Green Room - Week 11 - Day 4

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

The Iron Lady is dead.

Long Live Zombie Thatcher!

***

This time of year has traditionally been a slow one on LJ. From late March into late August is a pretty dry patch for commenting. Heck, you don’t see many updates from people that aren’t the latest installments in the story of when Dumbledore was a *very* bad Head Master and the Weasley twins had to take him to task.

Given the whole “Death of LJ” saga, this is going to increase the “everyone is leaving the site!” talk. Maybe they are. Or maybe they are *also* doing things at other sites, but coming back to LJ from time to time. Or perhaps, as has been discussed, the social aspect has moved elsewhere, while the journaling aspect continues on without the vocal audience. (more of the journal and less of the “live”.)

So the question becomes – what do you do about it? Do you follow the exodus, in search of an audience? Or do you find the places that *are* active, and try your best to promote the kind of interaction that you *want*? People always say that if you want comments, you need to comment to others – but so many folks don’t want to make the first move. Which, seemingly, leads into the “no one wants me here” feeling where old social phobias come into play in a continuously evolving digital environment. (and believe me, I know that feeling all too well) Social groups change as well – I know that I was the center of a “real life” one, that over the past two years has dissolved into a bunch of much smaller groups, where people interact, but just not as much. It’s not that they aren’t still being social – it’s that their social circles have moved, and that no longer includes some of the people from that formerly big group that used to get together.

We still get together now and then, and it’s nice – but it’s not “the same”. Then again, some of the relationships that I’ve formed from the smaller groups have ended up being *better* than they were. So, it’s less about the size of the group as it is the quality that everyone is putting into it!

***

The new entries are due faster than North Korea can launch a missile attack: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/639904.html - so you’d better hurry to make sure your entries/those of your favorites are in on time!

Comments

[theun4givables.livejournal.com]

I always love the "death of LJ" comments. If it weren't for the fact that the people running the show were changing how LJ looked/felt so drastically, maybe the death wouldn't be happening at all. It's like they completely ignored the fandom side of the userbase -- which is a lot larger than I think anyone would like to admit.

I've thought about moving elsewhere but honestly, I like LJ and I've been on it for so long I don't think I could ever really leave. Not for good, anyway.

[n3m3sis43.livejournal.com]

Damn you!! I wanted to be first with my novel of a comment. And a big fat +1 to your last two sentences. :D

[halfshellvenus.livejournal.com]

If it weren't for the fact that the people running the show were changing how LJ looked/felt so drastically, maybe the death wouldn't be happening at all.

Fucking WORD.

I've lost a couple of friends to Dreamwidth solely because of things like, "I can't reply to comments on my own journal" or "Nobody can READ my journal with Internet Explorer."

It's just frustrating. When you drive away core users for the sake of chasing potential future users that you already know to be fickle-- because you're trying to lure them by making your site look like other sites you think they frequent-- you really ought to have your head examined.

All those people who thought selling LJ to Russia would bring LJ's eventual death? Looks like they weren't completely wrong.

[n3m3sis43.livejournal.com]

I've been on LJ since 2002, and I have a few really awesome friends I met through here back then. On the other hand, my interests were totally different, and I was 25, semi-attractive, and liked to dress slutty. So I also met a lot of dudes who dropped me the second I stopped posting sexy pictures. ;-)

I was here during the days of the secret snark groups, and the huge mom groups, and I was part of a small fandom on here back when LJ was just becoming a big place for fandom. I've met interesting places through all of those venues, and some of them have stuck by me through everything since.

In Idol last year, I met a ton of people. Some I really connected with on a personal level, some I didn't. Same with writerverse, although it's a much smaller group. I've formed a few really close friendships and writing relationships from both of those, and I think they're going to stick.

Throughout all of this, there's always been the constant cries of "LJ's not what it used to be" and "This will be the end of it all". And you know what? It's not the same.

But is it really worse? I'm not sure it is. You get out what you put in.

