Boycott the bastards (EDITED with updates)
I'm a little slow on the uptake, but it seems that Live Journal will be eliminating the free account soon ( new users can no longer sign up for Basic status). Unless I'm much mistaken, the whole point of LJ was the free exchange of ideas, thoughts, rants, raves, banter, etc. Now new users can only get that if they agree to be bombarded with ads. Who wants to maintain a journal that smacks you with ads all the time, when you can get the same functionality sans commercialism on many other sites (InsaneJournal, Blogger, etc.), or get a more extensive set of functionality in exchange for those ads (MySpace, Facebook, etc.)?
Plus, in the course of reading up on this issue, I've learned that the new owners of LJ have been filtering the search engine for interests, and downplaying the popular interests that they don't like. WTF, SUP? It is now much harder to find other people with similar interests, if those interests happen to be fanfic or bisexuality or erotic art. So much for allowing people to connect with other people - heaven forbid SUP dictates what I'm allowed to be interested in. (I'm so angry, I'm just going to leave that sentence with a preposition at the end. For those of you who know me IRL, that's a big deal!).
I have no beef with a company trying to make money - hell, that's the Russian American dream! - but when making money means treating newcomers with less respect than existing members, and censoring one's ability to connect with other like-minded people, I say to hell with this site. I already have a Blogger account; I'll be over there if you want to catch up with me.
So please, join me in a day without posts to protest this asinine move on the part of the new owners.
Plus, in the course of reading up on this issue, I've learned that the new owners of LJ have been filtering the search engine for interests, and downplaying the popular interests that they don't like. WTF, SUP? It is now much harder to find other people with similar interests, if those interests happen to be fanfic or bisexuality or erotic art. So much for allowing people to connect with other people - heaven forbid SUP dictates what I'm allowed to be interested in. (I'm so angry, I'm just going to leave that sentence with a preposition at the end. For those of you who know me IRL, that's a big deal!).
I have no beef with a company trying to make money - hell, that's the Russian American dream! - but when making money means treating newcomers with less respect than existing members, and censoring one's ability to connect with other like-minded people, I say to hell with this site. I already have a Blogger account; I'll be over there if you want to catch up with me.
So please, join me in a day without posts to protest this asinine move on the part of the new owners.