my recession stressed 2 cents (made public by request)
I have a lot of friends doing the 'LJ Strike' now, and while I will respect their wishes and not comment/view their journals, I have some thoughts/concerns to untangle.
I have always felt that Livejournal has been one of the best, and longest conversations I've had. The people I have met here, the bonds I have made are stellar, so it is obviously something more than a 'social networking site.' I have been here for over 6 and a half years. Within a week of joining LJ I was posting about the merger with a company my last employer had, and a my subsequent lay-off 5 months later. The amount of my life and growth documented here is painful and embarrassing sometimes. I pay money to archive these events, to have access to other individuals writings and correspondence. Of course limiting the kind of accounts (basic) will attract /distract certain kind of users. At the same time a business does have the obligation to make sure their bills are paid. I read blogs outside of LJ, and if folks leave I will of course follow them ... but the outrage over basic accounts is a complaint against a free service. I respect the complaint, but respect the company's perspective as well.
I cannot find any sources to the claims that Homophobia, misogyny, and racism must not be a part of the decision making processes about appropriate content of the site, including what user interests are deemed appropriate. This of course is not to say that this isn't possible, but rather I need some context and explanation.
But onto my issue with the actual methods being used:
I think we have been sold an idea of what is activism, something that has been sold to us by the very forces many of us are arguing against. Not shopping at Walmart, or buying clothes from the Gap. I hold no illusions that my veganism is activism (the personal is political of course - but there are economic choices - and actual acts) or that my ability to recycle is the least I can do. Hell, folks are making 'fuel efficient SUVs' now and claiming that it is the 'green' thing to do. 'Green' now has a font, and an advertising aesthetic.
What is wrong with this picture, and more importantly:
What is activism?
Maybe this is subjective... but to me (and as the niece of shop stewards and union members I was leafletting by age 10) it is a kind of information sharing, a standing up and saying 'no more' an action that not only haunts the harmful process you are protesting, but informs. Strikes, in the historical context were not 24 hour black-outs, but long events (where individuals were willing to go without pay and all the security that comes with it) aimed at making employers realize how much their labor was needed.
Yes, LJ content is a treasure, it is something that ads to the overall value of the site. But 24 hours of posting is not (in my eyes) going to bring down the forces of LJ moving to a larger 'fee for service' model.
Last week soft_pieces brother went to a vigil over some community violence. At that vigil people with guns showed up. The BIL was pistol whipped (there is no better term) and a friend was shot in the leg. The nephew, a 7 year old, was told by police that his father was shot, and chaos of course ensued. Obviously moments of silence hold a lot of weight, and can be a real challenge to the power.
What am I saying here?
Not posting to LJ isn't necessarily bad. But what is next? Have the advertisers been contacted, basic accounts in existence bolstered, GLBT groups and publishers contacted about the problems LJ has created for their GLBT users? We all have a limit of time and energy and resources. Hell, this week I was repeatedly asked if I was at the anti-war protest, and I was embarrassed to say I had been so busy with school and work that I didn't even realize it was happening.
Every step should be a first step. When folks return I really hope the conversation continues and we can all work to educate each other and keep at least my corner of LJ as vibrant and challenging as ever.
I have always felt that Livejournal has been one of the best, and longest conversations I've had. The people I have met here, the bonds I have made are stellar, so it is obviously something more than a 'social networking site.' I have been here for over 6 and a half years. Within a week of joining LJ I was posting about the merger with a company my last employer had, and a my subsequent lay-off 5 months later. The amount of my life and growth documented here is painful and embarrassing sometimes. I pay money to archive these events, to have access to other individuals writings and correspondence. Of course limiting the kind of accounts (basic) will attract /distract certain kind of users. At the same time a business does have the obligation to make sure their bills are paid. I read blogs outside of LJ, and if folks leave I will of course follow them ... but the outrage over basic accounts is a complaint against a free service. I respect the complaint, but respect the company's perspective as well.
I cannot find any sources to the claims that Homophobia, misogyny, and racism must not be a part of the decision making processes about appropriate content of the site, including what user interests are deemed appropriate. This of course is not to say that this isn't possible, but rather I need some context and explanation.
But onto my issue with the actual methods being used:
I think we have been sold an idea of what is activism, something that has been sold to us by the very forces many of us are arguing against. Not shopping at Walmart, or buying clothes from the Gap. I hold no illusions that my veganism is activism (the personal is political of course - but there are economic choices - and actual acts) or that my ability to recycle is the least I can do. Hell, folks are making 'fuel efficient SUVs' now and claiming that it is the 'green' thing to do. 'Green' now has a font, and an advertising aesthetic.
What is wrong with this picture, and more importantly:
What is activism?
Maybe this is subjective... but to me (and as the niece of shop stewards and union members I was leafletting by age 10) it is a kind of information sharing, a standing up and saying 'no more' an action that not only haunts the harmful process you are protesting, but informs. Strikes, in the historical context were not 24 hour black-outs, but long events (where individuals were willing to go without pay and all the security that comes with it) aimed at making employers realize how much their labor was needed.
Yes, LJ content is a treasure, it is something that ads to the overall value of the site. But 24 hours of posting is not (in my eyes) going to bring down the forces of LJ moving to a larger 'fee for service' model.
Last week soft_pieces brother went to a vigil over some community violence. At that vigil people with guns showed up. The BIL was pistol whipped (there is no better term) and a friend was shot in the leg. The nephew, a 7 year old, was told by police that his father was shot, and chaos of course ensued. Obviously moments of silence hold a lot of weight, and can be a real challenge to the power.
What am I saying here?
Not posting to LJ isn't necessarily bad. But what is next? Have the advertisers been contacted, basic accounts in existence bolstered, GLBT groups and publishers contacted about the problems LJ has created for their GLBT users? We all have a limit of time and energy and resources. Hell, this week I was repeatedly asked if I was at the anti-war protest, and I was embarrassed to say I had been so busy with school and work that I didn't even realize it was happening.
Every step should be a first step. When folks return I really hope the conversation continues and we can all work to educate each other and keep at least my corner of LJ as vibrant and challenging as ever.