To No-one In Particular Who Is Quitting LJ For DW

[poliphilo]

You do know why LJ is acting up, don't you? It's not because the goat's got it in for you. Really it's not. It's because LJ acts as a forum for political dissent in Russia and the bad guys are attacking it.

So it's not your fight. That's true. Or is it? "A quarrel in a far away place between people of whom we know nothing" Where have I heard that phrase before? Who said it?

Actually, I'm joshing you. I know perfectly well who said it and in what context. Someone who went on to become one of history's great jokes. If you don't know who it was, look it up. That's what your computer's for.

To educate yourself about the world. To make connections. 

I'm not saying the Russian dissidents need you to stand shoulder to shoulder with them but mightn't you feel a little better about yourself if you did?

And while they don't exactly need you (but would be grateful for your company) it could be you need them. They're fighting to defend the liberties you so very cavalierly take for granted. You reckon those liberties are safe in the country where you happen to hang your hat? In the USA? in Britain? I wouldn't be too sure. No government- no matter how supposedly liberal or libertarian-  ever did more than tolerate free speech. 

The enemies are free speech are everywhere.  And you're giving them encouragement. They'll be noticing the way you're behaving here and thinking how very, very soft you are.

Ripe for the taking.

I'm choosing my words very, very carefully- I don't want to cause unnecessary offence- but you may have gathered I'm actually more than a little disappointed in you. 

Because, sheesh, no-one's asking you to man the barricades or risk a term in the gulag or anything like that, just hoping you'll stick around in friendly solidarity and put up with there being days when you'll find it difficult to post. 

But, forgive me, I'm forgetting just how important your blogging is. God forbid the world should be denied regular briefings about your ever so important life. And your cat. Or was it a dog?  Damn, I've already forgotten 

I'll miss you..... 

Now fuck off. 

Comments

[kishenehn.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thank you too. I've been touched and inspired by your resolution on this issue.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

It's "far-away country," apparently. Funny thing is, Chamberlain is in many ways very convincing in that piece. For those old enough to remember the Great War at the time, for mothers and wives who had lost men in the trenches, one could see his point. In great part, it is the clarity of hindsight, in light of subsequent events, that show how wrong he was.

But as for LJ, I'm still here, whenever I can be.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

In fact, I'm thinking I may get a paid membership this year.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I agree. If I'd been around at the time I might well have cheered Mr Chamberlain and his measly piece of paper- and I'd have been wrong.

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

LOL. I've created a Dreamwidth account as a backup, but I will keep posting here for exactly the reasons you say. If LJ keels over and dies completely I'll go to DW, but for now I'm going to stick around.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I don't think LJ will go under. The Russians will fight to keep it going. LJ has proved several times now that it has the resources to see off these attacks. DW is a much flimsier craft. If it were ever to draw anybody's anger I would expect it to go under at the first broadside.

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

I too suspect DW of being a much more fragile company than LJ, despite the recent problems. Admittedly, I do have an account there by way of a backup and also to follow a few people that I still like to read but who left LJ. But LJ is definitely my home and if/when it eventually goes under, I'm as likely to move elsewhere for my online friendships as to turn to DW as a permanent solution.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

LJ is a big international company. There have been a lot of copy-cat sites but must of them have gone under. I don't believe DW has the resources to fight the kind of battles LJ has had to fight.

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

If DW stays small, it will escape the notice of the spammers and not be seen as a good platform for the political blogs, so will most likely avoid the DoS attacks. However, that leaves it open to other problems such as illness and change in life circumstances of the small team that run it. I seem to recall that the chap who started LJ just got fed up and wanted to do something else and thus sold it to a big company. Also, if DW stays small, it won't attract new blood and will gradually dwindle away. It's going to be quite a juggling act to maintain it at the optimum size.

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

Well I might be on your shit list so, as I did set up a dreamwidth account and link to it. But I am a great believer in "trust in God but tie up your camel".

The comments people are making to LJ on their facebook page are beyond ridiculous, though. I want to tell them, that problem you have, right there? Is decidedly north of the Equator and west of the Bosphorus.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

This isn't personal. Besides you've proved in other contexts that you're a brave person.

I don't think it's wrong to have an escape route planned- though I choose not to have one myself. My personal view is that LJ is pretty tough and will outlive all its imitators.

[socmot.livejournal.com]

+1

[mokie]

I don't think it's political this time.

LJ is reporting that they're being hit hard by spammers; InsaneJournal, one of the last remaining LJ clones, has been under the hammer for two months and had to reinstate invite codes just to stay up and functional.

I'm not leaving LJ, or blaming LJ for what is essentially an invading barbarian horde carrying leaflets. If anything, it's reassuring--spammers can be blocked, governments are a trickier issue.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Spammers is it? Well, they're as evil as any government.

