LJ: this seemed like a good idea to someone

[sigma7]

Via /.: "LiveJournal.com has just announced via their Business Discussions journal that they are introducing 'sponsored communities and features.' This has lead to an outcry from those who watch this community, who accuse LiveJournal of starting down the 'slippery slope' towards placing advertising on users' journals — some of which users already pay for the privilege of not having to see ads on the site. Read more below."

At present, 38 pages of comments, the average of which can be summed up as "hysterically furious." I think my "do not want" panda icon's going to wear out due to overuse.

Edit: Brad clarifies. And God bless rewil for pointing out this to me:

Comments

because it is my job to play devil's advocate

[gloomchen.livejournal.com]

The morons on LJ who don't even understand what the fuck this is about.

For sponsored communities, you have corporations forking out cash to LJ to set up an LJ that you or I could set up for free. In exchange, they've just paid LJ for exposure, which is, if you willingly join their community, they get to plant an ad. Now, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to say, hey, if you don't want to see the ads, don't join the community. But this is LJ, land of overreaction.

For sponsored features, these are companies who have decided to provide a service to you that LJ would not have otherwise have provided. If you choose to use this service, you are choosing to see an ad. LJ is telling users straight-up that they wouldn't get these services from LJ itself due to cost and other issues. But if another company wants to do it? They'll partner so that those in the community can use those services rather than go elsewhere. But why on earth would companies randomly decide to add services to another company if they didn't get something out of it? They're getting advertising. Again, it's the user's choice to use these services and see these ads. If you don't like it, don't use it.

Here's where the REAL problem comes in: my guess is that you read those two paragraphs of mine and you understand them. Did you read what LJ posted as their little friendly press release to the public? The average LJer is a 15 year old emo girl whiner. It does not spell this out in plain language whatsoever, and everyone is going berzerk. Add to the pile that the LJ community as a whole is super-suspicious of SixApart, and they're just LOOKING for a reason to be pissed. SixApart could tell LJ that they're going to give everyone a free pink bunny and Ljers will scream that these bunnies are promoting bunny farms and discriminating against those who don't like pink.

Whee.

Re: because it is my job to play devil's advocate

[paradisacorbasi.livejournal.com]

I like you.

You're sensible.

Re: because it is my job to play devil's advocate

[gloomchen.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I very much enjoy pointing out unpopular truths.

Re: because it is my job to play devil's advocate

[paradisacorbasi.livejournal.com]

Well, they're only unpopular because they're truths that require people to pay attention and to think.

Re: because it is my job to play devil's advocate

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

This is the one reason I like LJ. My f-list is diverse yet universally awesome.

Re: because it is my job to play devil's advocate

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

SixApart could tell LJ that they're going to give everyone a free pink bunny and Ljers will scream that these bunnies are promoting bunny farms and discriminating against those who don't like pink.

This would be, indeed, the greatest day ever.

I can understand the whiplash OMGWTFLOL reaction, if only because of the evolution of LJ from the whole "no ads ever" mindset to the Sponsored options (which are, of course, options) seems quite contradictory. And like you noted, 6A's doing a wretched job of articulating its decisions and the options involved. And there's no disguising the fact that this isn't a feature set designed with the user in mind; it's a money grab, sure.

I don't see it as a problem in and of itself. What I think most people are worried about is a possible pattern of things to come. People are worried that 6A wants to turn LJ into Myspace, and they see this as just one symptom of this sickness, and fear more symptoms down the line. 6A isn't helping by trying to present this as a service to the user.

It's not the end of the world, but as a check on 6A's awareness of its user base, not reassuring, either.

Re: because it is my job to play devil's advocate

[paradisacorbasi.livejournal.com]

I hate pink, and as long as the bunny didn't sing like that bunny in the Skittles commercial, I could dye the bunny some other color.

Re: because it is my job to play devil's advocate

[gloomchen.livejournal.com]

That latter part of your comment is where my support of SixApart in this debacle ends.

Yes, they want to make money, blah blah blah. But they have gone about this all wrong as they obviously didn't realize that LJers primarily use LJ because there are no ads. I honestly think the LJ crowd would accept pretty much any changes that involve money including a small rise in paid journal costs or perhaps more add-ons. But you stick an ad in there? DEATH! And even after the "sponsored" account PR mess, they STILL went through with an option that includes advertising? They're morons. Total morons. Their ideas aren't bad ones at all, but they're not appealing to this particular community's entire reasons for existing.