Power to the People!

[christinex1001]

For those of you who don't already know, there has been a strike scheduled for Friday, March 21st, 2008, during which we hope to have many members of LiveJournal provide LJ with absolutely no content for twenty-four hours. This means no posting and no commenting. If you post elsewhere and have it set up to be posted through a feed on LiveJournal, don't do it. Stay away from LiveJournal for twenty-four hours. That can't be too hard, can it? I know some of you are probably quite active on LiveJournal and will find it hard to stay away for an entire day, just as I will, but this is something that needs to be done, to show the people running LiveJournal that we're watching the changes they are making, that we're paying attention, that we're discontent, and that we want to be heard and taken in to consideration. We are not simply users who can be tossed to the side and ignored. We are the people who make up LiveJournal. Without us, without the content we create, without our words, our voices, our creativity, our participation, there would be no LiveJournal. This is a fact, and it needs to be realized and understood and then taken in to consideration when making decisions regarding the way that LiveJournal is run. The strike is only a few days away, so there isn't all too much time to prepare. While this is unfortunate, it isn't enough to keep this strike from taking place. It will take place, the second it is meant to, and it would be best to have as many people take part as possible. Please, spread the word. Spread it fast. There are only a few days to organize this. If you find that you care about LiveJournal or care about the people you interact with on LiveJournal or simply want it to remain a place where you can entertain yourself without constant censorship and money-hungry practices being thrown in without the consideration of those who use the service, act now. If you don't wish to spread the word, that is fine, but please: refrain from using LiveJournal on Friday, March 21st. Do something else for a change. It's for a good cause. (:

For background on this strike and why it is being held, please read the following posts:
http://beckyzoole.livejournal.com/394838.html
http://beckyzoole.livejournal.com/395310.html

To find out exactly when the strike begins and ends, depending on where you are located, please see this:
http://beckyzoole.livejournal.com/395125.html

What's this about?

* It's about free and ad-free LiveJournal accounts being abolished for new members, ignoring the advice from the newly-formed Advisory Board.
* It's about LJ staff trying to sneak this decision in under the radar, and when people found out, telling the users it was done "to make the sign-up process less confusing."
* It's about LJ staff failing to apologize for trying to hide the facts from view and for lying about the actual reasons for their actions.
* And finally, it's about the latest decision to hide certain user interests from the list of Most Popular Interests, some of them being fanfiction, bisexuality, sex, and depression. This decision was not announced or explained in any way. Users found out for themselves.

I just got this from evendia. I, too, am getting increasingly disgusted with the behavior of SUP and the way it's treating LJ users. The elimination of Basic accounts doesn't affect me too much, since I'm a paid user, but if SUP wants to continue getting my money, they're going to need to shape up. I'd hate to leave LJ because I've made a lot of friends here, and I sincerely hope it won't come to that, but....

For more about the suppression of selected user interests from the Most Popular Interests stats, you might want to check out this blog entry. Stuff like this makes my teeth hurt.

Solidarnosc!!

Comments

[oqidaun.livejournal.com]

i've been trying to read through the stuff--where exactly do the LJ folk say they're cutting interests? i've a whole crew of friends who are going to be irate, but i need the link to the official spot to rally the troops.

[christinex1001.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure exactly (the problem with bopping around a bunch of different journals), but I think you can find it in the link to the blog I put in the original post. I read all the comments in regard to the InsaneJournal post, and it looks as if LJ has quietly reversed some of the censorship...but people who were keeping track through screen shots, etc. seem to have confirmed that those interests were removed for a space of some days and then mysteriously reappeared after the shit hit the fan.

Just more fun backpedaling by LJ -- they are becoming the kings of sweeping stuff under the rug.

[oqidaun.livejournal.com]

i looked on my interests and couldn't find "fanfiction"

this is weird. i must gather more info, but i'm going to join the strike.

[christinex1001.livejournal.com]

"Fanfiction" is missing off my list of interests, too.

Did they really fucking think no one would notice???

[evendia.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I somehow kept the plural (if that even is the plural...?)- fanfictions actually shows up in my interests.

[christinex1001.livejournal.com]

Technically, fanfiction is a genre, so it's usually not pluralized (you'd say, "I read a lot of science fiction," not "I read a lot of science fictions"). But that's a good way to get around the robot censors, I guess. I was thinking of putting in fan_fiction. I think the underscore screws up their coding or something.

[evendia.livejournal.com]

Thought so. But you'd still say: one fanfiction, two fanfictions, wouldn't you?

[aronwy.livejournal.com]

Am with you guys! :)

[mustafear.livejournal.com]

I am against most of the modern strikes, they tend to hurt more than help all of those involved.

Good thing that this is technically a boycott. :)

I didn't like losing the various acct options, that is for certain! The censorship is just... inane. I don't get what their motivation was... it is almost like they were fishing for trouble with that.