Those Damn Buttons

[poliphilo]

Numbers of my friends seem to be abandoning LJ- upping sticks and moving elsewhere. For many it seems those damn buttons that link us to Facebook and Twitter were the final straw. Silly old LJ, for doing that!  I mean, did they consult with anyone beforehand? Me, I've always been careful never to put anything here that I wouldn't be happy to see published with my name attached, so you can link me to Facebook as much as you like, and I won't care. Not that any of you would.

I'm sad about what's happening, but I've got a lot invested here, I like the company- what's left of it- and I'm not moving.

Comments

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

My experience of these episodes is that people rarely follow up on their dramatic claims to jump ship. Most of us know that most of our friends wouldn't want or be able to follow us - and that's what we're really here for. If people from your f-list really have been moving away this time, I'm sorry to hear that. But I wouldn't worry too much if they are just talking about it.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Several have said they'll be moving their main operation to Dreamwidth. I've been over and taken a look and it's a cheap, nasty-looking site.

but, yes, you're right, we've had scares like this before.

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

There's something about Dreamwidth that I don't really like either. I feel it's a bit amateurish and while there's not necessarily anything wrong with that, it means you are relaying on the enthusiasm of the founders to keep it going. In fact I'm very suspicious of anyone who says they're "passionate" about anything. Passion can so easily fade away.

Also Dreamwidth is supposed to be so wonderful because it doesn't have anything to do with big nasty commercial companies like Facebook, but honestly, if everyone did shift over and they needed to buy new servers, how are they going to pay for it?

Anyway, I'm not going anywhere and if everyone does desert LJ, I'm more likely to start a blog on Wordpress and keep in touch with friends via that and other means such as email, Facebook and Twitter. I won't be moving to Dreamwidth.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I don't think LJ is going down any time soon. It may be faltering in the West, but I understand it's huge in Russia.

If Dreamwidth gets big it will almost certainly make compromises and mistakes. And if it doesn't get big it will almost certainly collapse, as so many other LJ clones have done.

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

I would be very surprised, if LJ fails. The people who say they and their friends leaving will send the service into a freefall towards oblivion are either naive or they have made themselves out to be legends in their own minds. LJ is far bigger than us and our friends/connections.

LJ will more than survive people like me leaving the service; it will thrive. The investors will make sure of it, or they will sell it to another investor who will find a way to make it so. Whether those of us who leave would want to be a part of what LJ is becoming in the process of continuing to thrive is another story.