One-day LJ strike

[aelfgyfu_mead]

ETA: LJ responded to my main concerns in a post last night that I have only now seen (much thanks to friendshipper for the link. I will not be striking. So if you don't see me tomorrow, know that I'm not on strike. :-)

I'm leaving the original post and responses below intact, because I'm already seeing some verbal abuse of those of us who planned to strike. I've changed my mind because circumstances changed, and I want to leave the original post so that it's evident at least some of us were not trying to force anyone else to strike, and what reasons we had.


A few recent changes concern me. Yes, it is naive, but I was shocked when SUP announced the end of free basic accounts--ignoring the advice of their own Advisory Board. I am angry at the way the news was announced, or not announced. I have since heard that recently LJ has begun silently omitting certain interests from the list of Most Popular Interests that they compile. I can understand not putting "hardcore" on that list, actually; maybe I can see omitting "sex." But "depression"? Heaven knows we don't want people discussing that; someone might learn something. "Bisexuality"? "Fanfiction," for heaven's sake?

So some LJ users have decided to do something to make a statement, something that won't seriously hurt the company (and give an excuse to raise prices or something!) but should be noticed: a one-day LiveJournal content strike. Don't post, comment, or reply to comments on Friday, March 21 (by GMT reckoning). I can't remember who gave me the link (sorry!), but there are good, clear, short explanations here and here.

For information on LJ tampering with the Most Popular Interests, see this InsaneJournal entry by stewardess (thanks to loriel_eris for the link).

I do plan to strike. If you're upset with the way the decision to end basic accounts was made and belatedly announced only after an outcry, or if you're upset with the lumping together of all fanfiction and some gay-related interests with "hardcore" "porn" and "bondage" as interests LJ wants to pretend users don't share, you might want to strike too. I'll still be on e-mail, but I won't be on LJ on Friday. I don't expect anyone would even notice that I'm gone, if I hadn't said anything--but if a lot of us are gone, SUP will notice!

Comments

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

I saw about that on fandom_wank(well, technically it's fandom_lounge). From what I understand, that interest thing was a glitch while trying to get rid of some of the other accounts. It's just on their popular lists, it's not banning the "interests" themselves (do people actually use interests? Is this for the adbots? I don't want the adbots finding me anyway!)

They got rid of random things like fanfiction and faeries, but not slash or other similar. It's very arbitrary and silly. I can believe a glitch rather than the conspiracy some are espousing.

However, I do find the basic account loss very annoying and a poor business decision. Not surprising mind you, but stupid.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

The "glitch" may or may not have been a mistake. I'd be glad if that's all it was. I know they're not banning the interests (I know the link I gave calls it "censorship," but I don't); I find it suspicious in light of other goings-on and last year's purges.

Thanks for the link. I'm most upset with the first two things I mentioned, the decision to end basic accounts against the advice of the Board and the way they tried to sneak it under our radar.