So basically, the "free" account becomes the "occasional ad" account. The reasoning they seemed to be using is "Well, when you click on a link that goes to a site outside LJ, that might have ads, so clicking into the private sphere of someone's journal might have the same meaning."
That is, YOUR journal's ad free, and that's all you should ever expect from LJ as an unpaid user. That's the message.
Am I a big fan? No. Do I know how to block ads, even if I were a free user? Yes. Do I think this stinks? A tad. Do I wonder if a cheaper "give me what the with-ads guys get" account might sell larger volumes of paid accounts? Yes. Do I think only the "with ads" guys should see ads under all circumstances? Might be for the best.
I don't like the reasoning they give, but the current system might be the only way for the advertising to get enough views/clicks to get enough revenue to justify it.
Most of the acceptance from people for ads on LJ is based on their possible (and hoped for) similarity to text ads Google uses; those might be a bit more difficult for the uninitiated to block than banner ads or the like, assuming they're not using an easily blockable iframe. But maybe if there was either a specific Firefox plugin, or Greasemonkey script for it, free users who don't opt in could get the ads blocked easily? I might be able to write something like that. I'd do my best to make sure that it would only function for opt-out users.
Maybe my true calling is to make sure free users know how to block ads and facilitate that goal in any way I can?
Hmmm... what about embedding your LJ inside your own non-LJ website? As paid customers you can do that I['m pretty sure, and you wouldn't be shutting us non-LJers out in the cold. (And don't think RSS syndication's somehow magic. LJers are distinct second class citizens to your blog at that point.)
Okay, will be over then & bring those books I have, but my Neural Networks homework was more of a bitch than I thought it would be (bad program interface we were required to use; it seemed simple enough beforehand, but once the numbers spit out, it was like WTF)--it took me way too long, and now I'm behind on finishing the paper due today, as well. ::wambulances:: So I'll be there for collaboration when it pops up, but chances are I'm finishing the paper until late, and then studying all night. Because I suck.
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That is, YOUR journal's ad free, and that's all you should ever expect from LJ as an unpaid user. That's the message.
Am I a big fan? No. Do I know how to block ads, even if I were a free user? Yes. Do I think this stinks? A tad. Do I wonder if a cheaper "give me what the with-ads guys get" account might sell larger volumes of paid accounts? Yes. Do I think only the "with ads" guys should see ads under all circumstances? Might be for the best.
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Most of the acceptance from people for ads on LJ is based on their possible (and hoped for) similarity to text ads Google uses; those might be a bit more difficult for the uninitiated to block than banner ads or the like, assuming they're not using an easily blockable iframe. But maybe if there was either a specific Firefox plugin, or Greasemonkey script for it, free users who don't opt in could get the ads blocked easily? I might be able to write something like that. I'd do my best to make sure that it would only function for opt-out users.
Maybe my true calling is to make sure free users know how to block ads and facilitate that goal in any way I can?
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Also yay for your politics.
That is all.
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I'll probably just stop posting to LJ, and if I have to blog, I'll just install a php blogging program on faegernis.
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