Thoughts on LJ: random teal deer

[maygra]

In the post here:

http://community.livejournal.com/lj_2008/3846.html

among all the rest of the news and commentary are three items that have people talking and caught my attention (and that takes some serious doing these days -- I promise you.)

Open questions:

Revenue sharing - Should users

Comments

[brynwulf]

You know, I'd be happy to pay the comm subscription fee, right?

also, moveablehistory and I are working on a manisfesto outlining the use of Wordpress as a fannish presence and I truly think it might work, but that's just another drop in the large bucket of what is available.

[traveller]

if, and it's a big if, but if i felt forced to choose a relocation technique... since i already use wordpress for my site, i'd simply add another subdomain for journaling and voila, i'd be all linked in. so i'm really in support of that, tbh -- it's what i did on mrks lo those many years ago. :)

[brynwulf]

Exactly!

We will certainly need supporters of the idea to help get the word out, as neither of us has a friends base large enough to really matter, so all pimping of the manifesto is greatly appreciated.

[traveller]

if I could have just one thing from WP, it would be the ability to reply directly to comments instead of just adding to the thread.

let me know when you've got something together, i'll happily take a look/throw up a link.

[girlguidejones]

I feel...uh...semi-strongly...that profiting from our fanworks, even if it would be only to offset a journal fee, negates any disclaimer I could construct. In fact, I would feel dishonest trying to claim not-for-profit in such circumstances. I fervently hope there would be an option to opt out

[dejla]

You make very good points; I'm going to have to go away and think about this.

[onelittlesleep]

Hi Maygra, I saw this through my flist o'flist, sort of.

Anyway, I do think you're right, that the statistics seem to imply that fandom is only a very small minority of the 13 million or so user journals that exist, though I wonder at how many of those 13 million journals are even active...

I also think that fandom has definitely adopted LJ as one of its premiere meeting grounds and we're all loathe to leave it. So fandom doesn't just represent $26,000 dollars a month, it represents a possible LIFETIME of organized, supported use and subscription, which I doubt non-fannish users can promise. And fandom is an ever-growing group of people with funds set out for fannish enterprises and interests, willing (like you) to pay for services to better fandom experience. I just think they'd be massively old-fashioned and foolish to not recognize the economic potential in fandom. Alienating us now not only shows arrogance in business ("who CARES if we lose those 13 thousand crazies!") but real ignorance.

[ethrosdemon]

I have the same inclination that of all the existent ljs a large portion than seems to be the zeitgeist were created by fans--I mean think about sockpuppets and joke journals and coms and just randomosity that fans create and forget about. Over the years, I don't know how many journals I've made, 30? 40? And I'm just one person, and not even a rpger or someone who actively sockpuppets. Idk, this is just a feeling I have about those supposed 13 million journals. Who knows, maybe everyone in Moscow is an active ljer!

[onelittlesleep]

I thought there was a way to see which journals out of the 13 mil. were active. Do you know?

(and yes! There are kids with handfuls of RP journals. ALSO. 30, Kassie? THAT IS ALOT)

[ethrosdemon]

idk, that might be high, but I think it might not be.

[ethrosdemon]

Oh, god, paying people? Rly? This is going to be the New Thing That Ate Fandom. SIGH. Lj, could you just stfu and gdiaf already?

[maygra]

It's a discussion point - it hasn't actually happened and for non-fannish user-generators it would probably be a pretty good deal.

For fans? Not so much, I'm thinking.