On Words and Deeds
It's five hours to lockdown and I've only now gotten around to addressing the sea change.
So Livejournal has issued an apology. Unlike former "apologies" issued by LJ under SixApart and SUP, this one is conspicouosly devoid of weasel words and backhanded attempts to pass the buck. It is, apparently, a real apology, and an assertation that a gesture of good faith and good will (the reinstatement of the option to start new basic accounts for users who already hold them) will be forthcoming.
I think that's great. Really, I do. I've always believed in the people who run LJ, even as I became convinced I would never be able to trust those who own it again. I believe in Livejournal. I believe in its staff. I think they know their user base and they know what works. I believe this Mea Culpa is a positive step forward.
But.
It doesn't necessarily mean that the real decision makers (among whom LJ staff members do not number) get it. It may just means that they have finally, kicking and screaming, been forced to acknowledge that they do not get it, and that someone with power in the LJ heirarchy got hold of a staff member without his head up his ass, pointed him in our direction and said, "Say whatever you have to say to placate these people, and do it before the advertisers get wind of this."
Livejournal has promised to change. Livejournal has made empty promises before, and for the time being, the only difference here is one of diplomacy: this time, they worded it right. I will remain undecided about the sincerity of this apology until I see the promises implemented. If the plans for the strike were within a time frame that allowed for the aforementioned gesture of good will to take effect, I would have cause to reevaluate my participation. As it is, I will still be participating, and so will
tinman_meta. Not because I'm greedy, not because I think we should dig in our heels until we see grovelling, but because I am still not convinced that TPTB realize that their customers are also their suppliers, and that our content and our community has not only abstract, but concrete, financial value.
As another blogger said, not following through at this point would be like stopping a course of antibiotics when you start feeling better. It bespeaks a lack of conviction, and it confirms the suspicions that the strike and boycott were just a communal version of holding our breath until we get what we want. This gesture isn't petulant or spiteful. The strike won't bring Livejournal down, nor is it intended to damage its reputation or revenue. It's an action, be cause action speaks louder than words, that we are undertaking to demostrate that our content benefits LJ.
Because the realization that you don't get it is an easy one to forget.
This concludes my TL;DR
So Livejournal has issued an apology. Unlike former "apologies" issued by LJ under SixApart and SUP, this one is conspicouosly devoid of weasel words and backhanded attempts to pass the buck. It is, apparently, a real apology, and an assertation that a gesture of good faith and good will (the reinstatement of the option to start new basic accounts for users who already hold them) will be forthcoming.
I think that's great. Really, I do. I've always believed in the people who run LJ, even as I became convinced I would never be able to trust those who own it again. I believe in Livejournal. I believe in its staff. I think they know their user base and they know what works. I believe this Mea Culpa is a positive step forward.
But.
It doesn't necessarily mean that the real decision makers (among whom LJ staff members do not number) get it. It may just means that they have finally, kicking and screaming, been forced to acknowledge that they do not get it, and that someone with power in the LJ heirarchy got hold of a staff member without his head up his ass, pointed him in our direction and said, "Say whatever you have to say to placate these people, and do it before the advertisers get wind of this."
Livejournal has promised to change. Livejournal has made empty promises before, and for the time being, the only difference here is one of diplomacy: this time, they worded it right. I will remain undecided about the sincerity of this apology until I see the promises implemented. If the plans for the strike were within a time frame that allowed for the aforementioned gesture of good will to take effect, I would have cause to reevaluate my participation. As it is, I will still be participating, and so will
tinman_meta. Not because I'm greedy, not because I think we should dig in our heels until we see grovelling, but because I am still not convinced that TPTB realize that their customers are also their suppliers, and that our content and our community has not only abstract, but concrete, financial value.
As another blogger said, not following through at this point would be like stopping a course of antibiotics when you start feeling better. It bespeaks a lack of conviction, and it confirms the suspicions that the strike and boycott were just a communal version of holding our breath until we get what we want. This gesture isn't petulant or spiteful. The strike won't bring Livejournal down, nor is it intended to damage its reputation or revenue. It's an action, be cause action speaks louder than words, that we are undertaking to demostrate that our content benefits LJ.
Because the realization that you don't get it is an easy one to forget.
This concludes my TL;DR