As insomnia likes to point out, LiveJournal is shrinking. Many blame SixApart and SUP for this decline, and it true that the actions of those corporations have contributed to the slow bleed of users. However, I believe the root cause is much deeper.

The tone of the LiveJournal community has changed. It has become more vicious, more snark-centric, more hateful and cliquish. There has always been drama on LiveJournal, but it has not always been like it is now. Often now one misspoken word in a community or the mention of a viewpoint out of the mainstream will be taken out of context and a flood of mean-spirited attacks will flood the comments of a post from users mobbing in from any one of the countless snark communities that have cropped up.

I've been on LiveJournal almost 7 years at this point, and this increasing ugliness has me more concerned for LiveJournal than anything SixApart did or SUP is doing. Neither SixApart nor SUP are LiveJournal, LiveJournal is the community that inhabits this virtual place and that community is decaying. I'm sure I'm far from the only long-time user who is disenchanted by the current LiveJournal environment and I don't see what the motivation would be for many new users to become part of it.

I have not been involved in any drama around here recently, so this post hasn't been triggered by a specific event. The problem is that LiveJournal doesn't seem like a community anymore, at least not a communities that I want to consider myself part of. I don't intend on leaving completely, but I've been spending a lot less time here. I've got other things to do.

Poll #1156589
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

Have you heard about the LiveJournal content strike on March 21st?

Will the LiveJournal content strike affect your posting habits?

It looks like SUP changed course on censoring the most popular interests page. They aren't perfect, but they are learning and they are not inflexible. They are willing to change course. They recognizes that without the users, LiveJournal is nothing. Things may work out after all.

What the fuck?

As part of the current pattern of actions, this is quite alarming — it demonstrates that SUP/LJ now actively and openly disapproves of and targets specific groups.

I doubt I'll leave over the removal of basic accounts. I've already stopped recommending this site to new people, so after grumbling and griping a bit, I'll probably just get on with my journaling. If there is a true mass exodus, I'll join it. But right now, as much as I dislike the direction LiveJournal is going, there still isn't anywhere good enough to entice me away from my permanent account. With all the effort involved in changing journal sites and moving my old entries, another site will not just have to be somewhat better — it will have to be a whole hell of a lot better.

LiveJournal has secretly removed basic (free) accounts. Even brad is openly pissed about this one.

Even if I thought was a good decision, the lies of omission does not promote a trusting relationship between the SUP and their users.

I don't want to leave LiveJournal, but SUP has yet to even address the censored interest search fiasco and tags are still capped at 1000. I'm far from happy with things around here at LiveJournal right now. I'm not sure what to do.

Poll #1105617 departure poll
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

I should...

So much for hoping things were going to get better under SUP. They've now started censoring what interests can be searched for. What is more, interests such as "spicy food" are no longer searchable simply because they happen to contain a banned string. Forget trying to find a community discussing the Armenian genocide. What the hell?!?!

SUP has purchased LiveJournal from Six Apart.

Poll #1099590 SUP
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

Are you optimistic about the future of LiveJournal under SUP's control?

Did the quality of the LiveJournal experience improve or decline under Six Apart's control