B is for Boycott

[the_siobhan]

(It was going to be about Booze, but so many people on my f-list are talking about the boycott I decided I'm going to be a lemming today.)

I'm a paid user. I pay to support a service I use frequently, just as I buy CDs by bands after I've downloaded all their music and decide I like what they do. I believe in contributing financially to the things that I use whenever I can so that they can continue to do the thing that I like.

And in this case, what I like is reading posts. Posts written by people I like, people I care about, people I couldn't give two shits about but who have interesting things to say, and people who I honestly can't remember why they are on my f-list in the first place but I've kind of gotten used to following how their lives unfold. Compared to that, the ability to create polls or store pictures or make phone posts or have 50 billion WWJCD icons means absolutely zero to me.

And although I assume many of the posts I read are made by paid users there is an equal or larger number that are not. And if enough of them go elsewhere or simply drop off the face of the earth, my reason for paying goes away.

That's why I supported the strike. I don't think LJ is going to take any financial hit[1] because a bunch of people all decide not to log in for one day. The strike was not about punishing the new owners of LJ. It was about making the point that those to create content for the site, those who drag in their friends and relatives and make the site engaging for everybody, they are the reason that LJ can convince people like me to fork over my membership fee, and the reason why advertisers want to hawk their wares here in the first place. Non-paying users deserve to be treated with respect, as valued contributors and not as freeloaders.

Because if LJ pisses off enough regular users that the majority of my f-list moves over to InsaneJournal or GreatestJournal, I probably won't give up my LJ account. But they'll probably stop being the ones who get my money.

[1]Although I admit I have no idea how google ads revenue works so maybe I'm wrong.

Comments

[neoliminal.livejournal.com]

The amount of mis-information regarding this lemming strike astounds me.

1. The strike wont have any effect on the LJ corp. They will just wish it away.

2. The strike has little to zero economic effect. A filibuster would have been better with every free member writing as much real content as possible.

3. They are striking over the fact that users used to get their LJ without ads. Now that it's commercial it's likely to get ads **for new users**. The old users wont get a change.

4. Somehow LJ became evil when they made the mistake of censorship. It is a Russian company. I would expect a few mistakes in this regard. However striking doesn't DO anything.

If anything I'll be interested to see just how LITTLE backlash this causes.

Just my thoughts

[panic-girl.livejournal.com]

This whole thing just boggles my mind, with the amount of talk and drama it's generated. I do use LJ a lot, and I've been here a long time, but I don't really care, you know? It's a great tool for keeping in touch with folks, and not having to tell the same story over and over, but other than that, I don't particularly care. I have too much of an offline life at the moment. And also I've seen and been subjected to (first, second, third-hand) so much bullshit LJ drama that I've had to detach myself from what any of it "means." It doesn't mean enough for me to be pro or against any sort of large movement.

[girfan.livejournal.com]

I didn't post due to not having computer access from Thursday afternoon until earlier today. LJ does help me keep in touch with loads of people in all parts of the world. I met 2 of my LJ friends IRL this past weekend and it was so great to just talk like we have known each other for years...we have, but only on LJ.

Loads of people I know signed up to Facebook but are still on LJ since Facebook isn't the same.

My fear is the same as inulro.

[http://users.livejournal.com/cincinnatus_c_/]

50 billion WWJCD icons

50 billion and one? :)

I got more. If you want 'em, they're yours. I'm afraid of imposing them on you because I don't know what icon limits if any there are on paid accounts. But I love thinking them up and making them. :)