crossposted from lj_releases

[fufaraw]

I'm very aware that the owners of LiveJournal have plans for the site that disregard, and dismiss as petty and irrelevant, every wish and preference of the users who have been part of LiveJournal for up to a decade. Purchase with the intent of remaking the site into a copy of other social networks, for non-US users who, for some reason, can't seem to access or master Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr has always been the intended goal, even before the point of purchase--was in fact, the purpose of the purchase.

It's crystal clear the owners regard their own agenda far above the knowledge that LiveJournal, even with the changes to date, is a unique entity, with useability and functions that no other site combines. But rather than valueing this uniqueness, the owners seek to remove the functionaltiy and features that have made LiveJournal the mecca it has been, and turn it into just another social network, the aim of which seems to be "I have more people following my LJ than you do!" Just like Tumblr, Twitter and FB, quantity, not quality.

This last bastion of in-depth, thoughtful discussion and creativity must be sacrificed to the instant newsbites and superficial popularity that passes for social contact on every other online social site, whether that's because the owners want the prestige of owning and controlling the next Twitter, Tumblr, etc., or whether there's a "need" in Russia for yet *another* social network--is it a competition? To have the "most used" or "most popular" social network? Does the owner get a prize if he "wins"?

In any case, I won't be the only former user mourning the site that Live Journal used to be, and the communities, conversations, and discussions that have gone on here, in my LJ and in others', over most of a decade.

My quandary now is, do I pay for another year for my journals? Some of them? Or do I let them all go and seek some other shelter for the things for which I've depended on LiveJournal? 

Comments

[arabia764.livejournal.com]

I think there are a lot of us trying to make that decision. Me, I'm going to wait and see what happens. I don't like the new friends list, if they force it on us...

It's so arrogant, like they despise their core users. They obviously don't want us here.

[fufaraw]

Well, as I said to amber, below, we're *not* their core users, any more. The new owners are setting up to service the Russian people, and fans of western tv shows are a negligible and easily sacrificed fraction of users and potential users. LJ is to be a political and sociological discussion and social networking site. Period.

I'll maintain a presence here as long as there's a community I'm familiar with. But I don't like the changes. When they do away with paid accounts, I don't know if I can endure the ads to continue to touch base with my LJ peeps. I've been exploring other sites, hoping to migrate "my" communities intact, and so far, Dreamwidth seems the closest equivalent, though many of the people I know have moved to Tumblr. (I have a Tumblr, I just use it very differently from my LJ and DW accounts, and am not sure I can tailor it to fannish pursuits).

It's very upsetting, and right now what I see is more loss than upside. But then I'm a dedicated pessimist, and I could always be proven wrong (Somebody please prove me wrong!).

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Regarding the ads - you could try installing adblocker - I don't have a paid account and since I loaded up the adblocking software I've not been troubled by adverts on LJ (or elsewhere)

[fufaraw]

Thanks, that might be a stopgap, for as long as I can hang in here. I really don't want to pay for my accounts for another year, when paid accounts are being done away with soon, any way. My icons are all mirrored at DW, anyway, so at least I won't be losing them.

[arabia764.livejournal.com]

It's such a shame because we're all settled and happy here. But, I suppose, if they don't want us and we aren't their core users anymore then maybe it is time to move.

Dreamwidth seems okay, although I've not used it much. I imported my whole LJ over to DW with no problem so it should be okay.

I don't want a Tumblr account, it doesn't work the way I want.

[meus_venator]

I want to wait and complain at the top of my lungs before I give up on LJ, but these are terrible changes and change the essential nature of LJ. Thanks for the heads up I didn't know!.

New LJ changes threaten the essential core of LJ.... : (

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

User meus_venator referenced to your post from New LJ changes threaten the essential core of LJ.... : ( (http://all-spn.livejournal.com/2766399.html) saying: [...] we need a petition. Check out the 's journal here: http://fufaraw.livejournal.com/17201.html [...]

Re: New LJ changes threaten the essential core of LJ.... : (

[fufaraw]

Where is this post, "New LJ changes threaten the essential core of LJ"? That link doesn't work for me--is it to someone's flocked LJ?

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

I confess, I don't see how the change to the friends page changes the essential nature of LJ but I don't really use that page to navigate round - I rely on email alerts to see what friends and communities are posting. I actually don't like that as a method but I didn't like the way the friends page worked any way.
So what is it that I am not understanding about the changes that turns LJ into a Tumblr-eque place? (I frigging dislike tumblr by the way, so am quitw anxious now!)

