Up She Blows!
May. 30th, 2007 10:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rejectomorphWhat are the odds that when I go to Journalfen (a site dedicated mostly to fandoms and based on open source LJ code) and hit their "random journal" link, the very first thing that pops up is is a post about Journalfen being slow and that it's probably because of all the people from LJ who are moving to Journalfen?
Right now, I'd say the odds are pretty good. Periodically, LJ must shoot itself in the foot. This time, though, I think it just may have shot itself in the balls—or, more accurately, 6A may have shot LJ in the balls. What I know for sure is that the number of journals updating on most days has declined more than 20% since 6A took over (I remember the daily update hovering in the 250,000 range on peak weekdays then—it's down to less than 200,000 now) despite a tremendous increase in the total number of journals created.
So, the site is already in trouble, and now we have the operators caving in to the demands of a fanatic group disguising itself as "protectors of the children" and, in response to the subsequent storm of protest from LJ's users (source of all the content on the site) says through CEO (and pseudo-user) Barak Berkowitz:
If somebody nabs the source code (most LJ's recently-written closed code is mostly just bells and whistles, so the available open source stuff should allow for a decent clone site of LJ as it was pre-6A) and sets up a journaling site run by a co-operative, non-profit organization, I'll sure as hell move my stuff there and kick this dump to the curb. I'll even get a paid account.
Oh, and while all this is going on, where's that guy who used to be so important around here? Oh, he's on vacation. Don't come back, dude. There'll probably soon be nothing to come back to, anyway.
LiveJournal
1999—2007
Edit: If you'd like to read step-mom Mena Trott's icky post about how happy she is to be resigning as CEO in favor of VC rep Barak, it's right here. If you want to see the rogues gallery of current 6A management, this is it. Incidentally (or not), Opera warns me that 6A's certificate cannot be validated. In other words, open the pages of this fly-by-night company's website at your own risk.
Right now, I'd say the odds are pretty good. Periodically, LJ must shoot itself in the foot. This time, though, I think it just may have shot itself in the balls—or, more accurately, 6A may have shot LJ in the balls. What I know for sure is that the number of journals updating on most days has declined more than 20% since 6A took over (I remember the daily update hovering in the 250,000 range on peak weekdays then—it's down to less than 200,000 now) despite a tremendous increase in the total number of journals created.
So, the site is already in trouble, and now we have the operators caving in to the demands of a fanatic group disguising itself as "protectors of the children" and, in response to the subsequent storm of protest from LJ's users (source of all the content on the site) says through CEO (and pseudo-user) Barak Berkowitz:
"Our decision here was not based on pure legal issues. It was based on what community we want to build and what we think is appropriate within that community and what's not."So, it's not your father's LiveJournal. It's not your LiveJournal. It's the LiveJournal of Barak Berkowitz and the priggish, overbearing mouse in his pocket. Let the bleed-out continue. Who wants to bet on there being fewer than 100,000 posts a day before the end of the summer?
If somebody nabs the source code (most LJ's recently-written closed code is mostly just bells and whistles, so the available open source stuff should allow for a decent clone site of LJ as it was pre-6A) and sets up a journaling site run by a co-operative, non-profit organization, I'll sure as hell move my stuff there and kick this dump to the curb. I'll even get a paid account.
Oh, and while all this is going on, where's that guy who used to be so important around here? Oh, he's on vacation. Don't come back, dude. There'll probably soon be nothing to come back to, anyway.
1999—2007
Edit: If you'd like to read step-mom Mena Trott's icky post about how happy she is to be resigning as CEO in favor of VC rep Barak, it's right here. If you want to see the rogues gallery of current 6A management, this is it. Incidentally (or not), Opera warns me that 6A's certificate cannot be validated. In other words, open the pages of this fly-by-night company's website at your own risk.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-05-31 07:59 am (UTC)some people get so attached to their journals
either they'd be living a future life
or continue with the addiction
so
so what
no subject
Date: 2007-05-31 09:28 pm (UTC)What I find fascinating is 6A management's apparent belief that they are going to make a commercial success of this place by periodically alienating another chunk of the user base. Despite their reputed g33k skillz, they don't show much evidence of knowing how the virtual world of the Internet works. As many times as they get slapped down by user backlash, they just keep doing dumb stuff.
Poor Barak Berkowitz proclaims himself The Decider, making statements about "...what community we want to build...." when the actual LJ community (made up of goatloads of overlapping sub-communities) is built entirely by the users. He had no idea how limited his power really is. Even though he belatedly semi-realized his mistake this time (his first experience with an outraged LJ mob, I think), I suspect that his underlying presumptuous attitude doesn't bode well for LJ's or the company's future during his time here. And given the company's track record, I doubt that his successors (it looks as though the offices are fitted with revolving doors) will be any less prone to dopey moves. Sooner or later one of them is bound to make the terminal mistake and the whole enterprise will go belly-up.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-31 08:15 am (UTC)We need to make sure that any exodus is enmass.
My hundred bucks for a permanent account doesn't seem like quite such a deal any more...
no subject
Date: 2007-05-31 09:46 pm (UTC)But given the ham-fisted, half-brain-dead approach the zombies in charge of 6A keep taking to things, it seems inevitable that sooner or later they'll screw up so badly that they'll leave themselves with no option but to shut the original LJ dog and pony show down. That'll be a major ass-pain for anybody who hasn't yet fled. I wouldn't venture to guess how long it's apt to be until the likely fatal day, but every event that leads to more shrinkage of the user base probably brings it closer.
When the swallows come back to capistrano...
Date: 2007-05-31 10:02 pm (UTC)As for D-day? I think this dog and pony show has more life left in it yet. But I've been fooled before. Over and over.
Just let me know where you migrate to when and where you do.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-31 02:12 pm (UTC)Or an orange cat.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-31 09:59 pm (UTC)I'm staying.
Date: 2007-05-31 04:01 pm (UTC)Re: I'm staying.
Date: 2007-05-31 09:57 pm (UTC)Re: I'm staying.
Date: 2007-06-03 02:00 pm (UTC)Благодарю за блог
Date: 2011-06-06 12:46 am (UTC)Спасибо за инфу
Date: 2011-07-02 07:14 am (UTC)