LJ in the media: The Return of LiveJournal

[theljstaff]

Check out this Fast Company article for a glimpse of what you can expect at LiveJournal in 2012.

"LiveJournal, one of the web's most popular early blogging sites, is launching a comeback in the United States. Their plans for 2012 include massive changes for users. Oh, and "Game Of Thrones" creator George R.R. Martin is a big user."

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Comments

[miwahni]

So Livejournal needs to attract new traffic rather than catering to the existing clientele? Someone should explain to these folks that "retention" is every bit as important as gaining new users, only to lose them again the next time LJ institutes wildly unpopular changes. Churning your customer base is not a smart business practice. Instead, develop a reputation for dealing honestly and openly with users, listen to what your users are telling you, and watch your customer base grow. No point attracting new users if you're hemorrhaging users out the other end. I, and many like me, also have accounts at dreamwidth which treats their users 100 times better, and is growing more and more each day. The only reason I still participate at Livejournal at all is that I made the mistake of buying a permanent account.

[gelbes_gilatier]

The only reason I still participate at Livejournal at all is that I made the mistake of buying a permanent account.

I find it kind of sad that you feel that buying a permanent account was a mistake, as are many others. This should be a home to users, not a house they regret having moved into :(

[miwahni]

Exactly. Instead it's a tumbledown wreck of a house with shonky pipes, hooligans next door and now the council wants to build a sewerage treatment works at my back door.

[gelbes_gilatier]

See, what I don't get is... how could anyone think this is a good plan to succeed in business? Why this could be a smart is fully out of my area of comprehension. It just doesn't compute. Or, as I might quote from my latest addiction, Generation Kill, "There's layers of retardation that most people don't even know about."

[miwahni]

IDK, I don't get it either. Pissing off your current vocal userbase while attempting to reinvent yourself as a clone of other social media platforms seems more an attempt at self-destruction. Perhaps the Russian govt pays out huge sums to companies that go belly-up, that's the only reason that makes any sense to me.

[pandarus]

A friend bought my permanent account for me some years ago, which is the ONLY reason it still exists. I got tired of being shat upon by the LJ powers that be a couple of years ago and have effectively moved to Dreamwidth, retaining this account only for the occasional commenting.

DW now is much more like LJ was when I joined it a decade ago. They actively welcome and support customers, and listen to their issues. LJ couldn't give less of a shit about its userbase. It's a corrosive environment, and nostalgia for days gone by really isn't sufficient reason to hang around here any more, afaic.

[lucce]

Agree with all you said 100%. I'm so glad DW exists right now or I'd be desolate.

my icon has been selected to reflect my feelings about Livejournal these days.

[phoenixprime]

Sadly, I agree. My permanent account was a mistake.

[amaranthink]

The only reason I still participate at Livejournal at all is that I made the mistake of buying a permanent account.

Same here.

Sigh.

[brotherskeeper1]

+1. And I love Dreamwidth for the ease of use. Plus not all the crap that LJ had added. I have a permanent account too.

[miwahni]

I'm thinking I'll buy some paid time on Dreamwidth. Just wish I could transplant all of my friends list.

[brotherskeeper1]

I have a paid account on DW. Go for the $35 one, not the $50. You get the same amount of userpics but less links.

If it were not for my friends on LJ, I would be totally out of here.

[miwahni]

Thanks for the tip. Links I can live without; userpics are shiny goodness.

[balthier]

That's not true actually. The $35 gets 100 userpics the $50 gets 250.

[brotherskeeper1]

Thank you for the correction. I checked it out and will be upgrading to the $50 premium account so I can get the extra userpics.

[franklanguage]

I don't consider buying a permanent account a mistake, but I would have jumped ship years ago if I hadn't.