[fufaraw]

The change to the friends page is just another step along the way to changing the functionality that's unique to LJ. For whatever reason, the Russian owner(s) want a fast-moving, topical, social network site that's a combination of Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr. Evidently Russian users have difficulty accessing and using those sites, so LJ is to be turned into a social network tuned to the Russian sensibility.

One of the chief features is a popularity rating which users can constantly monitor. It's a sign of prestige if you have hundreds on your flist--if your LJ is more widely read than others', and that competition for followers is heavily pushed on the new LJ.

Fic and meta discussion of tv shows, many if not all of which are unavailable in Russia, is a small enough proportion of users to be negligible in the balance of what Russians desire as a social website, so those users' preferences are easily sacrificed in reorganizing the site. The owners don't care about our money any more than they care about our preferences. Their aim and their goal is to provide the premiere social network for Russia and its neighbors, to earn the reputation of being the Number One online place people go to "connect" and update each other on social and political issues.

The dichotomy for me is, I understand, and even applaud their efforts and intentions. I just hate that it's *my* LJ that has to be sacrificed to do it.

The friends page is the most dramatic so far in the list of intended and unavoidable changes. Paid accounts are apparently being done away with in spring, and eventually your personal LJ page will be uniform, and the same as your friends page. With no paid accounts, it would be pointless for users to be allowed space for more than one identifying icon, so that's another feature I suspect will be sacrificed. Rolling page views and photo storage are the ultimate goals in redesigning the sites.

I may have some of my facts wrong, and you might want to check the last several posts in lj_updates to see what's coming, and where LJ's headed.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the explanation - that does sound dire. I'm like you, I come to LJ because it has something different to offer from Twitter, Tumblr and the like - if I want social networking I do it elsewhere and LJ is much more community based for me. So yeah, I'd be very sorry to see it change so drastically.
I wonder if Dreamwidth would be able to enhance the parts of it that are not quite up to LJ's standards to step in to the breach...

[sylsdarkplace]

I saw the beta of the friends page when I logged on this morning and like you all, really don't like it. I hadn't had time to check into what was going on. I couldn't imagine why anyone would think that was an improvement.

Here I had just been contemplating switching to a paid account. Now I guess it's out of my hands.

I really appreciate you making their intentions known to the rest of us. I will certainly complain long and loud as well. LJ is unique. There's nothing out there that does what it does, and allows us to share the way we do. But I'm sure they see it as just an investment, and given the kind of money that's being made of FB (I'm still not sure where the money comes in at Tumblr), I guess they are only thinking about the financial aspect. They don't mind selling us down the river.

[fufaraw]

After following lj_updates for more than a year, I have given up hope of complaints doing any good. The owners are set in this path, and their (his) scathing opinion of people who don't like the changes is dismissive and obviously not going to affect his plans in the least.

I think rather than bailing a sinking boat, fannish LJ communities would spend their energies better finding an alternative site to relocate. Dreamwidth is a near-clone, without a lot of the system failures LJ has had. It was founded and funded by fannish types, and serves fannish needs. Its architecture was built on LJ's skeleton and user functionality is almost identical--with none of the negative changes made to LJ in the last couple of years.

A lot of my fannish peeps have migrated to Tumblr, but I use my Tumblr differently than my LJ and DW, and I'm not sure I could acclimate to a fannish Tumblr. But there has to be an alternative, because the LJ we know, that has been fannishly usable, is going away.

I know several of the challeges have mirror accounts at both DW and Tumblr, so that's a start, at least.

[sylsdarkplace]

No, I agree. I have a Tumblr account but it is better suited to short text posts, graphics, and reblogging.

I just opened a DW account myself, and I'm going to start crossposting from this account as well as Cheebles. From reading comments on the LJ changes, it looks like that's where most LJ users are looking at migrating to. I'll be bangingpatchouli there as I am on Tumblr.

I'm hoping to find more and more of my favorite LJ accounts there.

[novakev.livejournal.com]

I highly dislike the new friends page proposed. I use my friends page the most in LJ and have my journal type chosen for reading my friends page specifically.

Why does every 'Improvement' always seem like we're losing out?!

[fufaraw]

Because, as I said above, what *we* want doesn't count, in the long-term plans the new owners have for LJ. It's sad, but unavoidable, I'm afraid.