All this stuff

[dreamflower]

Well, everyone else just about, seems to have weighed in with their opinions on LJ's actions over the weekend. My two cents, behind a cut, in case you are sick of the whole topic...

I never was worried about my own LJ. My interests are just about as bland and gen as you can get. But I have a lot of people friended who are more daring than I am, and I was worried about suddenly finding a lot of them suddenly gone--I mean, I hardly ever trim my *own* flist, I'd be furious to find someone else had done it *for* me!

And there is the principal of the thing. Of course I don't want to see child molesters out there trolling for kids or encouraging one another in their crimes, but the manner in which dealing with the complaint was gone about was ridiculous overkill--kind of like killing a cockroach by blowing up the entire house. True, what LJ did was not technically censorship--they aren't the government, after all--but it still had a chilling effect on free speech.

Also, I hated seeing how many of my friends were/are panicking over this, seeing them frightened and stressed ticks me off.

I love LJ, and as long as it's here, and my friends are still here, I'll still be doing my thing the same way I always have. But I'll have my eyes open a little more.

I do like the idea of backing up my LJ, just as a matter of insurance, but I can't seem to get that archive thingy to work for me. 8-(

Comments

[mews1945.livejournal.com]

*hugs hugs hugs* bless you, honey.

[dreamflower]

(((hugs back)))

[shirebound]

I love LJ, and as long as it's here, and my friends are still here, I'll still be doing my thing the same way I always have. But I'll have my eyes open a little more.

I feel the same way. (And I can't get that archive thingy to work for me, either.)

[dreamflower]

Yes; it's kind of sad to think our lovely playground had a bully in it, one who might come back sometime without warning. So I'll be just a little less trusting now.

Well, I'm going to try again later. It *would* be nice to have a back-up. These aren't the only reasons for doing it; they could have technical problems sometime, too.

[gayalondiel.livejournal.com]

www.ljbook.com works - I now have my entire lj, with comments, in pdf format. It's *lovely* - I'm considering getting it bound by year just for the sake of being able to pick it up off the shelf and flick through the years of hobbits and hugs

[surgicalsteel.livejournal.com]

ancalime8301 seems to have some quite useful info about making the archive thingy work. It worked fine for me first time, but I guess others are having issues.

[dreamflower]

Thanks! I'll check out her post later, and see if I can get it to working...

[aspenjules.livejournal.com]

*big, comforting snuggly hugs*

My interests are just about as bland and gen as you can get. That describes me perfectly, LOL.

Also, I hated seeing how many of my friends were/are panicking over this, seeing them frightened and stressed ticks me off. Yes, that is how I am feeling, except that being so ignorant of whatever was happening made me more stressed than angry. I see friends worried and hurting, and it hurts me.

I don't want to have joined just before it all ends... but I've been through this before with some chat room groups I was a part of... and I'll survive going through it again if I must. However... I'll be around for as long as LJ and my friends are or at least as things stand now I will be, LOL.

[dreamflower]

Yes--this is just too nice a place to play, still. I'm hoping the problems will get ironed out soon.

((hugs))

[rhapsody11.livejournal.com]

I think what hit those who are worrying the most is the prospect of: what is next? I have slash writers on my friendslist - some of them very pro gay rights (I am pro gay rights as well) - who felt threathened by this whole thing. I know things are different across the sea and with the new copyright act looming over our heads - hence the referral to thought crime. The thing is, the fandom as a whole is in the spotlight for a while now, so yes I can understand the unrest of another group following the example of warriors for innocence and perverted justice. This combined that our own dear professor adresses incest in the Silmarillion with two pairings, makes every Tolkien fan fic writer (including myself) going like... w00t? Fiction people, fiction. I saw two cases of people being banned from Myspace at the presumption of child molesters and both proofed to be innocent. That is what it has become: even activists need to take a step back and see what they are causing. That is why I think right now we should give Berkowitz and his crew a break, especially now that they realise and understand they made a huge mistake. Shouting at them ain't going to improve things or re-assure those who are frightened over this. Remaining calm, giving hugs and remain rational does. *hugs*

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

I love LJ, and as long as it's here, and my friends are still here, I'll still be doing my thing the same way I always have. But I'll have my eyes open a little more.

Indeed!! *fierce cuddly snuggles*

And I can't get that stupid archive to work for me either!

[elandulin.livejournal.com]

While the theocratic climate in this country (USA) certainly has a lot to do with the fear this apparently generated (and I don't downplay that one little bit), we have to remember, too, that we are living in a technological renaissance. We assume these machines can do anything, and so trust them with our lives (not always metaphorically speaking, either!) but sometimes the companies behind the screens get a little ahead of their technology in terms of ideas. They bite off more than they can chew and try to do things with programming that's still shaky; apparently that's what happened here.

But head's up: today it's a glitch on LJ, next year it's a tank on your street. When a situation like this can leave people this frightened, you know something bad is happening. If you haven't read Orwell (1984), do so now. And then pass the book on to someone else who hasn't read it. Would that this was as simple as a golden Ring. : |

[gamgeefest.livejournal.com]

I'm out of the loop. What's going on?

[gamgeefest.livejournal.com]

Just read up on it at LJ News. I'm still not clear on a couple of points but I've got the gist of it now.

I agree - like killing the cockroach by blowing up the house.

At least they're owning up to their mistake and are fixing it. I'm just sad that some people have been scared away. :(

[dreamflower]

There've been loads of posts about it, but I think this one has a good explanation:

http://catrinella.livejournal.com/151812.html

Basically, looks like LJ caved to some outside pressure group and did a panicky mass deletion of people whose interests included certain words. They've been trying to dig themselves out of the mud (to put it politely) ever since.

[gamgeefest.livejournal.com]

Well, I wasn't personally affected by this, but after everything I went through with my HOA, or as I now like to call them, the crack smokers from hell, I can more than understand the frustration that everyone is feeling as a result of it. I wrote a little fic, if you want to send anyone over. Hopefully, it will give people a giggle, if nothing else.

http://gamgeefest.livejournal.com/167124.html#cutid1

[ceshaughnessy.livejournal.com]

Good points, all! And I adore your LJ, nothing bland about it!
Cathleen

[isil-elensar.livejournal.com]

I love LJ, and as long as it's here, and my friends are still here, I'll still be doing my thing the same way I always have.

Me too. ;-) No interests listed in my LJ, so all is good.

[lilybaggins.livejournal.com]

Wonderful post---I so agree on all counts.

*hugs hugs hugs*