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penpusherI haven't been posting "normal" entries in my LJ Account for awhile now, using it only as the place where I post my LJ Idol entries for the writing competition. Likewise, I haven't been reading your entries, since my time was spent reading through the entries of the other contestants and making comments there. I feel like I have failed my LJ friends because of this, and I do apologize for that, but there is an element behind it.
The whole "Яussian" issue - the fact that we were acquired by the Russian side of LiveJournal definitely has had an effect. Really, I have a bellyful of Russia right now. I hear about Russia every night. And let's face it. We don't really know much of anything about what's going on with our Russian owners. I can tell you that a few of my long time LJ friends deleted their journals specifically because of this.
When I purchased a permanent account, I really thought it would outlast me, or at least would last longer than I would find a use for it. Now, even though it's likely an irrational fear, I don't feel completely safe sharing on this platform anymore. We don't know anyone who is in charge of this service. We don't know what issues those that are in charge of it examine. And it's within the unease of all that we don't know about what happens here that creates a place that is the opposite of where you would want to put your most intimate thoughts and share your most personal stories.
The current LJ Idol season is coming to a close. Tonight is a voting results night, and it's possible I will not survive. I have resolved to stop using LiveJournal at the end of the current LJ Idol competition, and I suspect that end will come before the end of the year. That means I have to make some decisions.
I have to decide if I want to delete this journal and if I do delete, do I use the nuclear option, that deletes every comment I ever made to every journal and community I ever visited. Or do I friendslock the entire journal? Or do I just leave it in place, as is?
A reason not to delete is being able to access journals that I was friends to, anyone that had their own journal locked that I was on the list for would be lost to me forever. But does that really matter, if the friends are no longer posting here?
Another reason not to delete is that I said I never would. Under normal circumstances, I thought deleting was a selfish move, that hurt the other people who were still here. And especially the nuclear option that deleted the comments posted in everyone else's journal. Part of me still believes it's somewhat selfish to delete - especially nuclear style. When people comment to your journal, it's not just "YOUR" journal anymore. I absolutely believe that.
But I do have my mirrored account at dreamwidth. Basically everything that is here got moved there (and I'll likely do another transfer over of the entries from the Idol season also). All is not lost.
But there will be loss. Some people who are still here aren't going to leave. I know this because I floated the concept in my entry titled: Let's Just Deal With... where I suggested we needed to make a break from this place and collectively move to Dreamwidth. "Lukewarm" would be a gross exaggeration of the response.
Or just not use this type of platform anymore. Facebook does have the option for writing essays, and they have the possibility of going viral, if they're publicly posted.
I do know that my LJ time is now severely limited, no matter what happens, meaning that this will be one of my final thinkposts here on the old El Jay. But maybe I'll make a go of it on DW.
http://penpusher.dreamwidth.org/
The whole "Яussian" issue - the fact that we were acquired by the Russian side of LiveJournal definitely has had an effect. Really, I have a bellyful of Russia right now. I hear about Russia every night. And let's face it. We don't really know much of anything about what's going on with our Russian owners. I can tell you that a few of my long time LJ friends deleted their journals specifically because of this.
When I purchased a permanent account, I really thought it would outlast me, or at least would last longer than I would find a use for it. Now, even though it's likely an irrational fear, I don't feel completely safe sharing on this platform anymore. We don't know anyone who is in charge of this service. We don't know what issues those that are in charge of it examine. And it's within the unease of all that we don't know about what happens here that creates a place that is the opposite of where you would want to put your most intimate thoughts and share your most personal stories.
The current LJ Idol season is coming to a close. Tonight is a voting results night, and it's possible I will not survive. I have resolved to stop using LiveJournal at the end of the current LJ Idol competition, and I suspect that end will come before the end of the year. That means I have to make some decisions.
I have to decide if I want to delete this journal and if I do delete, do I use the nuclear option, that deletes every comment I ever made to every journal and community I ever visited. Or do I friendslock the entire journal? Or do I just leave it in place, as is?
A reason not to delete is being able to access journals that I was friends to, anyone that had their own journal locked that I was on the list for would be lost to me forever. But does that really matter, if the friends are no longer posting here?
Another reason not to delete is that I said I never would. Under normal circumstances, I thought deleting was a selfish move, that hurt the other people who were still here. And especially the nuclear option that deleted the comments posted in everyone else's journal. Part of me still believes it's somewhat selfish to delete - especially nuclear style. When people comment to your journal, it's not just "YOUR" journal anymore. I absolutely believe that.
But I do have my mirrored account at dreamwidth. Basically everything that is here got moved there (and I'll likely do another transfer over of the entries from the Idol season also). All is not lost.
But there will be loss. Some people who are still here aren't going to leave. I know this because I floated the concept in my entry titled: Let's Just Deal With... where I suggested we needed to make a break from this place and collectively move to Dreamwidth. "Lukewarm" would be a gross exaggeration of the response.
Or just not use this type of platform anymore. Facebook does have the option for writing essays, and they have the possibility of going viral, if they're publicly posted.
I do know that my LJ time is now severely limited, no matter what happens, meaning that this will be one of my final thinkposts here on the old El Jay. But maybe I'll make a go of it on DW.
http://penpusher.dreamwidth.org/
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no subject
Date: 2017-07-27 12:25 am (UTC)I can understand your concerns about the Russian situation, especially because your work is of a more political bent (though what can they do besides be offended?)
I still find it kind of hard to get over to Dreamwidth, even though I have an account there, and the people I've known here who move over there seem to overwhelmingly become "broadcasters"-- they talk but they do not listen.
I don't know why that is-- so much conversation here in the past, and they people go to DW and they either stop reading other people's entries or stop commenting on them. But it's why I don't love the "feeling" of that community. It isn't. It's more like scanning radio stations.
So, please don't delete! I don't mind if you friendslock, including going forward, but I'd hate for you to be gone. :(
no subject
Date: 2017-07-27 06:07 pm (UTC)I still say that part of the element of Dreamwidth that is making it into something different from/not as good as LJ is the twofold issue of how people perceive it and the fact that LiveJournal is still sitting here.
Anyone with an El Jay is going to want to use that as their first choice. Especially if they've been around since before the SixApart era - because that is your base, your home. DW is kind of the stepchild, the seat cushion that functions as your flotation device instead of the jet you've been flying on this whole trip. You wouldn't "use" that, except in case of a dire emergency.
That's why I stated the community has to go to make it a community, there. Right now, the people who went to DW are the promoters - the opportunists. The LJ community all stayed hereas loyalists. That's what you're noticing when you look at DW.
But that's also why I said we need to collectively leave LJ and go to DW because then we really could revive the old LJ atmosphere. I know it isn't a perfect solution. I know that it feels awkward and probably like a monumental effort. I know that there are still other social media sites that let people interact with celebrities (my number one reason why LiveJournal has fallen so far - and why the Russian side was so popular - at least until the government there started cracking down). And with only so many hours in a week, with a drain from work, from other responsiblities, from other social media and from time to just do nothing, sometimes known as sleep, this isn't easy.
But it's the last, best hope I see for any of these blogging platforms to have any hope of reviving... Maybe there's another way, but nobody is suggesting anything. And I've been listening!
I am taking all comments I get here under advisement, so the final die has not yet been cast.