LJ vs Facebook etc.

[almostwitty]

Given that I spend most of my life internally analysing websites, I really should have worked up a fantabulously interesting post on what the current LJ vs Facebook controversy means for users, and what it says about LiveJournal and other fading website systems in particular.

But charmian on Dreamwidth seems to have done all the analysis for me, so go look at him/her and follow the links provided. It's fascinating stuff - to me, at least.

Comments

[talulahk.livejournal.com]

Considering the "charmian" doesn't know how to spell chairman or chairmen of the board.....

Sorry, can't be bothered. I'm NOT paying for dreamwidth, I really don't care how wonderful its being pimped out to be.

Jesus, it's like when I first got online in 1981. The only thing out there was AOL. Why is Dreamwidth the new AOL?

[almostwitty]

Unless, of course charmian might mean something else ;)

As for Dreamwidth, it does seem slightly slicker and technically better than LJ - and you don't have to pay for it. But it doesn't have the userbase that LJ has.

Then again, LJ doesn't have the userbase Facebook has - but there's a reason why my recent posts haven't made it elsewhere. Some things you want to keep public-private as opposed to public or private!

[talulahk.livejournal.com]

I have a facebook page....I've ditched about 10 months ago. And it had everything on me, personal and professional.

That's exactly why I ditched FB for real life, went to LinkIn for professional life; and kept LJ for my online/RL friends.

::shrug:::

I really loathe FB.

[almostwitty]

Drat - I want to see it now :)

[trialia]

"slightly slicker and technically better"... heh. It is both, but it's also a good deal more welcoming of diversity, and doesn't get in bed with offensive political and religious advertising as LJ has done in the past.

Also, Denise of DW's staff is being incredibly helpful to me with the payment problems I am having - she's extended my account time by two weeks, for free, to give me time to deal with my bank.

I feel far more wanted by the system at DW than I ever have at LJ, and they pay attention to all their customers, not just the American or Russian ones.

[almostwitty]

To be fair, I very much doubt Dreamwidth has *any* Russian customers.

And personally, I don't want to be a valued customer by any website - because that would imply there are unvalued ones. I'd rather be one of the crowd, otherwise I'd be waving "Don't you know who I am ?!" to everyone...

[trialia]

There are some. Not many yet, but then DW is still comparatively small.

I think every customer ought to be a valued customer - and that is how DW treat theirs. With LJ, nobody in the UK has been unable to make a voice post beyond 60 seconds in length for more than three years, and they can't be bothered to fix that. I am not getting any comment notifications from comment replies outside of my own journal, and haven't been for months, and LJ don't give a damn.

[trialia]

FYI, Charmian is an old English girl's name!

ETA: Sorry, the etymology of it is Greek, but it was more common in England in the later half of the 19th and early half of the 20th centuries. It's still fairly uncommon, but it is a perfectly valid, if old-fashioned, female name. It means "delight" or "joy". The actress who played the eldest von Trapp daughter in the film of The Sound of Music was named Charmian - is, in fact - she was born in the 1940s.

You'd probably come across Charmaine more often, that was popular more recently, the names are very similar, but I've always preferred Charmian.