Baa... but in an activist way

[gwendolyngrace]

I'm borrowing this post from heidi8:
In a follow-up to LJ's dropping of Basic Personal Accounts, LJ has also removed various Interests from the Popular Interests list includng "bisexuality", "fanfction", "fandom", "boys", "girls", "depression" and "faeries".

Yep, "fandom" no longer exists as a popular interest on LJ.

Honestly, the basic account thing...I can understand that. No, really. They have to fund the site somehow. But dropping "fandom" and "fanfiction" and "bisexuality"? Uh.... "Faeries?" WTF?

So, I'm participating in this on Friday. I hope y'all do, too.

ONE DAY CONTENT STRIKE For one day, Friday, March 21, make no posts. Make no comments. Let there be NO new content added to LJ. DON'T VISIT LJ AT ALL. SUP obviously does not realize that Basic users have given something of value to them, that it is content that drives the site. So, for one 24-hour period, from midnight GMT to midnight GMT, let's see how many people we can get to pledge to contribute NO CONTENT. This will create a permanent downward spike in the daily-posts statistics, a permanent reminder of the power of the userbase. Full information at The Fox's Den. SPREAD THE WORD!


ETA: More on this and some cogent ranting over on InsaneJournal:

Stewardess's IJ entry

Comments

[chrystie69.livejournal.com]

I read Fox's Den to see what this was all about. I don't think this is going to give you the result you are looking for.

I manage Online Audience Development for a major Internet site and having no user content for a single day is not even going to be a blip on their radar especially when they figure out the why. They'll just explain it in the log and move on. What you need to do is start having many people make comments to them about this, a 'letter writing' campaign if you will. That WILL get their attention much more then what you are planning here. If users demand more options and better options then they will listen.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Yes, in the same way that not buying gas will only cause a "blip" - I'm familiar with the argument, and in that sense, you're right.

But with gas, for example, people don't buy it on Friday, but they still need gas. So they buy it on Thursday or Saturday and the sales don't reflect a difference.

I think a strike combined with the public outreach you're talking about can't hurt--as long as TPTB at SUP also hear in other ways that the users are unhappy with their decisions.

[chrystie69.livejournal.com]

I just don't think you will be able to get 'enough' people to not post on Friday to really make them take notice. Whereby a letter writing campaign accompanied by good arguments and creative ideas for resolution would be much more productive.

[liamstliam.livejournal.com]

They made the interests decision a long time ago, pre-sale, I think.

The basic account thing -- to me -- means nothing.

You can still get a free account. You just have to see ads.

You want no ads, you pay the fee.

I think I look at this differently from most.

I will be fascinated to see how Friday goes.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Well, realistically, they have to pay for the site one way or another, and if that means ads, that's what it means.

The interests bothers me though. A Lot.

So we'll see. I do think Christie has a point and a one-day blip won't mean much, but a one-day blip combined with other measures may have an impact.

Not that I'm holding my breath.

Another alternative

[(Anonymous)]

I'm loathe to give out this super secret Audience Development online information because this is how I make my living, and I utilize LJ for social traffic to my own company site, especially on Fridays!!!

But...what will 'hurt' is a dip in page views and visits for a day! Instead of not posting or commenting you have to say 'Don't go to LJ for a day'. If they lose impressions on their advertising that will hurt them, that will make them sit up and take notice Believe ME!!! I'd be freaking out if it were me.

[chrystie69.livejournal.com]

That anonymous one is actually me, didn't realize I'd been logged out...sorry

[chrystie69.livejournal.com]

Oh I agree with this, however I'm fascinated at the concept. From the point of view of management of a site with a community...I'm looking to see how this plays out because it could have far-reaching influence to other community sites.

[sea0tter12.livejournal.com]

Um, fanfiction is still in my interests, and when I click on it, it takes me to a bunch of communities. And I just added faeries and fandom, and it worked OK ... I also did interest searches for those terms and had no problem ...

Just re-read and noticed the popular -- I'm sorry, but I don't get how this is that big a deal ... we can still use and search for those terms. And it's within LJ's rights to choose which interests *they* want to promote. As long as we can still use those terms, I'm OK.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Thanks for checking that out, and I misunderstood it at first, too, but even so, dropping "fandom" as a popular interest? Um. Maybe it's just because I'm over in the fan corner, but I joined LJ because of a fandom, and I've stayed because of fandom, and I probably wouldn't have a whole lot of use for an LJ without fandom.

So I think they're dismissing a whole large base of LJ users by dropping the designation (and denying their role as a fan forum) from the interests list.

[elanurel.livejournal.com]

I am, to use a word, completely gobsmacked. And, yeah:

Faeries, WTF...

I am dropping my paid accounts when I can unless these guys get their act together.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

well, as sea0tter12 points out above, it's their "popular interests" page, not the ability to list it as an interest, but even at that...to say that fandom isn't a popular LJ interest is...well, missing the point of LJ for a lot of their users.

And I really don't have a problem with the plus account, but it's more a solidarity thing.

[elanurel.livejournal.com]

I don't necessarily have a problem with the plus account either - I mean, it does help them make money - but I do think it's part of the change in the listing of popular LJ interests, i.e., making themselves look more "mainstream" to the advertisers.

Just my two cents.

[pinkphoenix1985.livejournal.com]

sure, I'll do it. can I borrow the post to post on my LJ?

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Sure - just remember to modify it so that we remind people not to come to LJ at all - don't reorganize your icons, change your layout, etc. We want a day with no page views whatsoever.

[pinkphoenix1985.livejournal.com]

okay

[jiggery-pokery.livejournal.com]

The interests are back. Turns out that fandom as such was never censored (well, it might have been, but it never made the "most popular" list so we shan't know); it was fanfiction instead, and fandom is merely a widely-propagated typo.

I am still very tempted to strike in response to having filtered at all, even if only temporarily.