From: puppetmaker40	Date: March 19th, 2008 09:12 pm (UTC)		(Link)

It has to do with some words that got dropped out of the top searches on LJ stats and the selling (again) of LJ. There is going to be a "blackout" friday for those who want to express their displeasure with the PTB.

	From: davensjournal	Date: March 19th, 2008 09:30 pm (UTC)		(Link)

There's also the fact that the Russian CEO of LJ and SUP called us names and said that customer opinion and desires had nothing to do with their business.

English translation: In this situation, where they attempt to blackmail and to intimidate us, threatening to destroy our business, there is a business-reason not to reward this behavior. This is not the simple reaction of being more resistant the more pressure is applied. The fact is that through history no successful enterprise runs by being subjugated by unfriendly forces. No change, even the most correct one, will not experience some resistance.

It would probably be best to reconsider the recent changes. But from our point of view it is now necessary to wait until after the boycott has faded. Let it pass and have the voices of protest fade. Then we can consider changing this policy.

From an interview http://www.izbrannoe.info/30184.html in Russian unfortunately.

	From: wandereringray	Date: March 19th, 2008 09:42 pm (UTC)		(Link)

*laughs at your cartoon on top*

Lot of fuss over nothing as far as I can tell. (which will probably make some people freak on me *shrugs* I'll save you the trouble folks - I don't care, it's the internet.)

I'm not going anywhere.

	From: waterlilly	Date: March 19th, 2008 09:51 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Change in business model. Brand new users can no longer create Basic accounts, so any new accounts (including new accounts by existing users) will either be paid or have ads on them. This would have been seen by the majority of the users as a business decision that sadly needed to happen if the company had announced it before doing it.

In the ensuing wank, other problems have come to light, including certain "popular" interests being censored off the popular interests page, which feeds back into the wank from last year.

It doesn't help that our new Russian overlords apparently had nothing good to say about the user base here and made their comments in Russian but not in English. (I believe one of the other commenters linked to it.)

In essence, it wasn't what they've done, but once again it's the sneaking and faux apologies afterward. (Cf. Strikethru debacle from last year.) They apparently go out of their way to create user backlash and wank, and then they're peeved at all the wank they create. It's a stupid way to run a business.

My only real concern is that if they decide they get more revenue from ads than paid users, then they'll make changes here that I don't want to deal with. Until then, though, I'm not going anywhere. I'm not happy with how they're acting, but I'm not leaving.

	From: wandereringray	Date: March 19th, 2008 09:58 pm (UTC)		(Link)

They apparently go out of their way to create user backlash and wank, and then they're peeved at all the wank they create. It's a stupid way to run a business.

*laughs* You mean forgetting that your user base is like a bunch of 12 year old girls at a slumber party (where two of the girls are fighting with each other over matching jammies)?

Eh, that's Russians for you. :D Unfortunately the link above doesn't work, I've love to see a text of the original Russian comments.

	From: davensjournal	Date: March 19th, 2008 10:35 pm (UTC)		(Link)

That's strange, the link works for me. Maybe Russian sites are being filtered by your firewall? I can post the whole thing, but it would clog up Seshen's post comments.

	From: wandereringray	Date: March 19th, 2008 10:51 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Nope not being filtered. *shrugs*

Strangely enough it works now. Must have just been a glitch.

	From: phoenix_blue	Date: March 19th, 2008 10:58 pm (UTC)		(Link)

They apparently go out of their way to create user backlash and wank, and then they're peeved at all the wank they create. It's a stupid way to run a business.

Umm, they're not creating the wanking. The users are.

The users have two choices: stick around or don't. The rest is melodrama.

	From: psalm91	Date: March 20th, 2008 02:22 am (UTC)		(Link)

mostly people just dont have time for it any more. Like me.
Its a big popularity contest and really to some I think feels like a waist of time. I also think some people grow out of it. Im not saying that its an age thing but sometimes maybe they just get bored.
I just dont have the time.