This could be bad

[mdlbear]

This announcement about "sponsored content" on LJ is just one more instance of LJ's downhill slide into corporate greed since it was sold out to Six Apart.

I have a paid-up permanent membership that I bought back when there were no ads on LJ; the reason I bought it was to have more features. I'm the beneficiary of a free community, mdlbear_albums, that my daughter started for me to discuss my CDs-in-progress. It doesn't have ads on it, and I like it that way. The header line of my LJ links to my website, where my commercial activities (such as they are) are carried out. So does my profile. My profile doesn't have any advertising in it, unless you consider an undecorated text link to be advertising. I don't. When I have CDs to sell I'll undoubtedly make a few links to the corresponding pages where they're offered for sale.

So far, "sponsored content" is just a potential annoyance: I don't have to look at any sponsored communities if I don't want to. I don't really have a problem with businesses buying paid memberships for their communities. Hell, I might even buy one myself when my album comes out. But not if it's more expensive than an ordinary paid membership.

But here's where I'm going to pack my bags and leave: if LJ starts demanding that I pay extra to link to my own damned products -- not banner ads, which would be against the terms of service that I'm ok with, just links. If LJ starts taking down fan communities because they conflict with some sponsor's message. If LJ starts putting somebody else's ads on my profile page, my LJ, or my friends page. If corporate marketing droids start trolling through interests and putting spam in my comments pages to promote their sleazy sponsored communities. And most importantly, if LJ stops being a community and starts being a pipeline for corporate crap.

This post by theclamsman proposes a protest on November 5^th that seems appropriate, and points off to GreatestJournal as an alternative (which it may be; I don't know).

Personally, I like the community aspect of LJ. I like having a friends list, and having a place where I can follow the blogs of many of my friends, acquaintances, and just plain interesting people all in one place without having to waste bandwidth running my own feed aggregator. I like having my blog on a well-connected, popular, high-bandwidth site, and don't mind paying for it. I especially like the fact that anyone who wants to follow my blog can create an LJ for free, put me on their friends list, and become part of a wider community without having to be a computer expert or run their own server. But I recognize that LJ is not being run for my benefit, or my friends' benefit, but for 6A's profit. Eventually they'll get greedy, and make things so bad that many of us will want to leave.

I think it's time to start planning. I don't think the world needs another huge site like LJ or even GJ. I like what ohiblather and a few other people do, making their LJ a mirror or a comments page for their "real" blog somewhere else. I may look into that. I rather like the idea of having a blog I control completely, on my own site, but that can still participate in a wider community of connected blogs on other sites. But not today. Not even this year -- I have other priorities. But it'll happen, if society doesn't collapse first.

Thoughts?

Comments

[tiggerypum.livejournal.com]

I'm on lj because of the wonderful friends option. I have other accts random places but I can't be bothered to blog all over the place, etc. And I like checking my friends page.

That aside, they are getting feedback. If the sponsored communities do poorly, business will take care of itself, no need to worry about it, they can't sell something eyeballs refuse to visit.

As for the small sponsor thing (if it's small) for an added feature - hey, I don't mind 'search sponsored by google' I honestly don't. If it's at that level, what the hell. It's not worth worrying about.

I posted in the huge response list - I do think they're better off offering incentives for folks to pay; and maybe doing sponsor links primarily on the unpaid accts. You know, free is free, and well, if a link helps pay for the free part, I just can't get worked up about that.

Everytime I go to myspace I get overwhelmed. I have to ask my daughter for help :P sad. lol.

[mdlbear]

I like the huge community, and the free bandwidth. What I don't want to happen is to have corporate sponsors putting up comment spam and trying to take down posts and communities they disagree with. When that starts happening, I'm gone.