LJ is surprising me...

[sireesanwar.livejournal.com]

Maybe after all these years of constant complaining someone got the message. Part of me wonders if this is because of the new CEO Katya Akudovich who used to work for Google. I mean when was the last time LJ asked our opinion? And yet today they posted this over at news:

This is just a quick news post to let you know we're going to be reviving the lj_feedback community. Be sure to join, watch, or track that community to follow the action there.

To get things started, a new entry has been posted there today about a possible new feature, so head on over to weigh in with your input and suggestions!

Could it be? Now the new entry they speak of talks of a +1 feature. This means you can say you +1 this post or if someone comments something brilliant you can +1 there comment.

Yes, this is very much like Facebook. But toss Facebook out the window for a minute. Go to Twitter. I can Favorite your post. Okay forget them. Got to Pinterest where I just Hearted your pin. Hmm see a pattern? Or do I have to go to Tumblr and WordPress? And I know some of you say, I'm at LJ because I don't like those platforms but the reality is LJ is trying to compete with these and this addition is absolutely minor in comparison to so many others.

Already there is nay sayers but think about this... how often do you read your friends posts and like what they said but didn't have anything to say or didn't know what to say? How often do you stumble upon a comment by a friend of a friend or someone in a community and you like it but aren't sure you want to comment?

I talk a lot (can't you tell) and while I try to comment as often as I can, sometimes I don't know what to post. I feel like that +1 could be just a little encouragement from someone who just doesn't know what to say.

My comment to LJ was this:

I don't mind the idea of the +1. This seems like a good idea for those friends who like what you said but don't know or have anything to say.

Then there is viewing. Being able to turn it off and on is great and I tend to think it should be just added to the post or comment area. I rather like the idea of making it flexible so we can have it set to show the most popular comments but I'd probably keep them in chronological order. Giving the viewer the ability to sort through community comments for "chronological or most +1" seems like a good idea. Since the communities are social settings it seems like it would be valuable in that situation.

Yes, they want to mess with the ordering but it sounds like they want to give us the option and they want to know what we think of it. I think the +1 would be rather valuable in a community setting. I mean what if you are in a fandom community and you are all talking about the latest episode and someone's comment just outshines everything others have read. But what if there is 300 comments, how will you ever see that?

I would change sorting for my own view in a community but I wouldn't force it on community members as the moderator.

That is just my 2 cents. You never have to agree with me. And whether you like the idea or not, I encourage you to go to LJ Release's +1 Post to vote and give your polite (please) opinion. Remember we can teach them!

Comments

[rainbowstevie.livejournal.com]

I think this is a very sensible post and I agree with you. Well said!
Signed, someone who vehemently hates every other change LJ has made ever

[candream.livejournal.com]

They're already using it for lj_photophile. And I think it's good for this Community. But other things here on LJ?! I don't know.

[whenwhywhere.livejournal.com]

I agree with that one comment over there... About the timezone, man! I just woke up and they've edited their article already, saying they've "read through the comments" and it kinda sorta looks like they've made up their mind? Sure, I could still vote, but they could've like, I don't know, wait a little bit longer? o_o

[serenitysangel.livejournal.com]

Hmm I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, yes it's nice if you want to acknowledge by +1ing a post to let the poster know you've read it but generally don't have anything to say. However, I don't like the idea of it either as it prevents further engagement. Then again seeing someone like your post is better than getting only silent.

But I do feel it's a shame that LJ is bowing under the pressure to be like every other social media platform out there.

Will it get people back here or get it busy like it was before? I'm not convinced it will. But time will tell I guess.

[sireesanwar.livejournal.com]

That is part of my issue with it... will people stop commenting and start using the +1 option?

It does seems sad that LJ has to do these things to get new customers but at the same time they are doing it all to stay opened. They are losing people left and right and they are so far from appealing most of the time that people do not choose them as a blogging option.

We want LJ to do well and to flourish.

[sireesanwar.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[sireesanwar.livejournal.com]

The nice thing is they are giving us the option to have in on our LJ's or not. So some journals might have it and some won't. It's nice that it will be a choice.

[sireesanwar.livejournal.com]

Yes, but it can't hurt to still give your opinion.

I think they want to do it because it has been a requested item but I also think it is something we'll be able to turn on and off so overall it is a minor change.

[whenwhywhere.livejournal.com]

I'm more of a reader, really. I feel like everything I wanna say's in the comment section already been said by a lot of people. And since I'm more of a lurker than a commenter I'm looking forward to the +1 for comments and entries (especially comments).

[tracyj23.livejournal.com]

people do not choose them as a blogging option

Do people really even blog anymore? It seems like most people don't. Most people "Facebook" which isn't really blogging, or spend all of their time on twitter or instagram or whatsapp -- why blog when you can express everything in 140 characters or less? /sarcasm

I find instant media to be rather appalling. Great for a quick chat with someone while you're waiting for something or for people who live far away that you can't actually see face to face but need to talk to, but it doesn't really allow for deep conversation. Everything done on those platforms is shallow.

Sorry, been reading comments to see what others have to say and had two more cents worth to share. :)

[sireesanwar.livejournal.com]

Depends on where you are going. A lot of businesses and websites nowadays are blogs that are disguised as websites. This is why people go to WordPress and Tumblr. These platforms give them the option to look like a website but have a blog structure added to their site. People magazine, Wall Street Journal, Emeril's cooking blog... all WordPress because of the type of site WordPress can create for the user.

I don't know if many people go to blog sites to do what you and I want which is to create a space for ourselves, share our lives and whatever else we fancy. So many people are just too instant for that but I do think given the right structuring of LJ... they'd compete with Tumblr and WordPress for those spots in the Social Media world.

It is true. I don't love Facebook or Twitter. The main reason I got onto Facebook was to keep in visual contact with my cousins. They all have kids we never get to see and they all post pictures to Facebook. But I also started a private family group on FB which all family members are members of. This way we can share our addresses, phone numbers and more. What I've found is that because it is private they tend to post more and share more. My cousins have fun conversations.

I think more than anything it is the public nature of Twitter and Facebook that prevents people from really opening up.

No problem. I tend to agree.

[tracyj23.livejournal.com]

I don't think many people do blog about their personal lives much. They post that stuff on Facebook it seems - I know some people have private groups but it seems like a lot of people I"ve talked to are very open about posting anything and everything - very personal stuff about health to pics of their kids. While I don't mind sharing that stuff with my closest, trusted friends, I wouldn't want to be leaving it out there for everyone to see.

[sireesanwar.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I don't get it. LJ really gives you the best of everything.

[tracyj23.livejournal.com]

Exactly!!

[serenitysangel.livejournal.com]

That's my fear.

I honestly have never understood why it's not more popular. But then I guess different types of blogging space appeal to different types of people. I've always preferred LJ to all the other blogging sites.

We do, and it might but it could end up losing all the ones who have remained loyal because of the changes. But then I guess they don't care about that as long as they make money and get any new members who like the changes they are making.