Well, this is disturbing

[fufaraw]

Forwarded from my flist: http://nochick-fics.livejournal.com/436718.html

Please share this as widely as you can. And make alternate plans for your own journals, just in case, and leave us links and addresses as soon as you've done that. And don't delay too long in doing it, okay? I don't want to lose track of any of you.

I will try to get my Dreamwidth account up to date as quickly as possible, but I'm already there. And you can find me at AO3, both places under this username.

Hold me?

Comments

[doneitall.livejournal.com]

Just read that, and that is so scary. Do you think we can do anything about? Like start a petition?
This has to be the first time that I have ever been happy that I don't post my fics here. Also I was hoping that I could just borrow this verbatim.

[fufaraw]

Sadly, no. Our new Russian masters actually don't care about ficcers or fan communities in general, nor the funds they contribute through paid, gift, and sponsored journals. We are but a small percentage of the Russian LJ user base. In Russia, LJ is a Facebook/Twitter equivalent, evidently because those sites are blocked or difficult to access there. Their whole focus is social networking. I'm sure you've noticed the journal ranking, the "top journals" notation on your home page, and your social score on your profile page? The entire focus of Russian-owned LJ is piling up followers--whoever has the most wins, that, and making posts that are read and shared as widely as possible.

It's a real-life popularity contest, with a little bit of news and a tiny bit of sociopolitical relevance. Fandom does not make up any part of Russia's use of LJ. This is not to say that many Russians are not part of various fandoms--they are, and their contributions are welcome! But they are an infinitesimal fraction of Russian users, whose sole use and focus is social networking.

LJ owners would hardly bother to read, let alone respond to, petitions from fandoms. The present owners have been making incremental changes to the site since taking ownership, and will continue to do so until LJ is no longer a viable platform for fandoms.

Check posts at lj_maintenance, going back as far as you care to, and reading comments, to get a feeling for the changing climate of LJ.

Wish I had better news. :o(

ETA: Yes, of course, feel welcome to share, especially the link in the post. Or feel free to link to this discussion. I have a sense of urgency about this news, and I would hate for anybody to be caught unaware.