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

"So I also met a lot of dudes who dropped me the second I stopped posting sexy pictures. ;-)"

I had the same thing happen to me! ;)

[theun4givables.livejournal.com]

It's not worse at all. Just different. Just like how Idol is apparently different now than what it used to be. ;) Things change and rolling with the changes is part of the fun!

Not that I don't bitch like crazy when LJ changes things. But now I like the new flist better, even if I still hate the update page. xD

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

Yes, this is me exactly, only a decade older and without the "liked to dress slutty" aspect, LOL. :)

I've also been on LJ since 2002 - whee!

[kandigurl.livejournal.com]

2001 for me. I had to check because I wasn't even sure, I thought it was 2002. I didn't really post much until '02, though.

I remember getting my LJ kicking and screaming because a friend of mine used hers obsessively and finally convinced me to get one, too, which I did largely because I wanted to comment on her posts. I figured I wouldn't use it much save for commenting.

HA.

I definitely miss what it was back in the day, but I think less than I miss "what it was", I miss the people that were on it. That original friend has since moved on from LJ, my other best friend that I met BECAUSE of LJ (via Harry Potter fandom) rarely posts anymore either, and I go through dry spells where I don't post much of anything (like right now, most of my activity is happening in these green rooms).

I agree with getting out what you put in. I miss the people that I used to camraderize with (IT'S A WORD IF I WANT IT TO BE, FIREFOX), but there are plenty of others still hanging around. I've gotten spoiled by the immediacy of Facebook, and I'm daunted by the fact that getting comments again on entries means building that audience back up.

[oxymoron67.livejournal.com]

Since she'd be undead and all, shouldn't it be "Long UNlive Zombie Thatcher"?

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... interesting point.

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

I've been on LJ since January 2002 - long enough that if I'd birthed my journal, it would be in either 5th or 6th grade by now! Sure, LJ is different than it used to be, and my Flist has changed quite a bit, and my updating (and commenting) is more sporadic than it used to be, but I still LOVE LJ, and don't ever see myself moving anywhere else.

Plus, I've got a permanent account, so I'm paid up for life!

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

I've been on LJ since 2004. A friend of mine had been talking about it for awhile, so I joined.

A couple months later, I was getting a divorce.

Damn you LJ for ruining my marriage! ;)

[kandigurl.livejournal.com]

PERMANENT ACCOUNTS REPRESENT.

[alycewilson.livejournal.com]

I think people simply have their attention drawn by more and more things nowadays. It's difficult to devote as much attention to one platform as people did only five years ago.

Also, in terms of myself and my friends, it's been a factor of life changes. As we've all moved into parenthood and/or more intense career responsibilities and/or more family responsibility (whether caretaking for a parent or assisting with nieces and nephews), there simply is less time to devote for any social media. I think a lot of people find the instant gratification of certain "micro blogging" platforms to be more appealing and easier to handle, given the fact that there are lower expectations.

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

I think both of those are huge factors.

We do have a lot more trying to get our attention and micro blogging suits that lifestyle.

[tatdatcm.livejournal.com]

Just like LJ Idol, I'm fairly new to LJ, having joined in 2007 (I think?) 2008 (I just checked). The evolution doesn't bother me. There's really not a lot I can do about it, so I go with the changes and figure out how to do the old stuff the new way. What bothers me is the constant outages and lack of access, and even that has slowed down quite a bit.

My interests have shifted a bit since then though. I originally joined to read and post Sims2 stories, and while I still play occasionally and constantly read others, it's not my main focus any more. Right now I'm using it more as a journal and an outlet for writing fiction. I expect a lot of that will change as time marches forward too.

It's pretty parallel with real life as well. I have a lot of friends from years ago still, but there are a ton more that I've lost track of because our common interests changed. Of course, with all the social media, I've been able to re-connect with a lot of old friends as well.

The only constant is change - it's what makes nostalgia so awesome. :)

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

I think it's definitely parallel to real life. Most people don't have the same exact friends they did in 2004 (to use my number of when I joined) but for some reason they expect everything online to stay exactly the same!

