LJ Advisory Board: Q&A time

[rm]

Thanks for putting me on the ballot so quickly. Below the cut is the statement I made asking for support of my nomination. It is reflective of things I am strongly committed to on LJ, but does not encompass my full platform, which I'll be developing over the next couple of weeks and posting before the voting begins

Comments

[rm]

No, welcome. That's what this is here for. The people on my friendslist probably already know where I stand on this stuff.

I think the strike, regardless of how effective it may or may not have been, was an important event, because it caused everyone -- both those who did and did not choose to participate -- to examine their relationship to LJ and the place LJ holds in their day to day existence. For the record, I participated.

As to the adult content issue, I think LJ over-reacted and also reacted in a manner that was unclear and disrespectful to both the users directly affected and the userbase as a whole. Adult content doesn't randomly pop up on LJ -- you do have to actively seek it out. Additionally, for all of fandom's many flaws, we've historically been fairly good about policing ourselves.

In a general sense, I feel like much of what happened in those series of events is emblematic of the larger problem of LJ administration being unwilling to learn about the cultures that create the content that brings the users that advertisers are interested in.

In a specific sense, whether with intent or not, I feel like LJ's actions in those series of events implied a double standard as regards queer content, female sexuality and cultural visual representation. I also feel like artists got shafted and that I'm incredibly uncomfortable with the situation LJ set up where they are the arbiters of artistic merit and "community standards" are decided by who happens to be in the office at a given time.

The situation was handled with a lack of grace by nearly all, which has made reasonable discussion about it difficult and I think there is a tremendous amount of damage there that remains to be undone, largely, but not entirely, on the side of LJ.

[nazwaz]

Thank you for responding. :)

The situation was handled with a lack of grace by nearly all

By "all," do you mean users and admins alike, or just the various parties of LJ ownership?

I have similar feelings on the adult-content issue and did respond to that situation. I do think that LJ has in the past been unbelievably ham-handed in dealing with their user base. However, I've become repelled by the strident, and at times abusive, way that users have responded to LJ. I suppose this is why I'm hoping to support someone who can see that both parties have played their roles poorly -- in different respects -- and will work to arrive at a reasonable consensus on issues that come up, and not be "our way or no way."

Thanks again.

[rm]

By all, I mean users and admins alike.

The cat macros when we weren't getting answers weren't productive (although I do think there was value in demonstrating the visible silence by macxing out comments) but also don't really trouble me, but the agression and insults, no matter how provoked, were not at all appropriate.