IMPORTANT RELEASE 88 INFORMATION
Hey all. As you may or may not know, Livejournal rolled out Release 88 on the 20th, which changed the default commenting structure, created visible icons lists, and removed subject lines, previewing comments, and spellcheck, among other things. If you are using a custom layout/S2 layout, this currently does not apply to you, but it DOES apply to communities which rely on default S1-style comment pages. There are nearly 10,000 angry comments at lj_releases and nearly 2,000 angry comments at news. This is big stuff.
ETA: CLICK HERE FOR THE MOST RECENT POST AT news.
In any case, here are some things that may help you:
IF YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON:
LJ's most recent update removed features (subject lines, ability to preview, spellcheck) that are crucial to the existence of some LJ communities. The new "expand" line is laggy, caused certain builds of Firefox and Chrome to be unable to post, and interferes with blind users using text-to-speech programs. Bright colors and new font hurt readability and cause headaches (I have one!). The cherry on top is the head of LJ Russia igrick's rude and dismissive attitude towards both English AND Russian-speaking users. CLICK HERE TO READ HIS TRANSLATED COMMENTS.
IF YOU WANT YOUR SUBJECT LINE BACK:
Well, ain't gonna happen... yet. According to the newest update on lj_releases, there will be a S2 style available that "mimics the original/previous S1 commenting pages". How long will this take? Apparently "within a few weeks". Note that S2 styles are NOT available to users with free accounts. Correction: Plus accounts and Plus communities are able to use S2 style comment pages. Basic accounts may be unable to use them, but I'm not sure about this. Only paid users can view all communities and entries in their personal layout by default. If you disagree with this change, go to the update page and let the LJ staff know!
CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER CLARIFICATION
BREAKING NEWS: astronewt, one of LJ's Customer Support Representatives, states that as far as they know, comment subject lines will NOT be put back into the new form by default. (SOURCE). However, the S1-mimicing S2 layout may be available to all users and communities, even Basic ones. Anonymous users still would not have a subject line. (SOURCE).
IF YOU'RE WONDERING WHY LJ EVEN CHANGED THE DEFAULT COMMENT STRUCTURE IN THE FIRST PLACE:
The new default comment structure is only one of MANY changes planned in order to overhaul the look and function of Livejournal. CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES OF PLANNED CHANGES TO LIVEJOURNAL LAYOUT. Note that these were NOT posted on the English-speaking side of LJ. CLICK HERE TO GO TO A LIVE PREVIEW OF THE LAYOUT BETA (goes to LJ.ru). The new comment structure was beta'd for one week by Russian users, the majority of whom did NOT like the updated look. The release went through anyway.
IF YOUR CUSTOM COMMENT PAGE HAS BEEN DISABLED:
To change back custom comment pages: Go to the "Customize Journal Style" page, then click "Display" under "Customize Your Theme". Under "Presentation">"Basic Options", find "Disable customized comment pages for your journal" and select NO. Save changes and you will have your comment page back to normal. You may have to do this more than once. Some users reported that selecting YES first, saving, and THEN selecting NO worked for them.
ETA: astronewt says that this was a glitch caused by the rollout of Release 88.2. (SOURCE)
IF YOU CAN NOW EDIT COMMENTS WHEN YOU COULDN'T BEFORE:
This is because LJ has now given ALL users the ability to edit comments, REGARDLESS of the status of the account. However, you lose the ability to edit your comment once someone has replied to it. If your comment has been screened, you cannot edit it to fix it. Source: news
IF YOU USE AUTOMATIC PAYMENTS FOR YOUR ACCOUNT:
If you have turned off automatic payments on your account, PLEASE GO CHECK TO SEE IF AUTOMATIC PAYMENTS HAVE BEEN RE-ENABLED. SERIOUSLY. GO HERE. Please post in this thread if you have had your automatic payment re-enabled.
ETA: astronewt says that LJ is unable to change the payment status of an account. Users are encouraged to contact the Livejournal billing department with any concerns. (SOURCE)
ETA 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: igrick's opinion on the matter is that the claims of automatic payment renewals are made to "slander...and spread panic". (SOURCE)
IF YOU HAVE A FREE ACCOUNT, BUT DO NOT WANT TO GIVE LJ ANY MONEY:
It's simple - just block the ads! LJ gets a lot more revenue from ads than it does from a paying user. If you're using Firefox, get Adblock Plus (make sure to untick the default advertising box). For extra protection on Firefox, consider getting NoScript. Chrome users: consider using AdBlock or Adblock Plus for Chrome.
IF YOU WANT TO ADD BACK FEATURES YOURSELF:
Firefox users can download the Livejournal Hook add-on, which lets you use your journal style (as well as the light/Lynx style), even if you have a free account. However, this works only up to Firefox 3.6 - if you have a later build, this add-on may not work. If you are a Chrome user, you can access these same features using Livejournal Extension. If you want to add back a preview button, soph created a Greasemonky script that adds one to the comment section: download it here!
