Online Diary community (which requires free registration), this software might be useful. If you're looking for a full-blown journal program for your computer, you'll want to skip this freeware.