Is LJ what it was "in the heyday"? No. There are a lot more technical problems... but I remember back in Season 1 (maybe season 2, but it was early on), there being a topic called "How I spent my LJ vacation" because the servers went down for *several days*.

[kandigurl.livejournal.com]

I comment on everything because that's what LJ trained me to do. I have yet to find another social media site that handles comments as well as LJ, either.

I comment so much on Facebook I end up having conversations with people via comments instead of chat (much like LJ).

I comment so much on YouTube that it tries to check and make sure I'm not a robot.

So I guess in that way, I'm fostering the change I want to see in the Internet.

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure you *are* a robot!

[sra33.livejournal.com]

I've been a member since 2003 which was when you still needed and invite code to get in, so I'm pretty darn proud of that. I also have a permanent account, so everything I do now is completely free, as it's paid itself off sometime last year.

I will never ever leave. But I also haven't been around NEARLY as much as I used to be.

I don't think LJ is dead. Or dying. I just think we need to make new friends, and find new places to hang out. Just like the world, people move in and out of your life, and some will up and leave your life completely. You just gotta adapt.

I didn't comment on the last post (didn't think I had too much to contribute as my fiction is received as well as my non-fiction, my birthday is always before idol starts, and I'm one of the biggest offenders of pimping) but thanks for the shout out!!! ♥ I, too, can confirm the actual human existence of clauderainsrm! It was like meeting an unexpected celebrity! :D

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

The handler seemed surprised! :)

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

All this nostagia talk got me thinking about how many people have come through these days, and made their mark (sometimes literally, there are some stains on the carpet that we just can't seem to get out!)

Are are some people that in their season(s) were just HUGE figures, to the point that people "couldn't imagine Idol without them". Then, they left. And Idol kept going.

Some of them I miss, and others, well, it's probably a good thing that they didn't end up coming back. ;) But if they did ever show up at the door again, I'd welcome them. Because just because you were in a disagreeable place in one season doesn't mean you are going to be in the same exact one in the following!

[ashgaelsonaria.livejournal.com]

I find oxyclean works great on all sorts of stains.
Particularly those bother some ones that the csi people like to test for.

[halfshellvenus.livejournal.com]

I've lost a few friends to Dreamwidth, thanks to LJ glitches, and while I crosspost everything over there hardly ANYONE ever comments. That removes any incentive for me to permanently flounce off to Dreamwidth.

I hate Facebook, I find Twitter too terse (big surprise) and prone to spamming such as "I walked!" or "Comment #47 while livewatching Show Awesome!"

I very much like the more thoughtful aspect of LJ, and all of the many communities I'm still part of-- fandom and otherwise.

Plus, I got a great new infusion of friends as a result of the last Idol round. Quality friends! That was nice. :)

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

Oh, I can't even tell you the last time I posted anything to DW. It's like shouting into a canyon and only hearing your own echo. A couple of people I know who moved over there insist that active communities exist there, but dang if I can find any of them :/

[ashgaelsonaria.livejournal.com]

I do my journaling here and occasionally I check into fb. I am not so big on fb with the game stuff and lots of shared stuff. It is hard to spot the regular update stuff.
Oh and I posted a story today.

Late Commenter League: I like cheese

[beldar.livejournal.com]

I'm paid through early next year, and plan on taking part in LJI Season Nine, so I'm on here for a while yet.

This place has its good qualities, and its own style that can't be matched by FB or Twitter, and they have their good points as well, so I keep accounts on all three. For instance, note that I no longer do memes on LJ -- that kind of silliness flows better on Facebook. But longer writing is easier here; I sense that "notes" on FB are more often ignored as Teal Deers.

[comedychick.livejournal.com]

I feel like this GR is based on one of the comments I left yesterday. :P

I used to comment more to encourage people to comment back, but when that didn't seem to work, I gave up for the most part and just comment on people I'm closest to who seem to still enjoy exchanging comments with me on both our journals.

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Maybe. :)

If so, I think that negates the idea that no one cares if you're around. :) (or whatever it was you said, I'm too tired to do anything more than paraphrase! :D)