IF YOU WANT TO INCREASE LJ'S READABILITY AND VISIBILITY:
As stated above, downloading Livejournal Hook/Livejournal Extension lets you use your livejournal style site-wide. If you have a paid account, this feature comes with it! If you have a free account and do not want to install any add-ons, you can view any LJ page in your own layout by adding ?style=mine to the end of the page's URL; note that this is only a temporary fix. Another easy DIY fix is pressing CTRL + the minus key to zoom out of the page that you're on. This can help make LJ's new enormous Arial font more manageable to read (although you must do this on every new page). If the blinding white background is straining your eyes, consider downloading f.lux, which you can use to change your screen lighting to a lovely, non-eye-straining yellow glow.
ETA: stuntpilot99 created a Stylish script for making the new comment structure easier to read! Check it out here! You can also take a look at evilsherbear's Stylish script, which removes the gradients and restores the original LJ colors. Download it here!
IF YOU WANT TO TAKE ACTION:
Contacting the Better Business Bureau is a no-go (LJ refuses to work with BBB on any issues), as is notifying Section 508, since Livejournal is a private site and not a federal one. However, there are other methods of taking action. If you use twitter, please use the tag #livejournalsucks. Get it trending! Try contacting tech sites (like Gizmodo or Techcrunch) as they may be interested. Livejournal has a contact form available HERE. There is a petition for LJ to rollback the update HERE. You may also be interested in an LJ usage poll HERE by rollback88. Spread it around!
IF YOU WANT AN ALTERNATIVE TO LIVEJOURNAL:
Dreamwidth currently has open registration until the end of 2011. No add code necessary! Just sign up here! You can also import your LJ but there will be a VERY long wait. InsaneJournal does not require an add code to register an account. Make an account here! JournalFen's account registration is still closed, although it may open back up in the future!
IF YOU ARE DELETING YOUR LIVEJOURNAL ACCOUNT(S):
zellieh: "I had 9 journals at LJ before this; I'm now down to 1. I've deleted all the others. When I deleted my other journals, LJ had a "why are you leaving?" form. Fill it out -- give details. If they get enough people leaving, all making the same complaints, they might listen. If nothing else, I bet they have to keep stats on that sort of thing." If you must leave LJ and delete your accounts, please be sure to fill out this form. Let LJ know exactly why you are leaving!
That's all I can think of for right now. Please repost this or otherwise link back here. Show as many people as you can! Thank you!
ETA: CLICK HERE FOR THE MOST RECENT POST AT news.
In any case, here are some things that may help you:
IF YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON:
LJ's most recent update removed features (subject lines, ability to preview, spellcheck) that are crucial to the existence of some LJ communities. The new "expand" line is laggy, caused certain builds of Firefox and Chrome to be unable to post, and interferes with blind users using text-to-speech programs. Bright colors and new font hurt readability and cause headaches (I have one!). The cherry on top is the head of LJ Russia igrick's rude and dismissive attitude towards both English AND Russian-speaking users. CLICK HERE TO READ HIS TRANSLATED COMMENTS.
IF YOU WANT YOUR SUBJECT LINE BACK:
Well, ain't gonna happen... yet. According to the newest update on lj_releases, there will be a S2 style available that "mimics the original/previous S1 commenting pages". How long will this take? Apparently "within a few weeks". Note that S2 styles are NOT available to users with free accounts. Correction: Plus accounts and Plus communities are able to use S2 style comment pages. Basic accounts may be unable to use them, but I'm not sure about this. Only paid users can view all communities and entries in their personal layout by default. If you disagree with this change, go to the update page and let the LJ staff know!
CLICK HERE FOR FURTHER CLARIFICATION
BREAKING NEWS: astronewt, one of LJ's Customer Support Representatives, states that as far as they know, comment subject lines will NOT be put back into the new form by default. (SOURCE). However, the S1-mimicing S2 layout may be available to all users and communities, even Basic ones. Anonymous users still would not have a subject line. (SOURCE).
IF YOU'RE WONDERING WHY LJ EVEN CHANGED THE DEFAULT COMMENT STRUCTURE IN THE FIRST PLACE:
The new default comment structure is only one of MANY changes planned in order to overhaul the look and function of Livejournal. CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES OF PLANNED CHANGES TO LIVEJOURNAL LAYOUT. Note that these were NOT posted on the English-speaking side of LJ. CLICK HERE TO GO TO A LIVE PREVIEW OF THE LAYOUT BETA (goes to LJ.ru). The new comment structure was beta'd for one week by Russian users, the majority of whom did NOT like the updated look. The release went through anyway.
