Correspondence
May. 30th, 2007 08:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Dear LJ,
Thanks for the good times, but I’m seriously considering saying goodbye to you. Yes, even with some seven or eight months left on my PAID ACCOUNT.
I have always felt safe here... right up until some no-name, non-government-supported, vigilante group tried to make it even “safer”. I don’t feel that sense of safety and homeliness any more. Now I feel as though I should watch what I say; that I should be looking over my shoulder nervously every time I write a post or a comment. I’ve even removed some of my interests out of paranoia.*
Oh, I added one, too: free speech.
I’m so sorry you felt pressured into doing what you’ve done and I’m sorry you made mistakes in doing that. I’m sorry that an organisation with an essentially admirable aim has potentially alienated some thirteen million people across the globe. I’m sorry that I just made a GJ account in case this all gets out of hand.
Communicate, LJ. Tell us what’s going on. Isn’t that what your
news account is for?
Yours in frustration,
Katie.
EDIT> Want to protest? Here are some suggestions. And if you currently have a Plus account, consider switching back to basic. Perhaps a loss of ad-generated revenue will make LJ and 6A sit up and take notice.
EDITx2> Finally, an explanation from
news... from the head of Six Apart. I guess we know for sure that LJ was not responsible now.
* And who wouldn’t be paranoid when there are rumours abounding that simply listing an interest in certain mangas is enough to get your journal deleted?
Thanks for the good times, but I’m seriously considering saying goodbye to you. Yes, even with some seven or eight months left on my PAID ACCOUNT.
I have always felt safe here... right up until some no-name, non-government-supported, vigilante group tried to make it even “safer”. I don’t feel that sense of safety and homeliness any more. Now I feel as though I should watch what I say; that I should be looking over my shoulder nervously every time I write a post or a comment. I’ve even removed some of my interests out of paranoia.*
Oh, I added one, too: free speech.
I’m so sorry you felt pressured into doing what you’ve done and I’m sorry you made mistakes in doing that. I’m sorry that an organisation with an essentially admirable aim has potentially alienated some thirteen million people across the globe. I’m sorry that I just made a GJ account in case this all gets out of hand.
Communicate, LJ. Tell us what’s going on. Isn’t that what your
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
Yours in frustration,
Katie.
EDIT> Want to protest? Here are some suggestions. And if you currently have a Plus account, consider switching back to basic. Perhaps a loss of ad-generated revenue will make LJ and 6A sit up and take notice.
EDITx2> Finally, an explanation from
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
Click the banner for more info
(please be aware that this issue covers subjects such as child abuse -
don’t click the link if this is likely to upset or affect you)

(please be aware that this issue covers subjects such as child abuse -
don’t click the link if this is likely to upset or affect you)

* And who wouldn’t be paranoid when there are rumours abounding that simply listing an interest in certain mangas is enough to get your journal deleted?
no subject
on 2007-05-30 10:15 am (UTC)What happened? I must admit, I'm a bit behind on the times...
(no subject)
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Posted byno subject
on 2007-05-30 10:22 am (UTC)And yes... I know we are
chattingranting about this right now :PThis just makes me so angry - and I wouldn't touch rapefic, incest or chan with a 10 foot pole - but I'll happily go to war to defend people the right to read and create it.
We'll go to greatest journal if we have to - despite the hideous purple :D
Oh and permanent account? *hollow laugh*
Not a chance, now.
Way to alienate 2/3 of your userbase LJ
(no subject)
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Posted byno subject
on 2007-05-30 11:44 am (UTC)Their intentions are good, they're just appear to be going the wrong way about it. That's probably why I roll my eyes and snort in disgust when I see their name.
Anyway, time to keep catching up.
(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2007-05-30 11:50 am (UTC)Holy... Crap...
What is WRONG with people? Seriously?
(no subject)
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on 2007-05-30 02:44 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Posted byno subject
on 2007-05-30 03:11 pm (UTC)I've been link-clicking for more than an hour, trying to fully understand this entire issue. I've suddenly realised wot a behemoth LJ really is. It's phenomenal!! No wonder it's all hit the fan. Everything's so confused that I can't even tell where the original rumour/problem even started.
Hopefully LJ will pull through alright.
And I've also suddenly discovered the real meaning of fandom, and to be honest, it kind of scares me...
(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2007-05-30 03:25 pm (UTC)I have to say that WFI make me very uneasy. I spent some time reading their blog and I'm not entirely sure that they're dealing with child abuse in a helpful way. They seem to be more about scaremongering than anything else. Whilst I wholeheartedly support action against child abuse, I think it's important to make distinctions between people who are "grooming" and/or carrying out abuse and the people who have written a fanfic story about Harry Potter and Snape having sex.
I can see that LJ might have been influenced by WFI's "everyone is guilty" policy. Reading some of WFI's blog made me feel uneasy about my own interactions with children. One particular post warns against adults who:
"want to lure the child away by offering praise and compliments- “you’re beautiful, you should be in magazines or on television.”"
A few weeks ago I was in a supermarket and told a little girl that she looked very pretty. After reading WFI, I started feeling sleazy reading WFI, when all I'd wanted to do was to be nice to that kid. There's just something off about WFI.
As for the mass deletion of fanfic and fandom in general - I'm appalled. I'm sure there are real life child abusers on LJ, but all this action will have sent them underground. The majority of people who will pay for this are people involved in RP and fandom and that's just wrong. I think it's really sad that LJ has done this, especially when their earlier emails to WFI were straightforward and eloquent about their TOS and policies.
On a purely selfish level, I hope you don't leave. I would miss your posts. I would understand if you decided to though. This whole situation has made me look at LJ in a whole new light.
(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2007-05-30 06:09 pm (UTC)I completely missed this whole thing, probably because I'm not involved in any fandoms right now.
Darth Vader also disapproves of you leaving. I am going to go and do more research on this issue after I eat something so that my brain will be functioning when I do.
(no subject)
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Posted byno subject
on 2007-05-30 09:52 pm (UTC)I don't like that feeling at all.
But I told you last night, you go, I go.
(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2007-05-30 10:16 pm (UTC)If you go, I'll probably go to.
so don't go :(
This whole thing sucks so much. :( :( :(.
(no subject)
Posted byno subject
on 2007-05-30 11:32 pm (UTC)I'm not saying that people shouldn't be up for scrutiny for what they write online - this is a public forum after all - but I do think there needs to be closer examination, communication between both parties, and certainly communication between LJ and their users. As a proud supporter of freedom of speech, this troubles me greatly.
(no subject)
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Posted byno subject
on 2007-05-31 12:55 am (UTC)Yes, I can see the original intended purpose but FFS! Why don't we go down to the library and burn some Enid Blyton books as well?? Who let this mob onto the premises anyway?
Will I get deleted because I have Spike/Lynda in my interests and their relationship is anything but functional??
(no subject)
Posted byCitation as source for fandom linguistics paper?
on 2017-05-30 11:08 pm (UTC)I was wondering if it would be possible at all for me to cite you as a source in my paper for the OTW Journal on cultural and linguistic differences between Tumblr and Dreamwidth? Please let me know if you are willing, and if so, how you would like to be cited (your username or a different name).
Thanks,
Lily