Strike Day: Part 2 - The second public post

[ayoub]

Do you know what pisses me off about this strike?

It's how everyone is talking about the rights of free users.

I call BULLSHIT!

Yeah, I said it.

People will still be able to have free accounts, just with advertising. If you go to myspace, facebook, greatestjournal, or any other site, YOU WILL GET ADVERTISING.

Yes, there are issues regarding how the information was communicated, but people are also seeming to forget that the change is NOT retroactive.

I wasn't going to post a QotD, but here's one...

Why should livejournal end up raising the costs for paying members just so free people get a page without ads?

---

Can you tell I'm annoyed?

Comments

[alainn-mactire.livejournal.com]

Breathe hon ;o)

*hugs*

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

:D

[bluesauce.livejournal.com]

Because some people love to whinge and will take any opportunity to do so, and don't you know this is real activism?! /sarcasm

Gods people, there are BETTER THINGS TO GET UPSET OVER. Seriously. There's a "religion" engaging in criminal activities right now, people starving on the streets, a regime running the USA that doesn't listen to the people, and this is the battle you all choose? WTFuck. If you don't like Livejournal's policies, delete your account and go to one of the other free weblogs, like Wordpress, Blogspot, Insanejournal, or any of 1000 others. Or better yet grab Textpattern or Wordpress, pay for your own domain and webhosting, and do your own thing.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Well said!

[cmerun12.livejournal.com]

You know what?
I don't give a flying f*ck about the damn "strike". It's timing is perfect, as far as I'm concerned.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Yeah...

*love*

[bronxelf-ag001.livejournal.com]

If you get an actual answer to this that doesn't sound like an extended whine, let me know, but I doubt you'll get one.

I mentioned in a friend's lj yesterday that what this seems to come down to is the fallacy that quantity, by virtue of itself, creates greater quality.

The logic, if you can call it that, is that there are far more free users than paid, so most of the content is created by those users. They believe that content is like coin- a fair trade for the very thing that keeps LJ functioning, and by removing the ad-free basic service, they are not being traded with fairly for their "coin" (that being their content.)

The flaws in this logic are large enough to drive a train through, but let's go with the most obvious ones-

On it's face, it would seem that there might be something to this, strictly based on odds. It's sort of like shooting darts in the dark- if you shoot 500 darts, it is more likely that 3 will hit the target than if you only shoot 5. However this makes the utterly ridiculous assumption that all content is inherently created equal, and further, (and here's where it *really* goes off the rails) that the people posting the best content *are also basic account holders*. Though "good" is clearly a subjective call in terms of content, those who have a very serious investment in their content and continue to regularly produce it (as opposed to the vast majority of LJ users, who are *not* using LJ as a blog the way we do at wordpress or blogger) are *not* using basic accounts, but are heavily skewed in favor of paid or permanent accounts.

They also are under the delusion that their "content" by virtue of their simply being more of it, makes them inherently more valuable because of the viral nature of the net. This MIGHT have been true ten years ago. It is absolutely not true now, and probably hasn't been true since LJ did away with invite codes (I needed an invite code to get my lj too.)

They believe that they are *owed* the basic/ad free account because they've been supporting LJ with their very presence and content all these years. Well the complete arrogance of that aside, I would remind them that currency fluctuates. The volume of content/presence by basic users is no longer *WORTH* what it once was, just like the dollar is worth less against the pound today than it was yesterday (I assume-I haven't checked this morning.) I look at it more like a pay as you go thing- you paid with content, and you got ad-free basic. The irony is these same people *STILL* have ad-free basic (though I wouldn't blame SUP for one moment if they removed that too after all this)- They just can't get another account at that level.

The reason why *THIS* outcry has become so divisive is because for the first time it is pitting one section of the userbase against another, and the one doing the complaining is arguing from a position of more people=more important vs. the people who are paying for the service=the ones who are allowing all those other people to basically be here in the first place. The arrogance of the position that their *free* content is *inherently more valuable* because there is more of it is pissing off a whole lot of people who at this point, would be perfectly happy if the folks who were so up in arms deleted their accounts permanently.

Of course they won't, because as you have noted, there's *no other* service that is similar to the LJ opensource model that is offering the free/no ads thing either.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Very well said!

[dazzedelf.livejournal.com]

Interesting fun fact. I love sushi, but I hate cooked fish. I never thought i would like sushi because I never found a fish meal that I enjoyed and then one day a friend of mine offered to introduce me to sushi, his treat. Ever since then I've been a sushi fan. Sushi is so good. Whenever there is a content strike, remember; Sushi is good.

[cybersweetie.livejournal.com]

I read this and now I wanna go eat sushi!!


Sushi is very good!

[ornjkitty.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear! Hooray for sushi! Bryan now works part-time at a sushi restaurant as a dishwasher. 20% employee discount, woooooooo!

