Sorry for clogging your Flists, but...
I felt this needed to be noticed.
I support Basic accounts. I feel that having LJ as a free service is crucial, and while I'm willing to trade adverts for the benefits of basic, I know some people aren't. They aren't -freeloaders-...in fact, I'd wager to say there are more people with Basic who come to LJ with true LJ purposes than those with Plus. I know when I signed up, I chose plus over basic because it seemed cooler. I didn't care about adverts...but quite often there are wonderful people with Basic accounts who need to express themselves without being badgered. That's why people need LJs, a lot of the time...to get away from pressures of the world and among their friends. Why is that a problem? Why should you have to pay or suffer the consequences?
And so....here comes the FList clogging part. XD I do apologize, but at least this way you'll -see- it.
he user Beckyzoole originally proposed that we do a strike on March 21st from midnight GMT - midnight GMT March 22nd.
If you wish to participate, here's the plan, copy and pasted from many LJ's, and compiled into this:
Content Strike Friday March 21, from midnight to midnight GMT
We are holding the Content Strike because we want to demonstrate that LiveJournal is content-driven.
We are holding the Content Strike because we want the new owners of LiveJournal to better understand the power and resolve of the LJ Community of Users.
We are holding the Content Strike because all of us, Paid, Permanent and Plus users as well as Basic, want to demonstrate our solidarity as a Community of Users. We do not consider Basic users to be freeloaders, we consider them to be valuable content-providers and Friends.
We are holding the Content Strike because we ache to do something to show our displeasure, and commenting on the news post -- even with cat macros -- just isn't powerful enough!
The strike has four terms:
Restore basic accounts for new account creation.
Inform users before any change to the site that affects how we use the site or demands on our resources.
Run change proposals by the Advisory Board and take their advice into account before implementation of any change.
NOTE: I'm aware that there may be good business decisions for eliminating Basic accounts. If Basic accounts are to be eliminated, though, that action should be taken only after approval of the Advisory Board and consultation with the LJ Community of Users.
The 24-hour strike will begin at the following times for the following locations:
Thursday, March 20, 2:00 PM -- Honolulu
Thursday, March 20, 4:00 PM -- Anchorage
Thursday, March 20, 5:00 PM -- San Francisco; Los Angeles
Thursday, March 20, 6:00 PM -- Mexico City; Denver
Thursday, March 20, 7:00 PM -- Chicago
Thursday, March 20, 8:00 PM -- Montreal; New York
Thursday, March 20, 9:00 PM -- Buenos Aires
Midnight -- London
Friday, March 21, 1:00 AM -- Paris
Friday, March 21, 2:00 AM -- Istanbul
Friday, March 21, 3:00 AM -- Moscow
Friday, March 21, 4:00 AM -- Dubai
Friday, March 21, 5:00 AM -- Islamabad
Friday, March 21, 6:00 AM -- Bangladesh
Friday, March 21, 7:00 AM -- Bangkok
Friday, March 21, 8:00 AM -- Singapore
Friday, March 21, 9:00 AM -- Tokyo
Friday, March 21, 10:00 AM -- Brisbane
Friday, March 21, 11:00 AM -- Sydney
Friday, March 21, 12 Noon -- Suva
The one-day content strike is on for this Friday, March 21, from midnight GMT to midnight GMT.
For 24 hours, we will not post or comment to LJ. Not in our own journals, not in communities. Not publicly, privately, or under friends-lock.
This is a protest that will have long-lasting effects, showing up forever in the daily posting statistics.
This is a protest that will not harm LJ in the long run, as leaving LJ might do.
This is a protest that will demonstrate the power of community, as all users unite to support Basic users and the concept of adfree space.
This is a protest that will educate the new owners that LJ is driven by user-created content.
How Can I Help?
DO post about this in your own LJ.
DO post and comment about it in appropriate communities.
DO remember that it's based on Greenwich Mean Time, which may not be your local time.
DO turn off LoudTwitter and your RSS feeds for 24 hours.
DON'T forget to get permission from community mods before making an off-topic post or comment about the strike.
DON'T be spammy with your posts or comments about the strike.
DON'T forget to turn your LoudTwitter and RSS feeds back on when the strike is over.
Also, this will be a fun challenge for me. C: Depressingly, my LJ favorited pages are second and third on most visited, followed only by TLKFAA. 24 hours isn't that hard...and if I can help pack a punch, all the better.