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

LJ has been attacked for the reasons you describe in the past and is likely to be again for those reasons in the future. If this time it's commercial spammers doing the dirty work, it doesn't matter. I agree with all you say here, Tony and bravo!
People's anger and impatience when they can't have immediate gratification just floors me some days.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

We've become so spoiled in the West. So entitled. the least little inconvenience and we throw a wobbler.

[amritarosa.livejournal.com]

I'm sticking around for two reasons-

1) what you already said more eloquently than I

and

2) I'm stubborn enough to not want to go skittering off to a new blog because this one works just fine. If I did that every time some minor annoyance cropped up, I'd be bouncing around like a rubber ball from place to place. And that's just too many complications for my communications. And too tiring besides. I get weary just thinking about it.

So virtue and laziness :) Besides, I like all the folks that are still here. I'd miss 'em.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

There's a lot to be said for laziness. I guess another word for it might be "rootedness".

Here I am and here I'll stay- come hell or high water.

[chochiyo-sama.livejournal.com]

My cats and I are staying.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Bravo!

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

Well said. I have a DW account and periodically back up my LJ to DW just in case, but LJ is where I post.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

No harm in having a fall back position.

But, it's my opinion that LJ is a much tougher and more seaworthy vessel than DW. I think it'll outlast all its imitators.

[dadi.livejournal.com]

I´ve had a paid account for nearly 10 years no, and am not gonna quit. I do have a dreamwidth account, where I backup the LJ entries from time to time, but it is just that.. a backup account. Never wrote an original entry there, ever.

That said, I really should go back to actually WRITING here more often, not just read friends´entries...

I do have quite a few of the main Russians on my list too, and it makes for a fascinating read for sure.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'm friends with a number of the Russian photographers. They're doing some amazing work.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

It's not just about the DDos attacks though

As I've tried to explain, their constant unecessary tinkering has led to acres of bright white space which I can't cope with due to eye issues- I'm hyperphotosensitive/photophobic. This reply page is a case in point.

The owners simply don't listen to feedback and plainly don't care all that much.

I'll keep trying to post here and reply here, but I've had little real useability since Christmas and am managing to stay on only by jury rigging a basic account which is far from perfect.

It's DW which is actually allowing me to get posts on to LJ at all.

I know all too well what's going down in Vlad the Impaler's Russia- we have a number of oppositional friends there- I've personally taken the blows at Greenham and at the pithead with the WSG's in the eighties so believe me, I know!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I get annoyed by the tinkering too.

And I salute you for hanging on in here in spite of everything.

I wasn't at Greenham (for obvious reasons) but I did march at one of the other bases (Molesworth I think it was) :)

[mokie]

Some users have turned to the Greasemonkey and Stylish add-ons to make LJ usable for them despite the changes. I'm hoping they'll soon share their tweaks, or that LJ will make the friends page customizable (as promised) before it becomes mandatory.

Re: Fucking County Westmeath.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but the British government (which I believe I have an honourable record of loathing) isn't attacking LJ right now.

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Three days down time to fight the hackers I can cope with. No problem at all. A week? Fine. I am very sympathetic.

What bugs me is that I find the site so bloomin' UNWIELDY the rest of the time! Okay, so I probably need to upgrade my computer to cope with the super-duper uber-adverts, but I can't afford it, and life's too short to spend three hours TRYING (and failing, half the time) to wade through my F-list and comment when appropriate). That's my main issue with LJ.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I have a permanent account- which means I'm spared the adverts.

I've got a fairly large F-list. I'm afraid (don't spread it around) that I skim most of it.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

I can understand why that becomes necessary! I'm actually finding it easier having two accounts. I can read my friends' accounts on DW very quickly and easily, and comment as appropriate without fuss, which means I can skim through their stuff on LJ and concentrate on those who don't cross-post.

LJ still wins the battle hands-down when it comes to the easy uploading of photos... I think this will mean that my text based posts with be generated on DW, with image heavy posts generated on LJ. Sounds perverse, but horses for courses. And LJ is still a very co-operative and dependable steed when it comes to certain aspects of blogging!!

[faunhaert.livejournal.com]

I love Live journal when it works.
my friends list is important to me
but sporadic as my entries are
I do not intend to give up my Journal
its my therapy and network.
I starting paying to help support them
long before the sale.

I still like having a mirror site.
as with most computer things having a back up
is the best way to go.

I also do not enjoy the "new improved" LJ pages
I prefer a non white back ground
and the tinkering to the scrap book
has removed all the hours I spent arranging pictures
and I can't undo their damage.

think specific servers have gotten more damage
than others I'm lucky my entry
is not thru a United kingdom gateway.
the new years entry was never posted
and i did have problems with writing folks new years.

but i'm sticking around
just in duplicate

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I agree that the "improvements" are a bore. I guess they have to keep their staff busy.

I don't know which servers were hit worst. I found LJ difficult to work with earlier this week but I managed to keep on posting.