(no subject)
fandom_counts is at (as of 1:21) 21677. [EDIT: 5 minutes later, it's at 22173, almost 1000 journal increase]. Assume, soon, that it will reach around 100,000. that seems to be a good, round number before people get bored. I mean, the LJ community IS over 13million people now.
Thinking that 1/4 of them are paid users, so, about 25,000... MOST paid users don't get just a paid account (which is 19.95$USD with auto payments [50%?], 25.00$USD manual payments [50%?]). They get the paid account so they can be oh so clever with their 100+ icons (10.00$USD).
So, the Auto-paid half (12500) is about 249,375$USD a year.
and the manually paid half (12500) is about 312,500$USD a year.
Assuming only 85% of users get the pics (21250), that's about 212,500$USD a year.
Okay, yes, I'm saying "about", even though 21250 x 10$ is exactly 212,500, BUT I dunno about taxes and all that. :P I digress.
Not to mention all of those goofy little gifts that people buy for each other. that's just pocket change.
Running Tally = 774,375 $USD
That's 3/4ths of a million dollars (a year) just for pissing off the fandom community.
The fandom community is made up of primarily teenagers and young adults and young at heart adults, ages 13-30, all who have set aside precious disposable income dollars to devote to LJ.
- That's not including Voltaire's fanclub, the "defend to the death"ers.
- That's not including the support groups that they've alienated. Sure, they can reinstate their communities, but those groups aren't going to feel the same. They'll probably move to another site.
- That's not including the "OMG, everyone else is panicking, I should too" people.
AND, not only that, BUT:
These people, the folks who got TOS'd or who are in support of those who got TOS'd are also probably going to boycott the advertisers as well. Not very lucrative to sponsor a business that's just been blacklisted from thousands of teenagers and young adults with millions of dollars in disposable income, is it?
http://news.com.com/Mass+deletion+sparks+LiveJournal+revolt/2100-1025_3-6187619.html?tag=st.prev
Berkowitz says they're not backing down. That's fine. I don't think the fangirls are going to either, and man... if I had the choice to face Berk in an alley or thousands of pissed off fangirls? I cringe just thinking about it.
FURTHER EDITS:
Slashdotted!
Firefox News, Article 1 (of many, I'm sure)
Firefox News, Article 2
Disclaimer: Any poor spelling I blame on being sick and sleepy! Any faulty logic I blame on being an idiot, but that's okay!
PS: first public post in months. Woot.