IF YOUR CUSTOM COMMENT PAGE HAS BEEN DISABLED:
To change back custom comment pages: Go to the "Customize Journal Style" page, then click "Display" under "Customize Your Theme". Under "Presentation">"Basic Options", find "Disable customized comment pages for your journal" and select NO. Save changes and you will have your comment page back to normal. You may have to do this more than once. Some users reported that selecting YES first, saving, and THEN selecting NO worked for them.
ETA: astronewt says that this was a glitch caused by the rollout of Release 88.2. (SOURCE)
IF YOU CAN NOW EDIT COMMENTS WHEN YOU COULDN'T BEFORE:
This is because LJ has now given ALL users the ability to edit comments, REGARDLESS of the status of the account. However, you lose the ability to edit your comment once someone has replied to it. If your comment has been screened, you cannot edit it to fix it. Source: news
IF YOU USE AUTOMATIC PAYMENTS FOR YOUR ACCOUNT:
If you have turned off automatic payments on your account, PLEASE GO CHECK TO SEE IF AUTOMATIC PAYMENTS HAVE BEEN RE-ENABLED. SERIOUSLY. GO HERE. Please post in this thread if you have had your automatic payment re-enabled.
ETA: astronewt says that LJ is unable to change the payment status of an account. Users are encouraged to contact the Livejournal billing department with any concerns. (SOURCE)
ETA 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: igrick's opinion on the matter is that the claims of automatic payment renewals are made to "slander...and spread panic". (SOURCE)
IF YOU HAVE A FREE ACCOUNT, BUT DO NOT WANT TO GIVE LJ ANY MONEY:
It's simple - just block the ads! LJ gets a lot more revenue from ads than it does from a paying user. If you're using Firefox, get Adblock Plus (make sure to untick the default advertising box). For extra protection on Firefox, consider getting NoScript. Chrome users: consider using AdBlock or Adblock Plus for Chrome.
IF YOU WANT TO ADD BACK FEATURES YOURSELF:
Firefox users can download the Livejournal Hook add-on, which lets you use your journal style (as well as the light/Lynx style), even if you have a free account. However, this works only up to Firefox 3.6 - if you have a later build, this add-on may not work. If you are a Chrome user, you can access these same features using Livejournal Extension. If you want to add back a preview button, soph created a Greasemonky script that adds one to the comment section: download it here!
IF YOU WANT TO INCREASE LJ'S READABILITY AND VISIBILITY:
As stated above, downloading Livejournal Hook/Livejournal Extension lets you use your livejournal style site-wide. If you have a paid account, this feature comes with it! If you have a free account and do not want to install any add-ons, you can view any LJ page in your own layout by adding ?style=mine to the end of the page's URL; note that this is only a temporary fix. Another easy DIY fix is pressing CTRL + the minus key to zoom out of the page that you're on. This can help make LJ's new enormous Arial font more manageable to read (although you must do this on every new page). If the blinding white background is straining your eyes, consider downloading f.lux, which you can use to change your screen lighting to a lovely, non-eye-straining yellow glow.
ETA: stuntpilot99 created a Stylish script for making the new comment structure easier to read! Check it out here! You can also take a look at evilsherbear's Stylish script, which removes the gradients and restores the original LJ colors. Download it here!
IF YOU WANT TO TAKE ACTION:
Contacting the Better Business Bureau is a no-go (LJ refuses to work with BBB on any issues), as is notifying Section 508, since Livejournal is a private site and not a federal one. However, there are other methods of taking action. If you use twitter, please use the tag #livejournalsucks. Get it trending! Try contacting tech sites (like Gizmodo or Techcrunch) as they may be interested. Livejournal has a contact form available HERE. There is a petition for LJ to rollback the update HERE. You may also be interested in an LJ usage poll HERE by rollback88. Spread it around!
IF YOU WANT AN ALTERNATIVE TO LIVEJOURNAL:
Dreamwidth currently has open registration until the end of 2011. No add code necessary! Just sign up here! You can also import your LJ but there will be a VERY long wait. InsaneJournal does not require an add code to register an account. Make an account here! JournalFen's account registration is still closed, although it may open back up in the future!
IF YOU ARE DELETING YOUR LIVEJOURNAL ACCOUNT(S):
zellieh: "I had 9 journals at LJ before this; I'm now down to 1. I've deleted all the others. When I deleted my other journals, LJ had a "why are you leaving?" form. Fill it out -- give details. If they get enough people leaving, all making the same complaints, they might listen. If nothing else, I bet they have to keep stats on that sort of thing." If you must leave LJ and delete your accounts, please be sure to fill out this form. Let LJ know exactly why you are leaving!
That's all I can think of for right now. Please repost this or otherwise link back here. Show as many people as you can! Thank you!