bitching about LiveJournal, Inc.

[low_delta]

From news

When LiveJournal, Inc., was launched in December the new team made it very clear that LiveJournal was going to change. We also said that we would respect the values and legacy of LiveJournal. But, we can’t ignore the fact that as LiveJournal nears its second decade it needs to make some business decisions. [So it should be obvious, by now, that we lied.]

Over the past 24 hours many of you have asked whether the changes to the account structure (removing the option of creating new basic accounts) is a business decision. It is, emphatically. [It's not because we don't like you here, we just don't want you here unless you're going to support us, monetarily.]

Overnight you also raised legitimate concerns about how this change was unveiled - message received, loud and clear. [Just like all the previous times.] We're still working out how to strike just the right tone when communicating with such a diverse and complex collection of communities. [We haven't figured it out yet, so we decided not to announce the change.]

LiveJournal has been run as a business from its humble beginnings. Since then, it has grown into a pretty successful company: blazing a trail for blogging and journaling, providing employment for many people, building a community of volunteers, and creating a culture of openness and collaboration which is admired across the globe.

And [even though we don't give a shit about openness or collaboration, and can't use volunteers, we're grateful to be in a position to capitalize on the blogging the old LJ helped create.] So we are [calling it "]building on this heritage.["] That means new ideas, new features, new colleagues, new offices, new technology, new hosting facilities, new products, new policies and, yes, a new account structure [because we can't afford all of that stuff otherwise. Nevermind whether it's necessary].

The changes will require not only an investment in time, energy and money from us but also engagement, understanding and ideas from all of you. [But most importantly, your investment of money.]

We hope you will embrace the new features that we introduce and you may certainly criticize the ones you don’t care for. But to make our intentions clear, LiveJournal needs to develop: we don’t intend to undermine the culture of LiveJournal, we intend to invest in it. [Just as LJ has always been creating new features, and developing itself, only this time, it's going to cost you.]

Comments

[i.livejournal.com]

i wonder how long it will be before my permanent accounts are no longer permanent.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Or have ads.

[emschin.livejournal.com]

Ads is the thing I thought of right away.

[zaecus.livejournal.com]

It blows my mind how many people do not understand how being forced to serve ads can be offensive. Aside from the socio-economic standards that, on their own, are offensive to many people, there's the idea that someone with a minority view could be forced to serve ads for an organization they find offensive.

Imagine someone with an anti-corporate stance on the war serving ads for the contractors, maybe even Blackwater.

Imagine autistic advocacy being accompanied by an ad for Autism Speaks, Cure Autism Now, or as happens often enough that one site (http://www.autisticnation.com/The_National_Autistic_Society_of_America/Home/Home.html) (see sidebar labeled "Profiteers of the Autistic Community Below") makes commentary on it, fear profiteers who are selling the latest bullshit 'cures'.

In fact, at the time I checked it, the ads on the site I linked incluide one for the Judge Rotenberg Center, which that site specifically decries (http://www.autisticnation.com/The_National_Autistic_Society_of_America/School_of_Shock/School_of_Shock.html) as an institution of torture.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

I think LJ's official position on that is, then people with special needs are going to have to pay for their service.

[banana.livejournal.com]

So you can't create a free account any more? Was this announced anywhere besides news?

[banana.livejournal.com]

OK, I've read up on this now, and it's grim.