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Mmmmmm Sushi! I need to visit for more unagi :D

[avis-noctis.livejournal.com]

Ahahaha. Rights of free users. Please. There are no LJ "rights". It's a business. The owners of the business are going to whatever they want to do with THEIR business. LJ itself it a privilege. Calling anything related to LJ a "right" is laughable.

While I can understand how people might be miffed (I wouldn't personally want adds or anything), the whole strike idea strikes me (ha) as pointless. It's not going to do anything. It's impractical. It's stupid. The only thing that even comes close to bothering me is the censoring thing. And guess what...striking isn't going to do anything about THAT either.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

:D

The censoring thing hasn't affected me, but censorship is not a good thing. If the strike was purely about that, I'd have joined in.

[fox-bard.livejournal.com]

I'm sure the IT division of LJ is quite happy that the servers are running at low capacity today. It's like Spring Break! LOL!

Be that as it may, I have to agree with you completely good sir. Don't want ads? Pony up or deal with it. Please don't blame the 'Russian Overlords'. They're being good capitalists/imperialists in this instance.

Then again, what other blogging service has the greatest amount of whiners? LJ! We are a cut above the rest, and we are not afraid to join in ridiculous protests to fight for our 'rights' above and beyond the call of good business practices. ^__~

That being said, we can also rally like hell around real issues... like the great Strike Out. I guess it's all in where we choose our battles.

But I still agree with you on this one.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

:D

Pony up or deal with it definitely sums it up.

[chiropteraclan.livejournal.com]

I'm with you. I started in 2002 with a free journal, but I realized that having a slow-loading friends page really sucked. I upgraded to a paid account as soon as I could. I've had paid since then. I figured you got what you paid for. If you don't want to pay, then you don't get a lot.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

I don't think I've ever had a free journal... It's always been paid, then perm...

[robvansam.livejournal.com]

Amen my brother. I have a "Plus" account with the ads and it doesn't bother me at all.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Amen! :D

[donnickcottage.livejournal.com]

Because the users are wanna be socialists, and that's how it works. I pay for someone else who just can't bother. See? Isn't that easy?

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

That's the part they don't want to see! They think they have a right to a share of our contributions.

[uawildcatgrl.livejournal.com]

Is that a serious question...cause my answer is...I can't see a reason.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

To some people it may be a serious question... For me, it's a no-brainer.

I love that icon!

[melissa-maples.livejournal.com]

Word. That's the main reason I managed to drag myself out of my sick bed today to make at least one post... I didn't want people to think that the reason I wasn't posting was because I sympathised with the slacktivist tantrum going on out there.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

:D

Well, get back to bed and get healthy!

*hugs*

[photodiva02.livejournal.com]

It's sad that people want something for nothing. Sad.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Yup... But some people will always want something for nothing...

[ornjkitty.livejournal.com]

As a general rule, you don't get something for nothing. As a general rule, you usually have to work pretty damn hard for the things you DO get. In LJs case, you DO still get a free ride, so what's the gripe? I think the only people really losing out here are the ADVERTISERS, because if you're too cheap to pony up the money for a paid account, you're probably some wino off the street who can't afford to buy their products anyhow. But that's just me, and I admit that I've been on an unusually bitchy streak lately.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

:D

Well said :D

[mjtheanarchist.livejournal.com]

I concur.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

:D

[nowsheshines.livejournal.com]

Nothing in life is free. People have to get that finaly.

I think I want to get my account permanent.. maybe for my birthday. ;)

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

I hope you can! :D

WTF?

[stalkings.livejournal.com]

Are you serious? I mean- I have been a free customer since late 2003. But I've always opted to have those stupid ads on my page b/c I figured it would help out the people that actually PAY for the service- ya know. Plus, you get a few little extra perks for having that annoying little ad at the top of your page.

BUT- I don't think that's fair. I mean personally- it doesn't matter to me whether my page has an ad or not. I just come to LJ to vent or share my kooky stories (mainly with myself) since only you and moonlight are the only readers I have EVER had. LOL I don't see what the big damned deal is. Nothing is for free. If you don't want the fucking ads-- FUCKING PAY THE DAMNED MONEY LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE TO GET THE AD OF YOUR PAGE.

That's how I feel. And I'm a FREE Account user.

My name is Stephanie Hancock and I approve this message! hehehehehe

Re: WTF?

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

Woo Hoo! :D

[lipzofs0rr0w.livejournal.com]

personally i think this whole strike things is stupid. People can go on strike about ADS ON A FREE JOURNAL, but they cant go on strike about a war that has RUINED US AS A NATION FINANCIALLY AND EMOTIONALLY AND EVENTUALLY PHYSICALLY?

Also i heard that LJ was also taking certain interest ( such as bisexuality and depression) out of people's profiles and *hiding* them.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

The hiding of interests is not good, definitely. But a strike isn't the answer. Louder protests are.