I know. I created an Insanejournal last year when LJ started in with the stoopidness, but it's hard to move when so many of the comms and people here don't.
On the other hand, if people do blaze a trail so that there's actual activity and content over there, then I think there will be a steady trickle of people at least creating second journals and monitoring things at Insanejournal, until LJ finally alienates enough of the userbase that the majority of us are using IJ as the main community.
A lot of people have taken to creating dupe comms at IJ and crossposting their LJ journal entries there, too. That can help pave the way for an ultimate transition.
I was thinking of putting up a Tinman_Meta there, and just giving a heads up that we'd be moving if LJ ever grandfathered basic accounts retroactively. Still, I can't help but think that if it ever happens, it'll kill the comm.
Yeah, but inertia is enough. I estimate that if we do switch, we'll lose about half our members. Granted, only a handful actually post, but the "busy" posts are so successful only because of widespread member involvement, and the participation of non-members. Still, I guess we should hope for the best. This new strike by LJ is certainly motivation to move, and IJ actually listens to its user-base, so I wouldn't be surprised if they outstrip LJ with respect to features within a couple of years.
Well, I don't think you're taking into account that some people have switched to IJ exclusively, and that there are probably some people signing up there that have never even had an LJ. So yeah, we may lose a lot of the people we currently have, but will eventually gain people we never would have had here.
And yeah, this elimination of the basic tier is going to be a major nail in the coffin lid for LJ. I personally detest the idea that I can't go create new basic accounts for additional comms.
The thing about LJ is, the death knell has been ringing and ringing and thus far, there hasn't been an appreciable dent in membership. We have great ideas. We all know what must be done, but for the most part, we're armchair generals. Look at fandom_flies. They haven't even come close to maxing out their membership count, while fandom_counts, with it's passive policy, was in five digits within a day of its creation.
I don't want to leave. I like the network here, and I'd rather stay and work up enough of an active groundswell within the community to effect some real change. I just wish I could see that happening.
I dunno. Maybe LJ users could buy shares in LJ inc. That's the only way I can see to getting real leverage in a way the cement-heads at the top will recognize.
You have to take into consideration that LJ's been around forever, whereas IJ is in its infancy. But IJ's membership is growing at an impressive rate as LJ scares more and more of its userbase off.
You may find this post to be illuminating.As for staying to work for positive change at LJ, that's not a viable dream anymore. Our corporate overlords are interested in only one thing - profit - and aren't the least bit concerned about understanding the LJ culture or what has made LJ unique among blogging/social networking sites. They aren't looking to create something or work with us to meet both our needs and theirs; they want to follow a known business model for "this kind" of site rather than build one that takes the current community attributes into consideration. In other words, they intend to mold their userbase to fit the business model that they know and understand, rather than listen and learn and tailor the model to what they already have in LJ
( ... )
Nah, probably nothing so drastic as that. It's just that they're taking it in the same direction that MySpace and Facebook and so forth have already gone, even though the software isn't really designed to work quite that way. But we're probably going to see it marketed more like those soon, and be inundated with adolescent users creating content a good deal different from what we've come to generally expect.
The model will probably work for them in the short term, making the site more profitable long enough for them to sell out to someone else - possibly one of their competitors. In the end, the only losers will be those of us who genuinely cared about the place and who valued LJ's unique qualities.
Feh. You're probably right. I'm actually a little pissed at Brad. He does not have the prerogative of handwringing anymore; he knew this would happen, and if he didn't, he should have.
I know. I admit I kinda laughed when I read his Great Post of Enormous Outrage about this situation. He sold his users out! What's he got to complain about now?
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On the other hand, if people do blaze a trail so that there's actual activity and content over there, then I think there will be a steady trickle of people at least creating second journals and monitoring things at Insanejournal, until LJ finally alienates enough of the userbase that the majority of us are using IJ as the main community.
A lot of people have taken to creating dupe comms at IJ and crossposting their LJ journal entries there, too. That can help pave the way for an ultimate transition.
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Looks like I have some work to do over the weekend.
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And yeah, this elimination of the basic tier is going to be a major nail in the coffin lid for LJ. I personally detest the idea that I can't go create new basic accounts for additional comms.
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The thing about LJ is, the death knell has been ringing and ringing and thus far, there hasn't been an appreciable dent in membership. We have great ideas. We all know what must be done, but for the most part, we're armchair generals. Look at fandom_flies. They haven't even come close to maxing out their membership count, while fandom_counts, with it's passive policy, was in five digits within a day of its creation.
I don't want to leave. I like the network here, and I'd rather stay and work up enough of an active groundswell within the community to effect some real change. I just wish I could see that happening.
I dunno. Maybe LJ users could buy shares in LJ inc. That's the only way I can see to getting real leverage in a way the cement-heads at the top will recognize.
Is LJ publically traded?
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You may find this post to be illuminating.As for staying to work for positive change at LJ, that's not a viable dream anymore. Our corporate overlords are interested in only one thing - profit - and aren't the least bit concerned about understanding the LJ culture or what has made LJ unique among blogging/social networking sites. They aren't looking to create something or work with us to meet both our needs and theirs; they want to follow a known business model for "this kind" of site rather than build one that takes the current community attributes into consideration. In other words, they intend to mold their userbase to fit the business model that they know and understand, rather than listen and learn and tailor the model to what they already have in LJ ( ... )
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The model will probably work for them in the short term, making the site more profitable long enough for them to sell out to someone else - possibly one of their competitors. In the end, the only losers will be those of us who genuinely cared about the place and who valued LJ's unique qualities.
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Because your voice counts for SO MUCH when you have no financial control over the company. D:
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