rm | LJ Advisory Board

Well, I've been officially certified as a candidate in the LJ Advisory Board Election and I've been offered the opportunity to talk a little bit about where I stand in a post that will be linked to from the poll.

Four questions were suggested to all the candidates for this post, and since this isn't a format I've pursued before, I decided to run with it.

As some of you know, I will actually be in Sicily for the next week (I leave later today), so my access may be sporadic during that time, but what online time I have will be dedicated to this election process, which I believe has the potential to make LJ a better place regardless of the outcome.

What do you think is the value of LJ?

For me personally, LJ has been a way to stay in touch with friends, hone my writing and document my life for myself, and at least intermittently, for the amusement of others. I met my partner here. I found support when I was diagnosed with a rather unpleasant genetic disease. And I have fun talking about the things I'm passionate about from fencing to fandom.

While those LJ experiences are far from uncommon, they don't even begin to speak to the totality of LJ's value both as a platform for personal expression and a tool for community development. LJ gives the user the unique ability to feel both less alone in the world and more singular, whether on issues serious or trivial.

LJ allows users to experience both the world as they wish it to be, through connections with like-minded individuals, and to witness the world as it is through exposure to those of completely different circumstances and views.

What changes would you like to see LJ make in the next year?

The number one issue has to be better and more respectful communications between LJ and its users. Every other concern (and there are a whole bunch we'll get to in just a second) can only be addressed if this happens. That means LJ has to recognize that users generate the content that brings in even more users that in turn generate the revenue in an ideally constant cycle. LJ's users -- free, plus and paid -- are the building blocks of the revenue model and should be treated accordingly.

What does that mean?

It means we need a clear TOS that is uniformly enforced.

It means we need communication with users whenever the TOS is updated.

It means we need a system for dealing with abuse and other user concerns that is transparent and allows users to present their side of the case -- justice without defense or appeal is not justice.

It means we need an LJ administration that recognizes and is comfortable with the diversity of its users and their interests.

Practically, what needs to happen in the next year?

LJ needs to finally resolve the free speech issues that began with ~~Strikeout~~ and Boldthrough. While as a private corporation LJ has the right to decide what type of content it will and won't allow, my argument is for the broadest range of speech permissible under the laws of California (where LJ is incorporated). This level of free speech should be the right of all LJ users, regardless of location or topic. Political speech needs to be protected. Religious speech needs to be protected. Creative speech needs to be protected. If it's legal speech it should be permissible on LJ.

LJ is a platform. Not a parent.

LJ needs to address disability issues. This includes getting the ALT tag working for our visually impaired users and apologizing to users with mental health/illness issues for essentially erasing their existence from the site in the debacle with the top 100 interests list.

LJ needs to honor its original commitments made to the users. These include the ongoing availability of free accounts and the right of every user to experience an ad-free LJ if they so choose.

Why do you want to be the elected representative?

To be frank, I hemmed and hawed about running at the beginning. This job is going to be hard. It's going to be time-consuming and it's going to be thankless.

But the fact remains that I have a set of unique characteristics and credentials that make me believe I am the person who can most make the LJ powers-that-be listen.

Why?

I currently have early adopter, paid and free accounts.

I am a professional author whose publisher advertises on the site.

I have an extensive professional background in public relations and marketing.

I have the previous experience of working for an on-line community of which I was also an active part.

I already have a good rapport with staff members on several of the current user concerns. At the same time, I have no personal friendships or loyalties to the staff or other powers that be.

I am relentless, clear, and systematic when it comes to problem solving.

I love LJ with all my heart, but I am not a cheerleader. I will call it like I see it, and can be both diplomatic and aggressive.

I am resilient.

I am an active and proud part of fandom (HP, Torchwood/Doctor Who, Riverside, His Dark Materials, Kushiel, etc.)

Everything that makes me not cuddly in most circumstances makes me perfect for this job.

What do you think are the community's greatest concerns?

Communication. Respect. The safety to be ourselves. The right to be ourselves. What the TOS really means. Free expression. A high quality user experience. Features that work. Features that matter. Preservation of community. Preservation of LJ's unique culture. Accessibility. Usability.

vote RM!
Keeping LJ a place we want to be;
Making LJ a place we want to stay.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

You banned me because of the exchange I had with

guma_kawauso in this post (http://community.livejournal.com/innocence_jihad/130500.html).

Da Jamster is still losing by 1100 votes and by more with each passing moment. The interesting thing is his First Choice vote total is 2408 compared to 'RM's Second Choice total of 2545, a sweet back end Fuck You. lol

And fuck your 'chickened out' noise; yer just pissed yer boi is getting his ass kicked after all his 'inevitability' bullshit. [gee, where have we heard that before?]

~M~

so that people who are capable of looking beyond whether they agree or not, can judge the honesty with which I speak

Oh, believe me, I understand why you do it. You have no desire for constructive dialogue in an attempt to reach understanding with a single user. If enough other people can't see your words, they can't validate your opinions for you.

You believe that taking discussions private is a sign of cowardice. I believe that refusing to do so is a sign of insecurity (not dishonesty).

Well, that is a community that I moderate, but I did not moderate it at that time you were banned. Now, in reading that thread, I can see very clearly why you were banned, and I completely support

evidux's decision there. You stopped discussing the issue and reduced yourself to rude, childish attacks on other members. Freedom of speech is about communicating ideas, it is not a license to abuse people. And that is all you were doing at the point you were banned: attaching the person instead of the idea. Being banned for being an abusive prick is not censorship. It was your behavior that got you the boot, not any ideas you tried to convey.

And no, I'm not that upset that

jameth is losing. We knew the game was rigged for the insider when we started, but we knew we could have fun along the way, and raise some interesting discussions.

I have to say, it is fun to make you dance on the end of my string. You aren't even smart enough to walk away.

"I haven;t a qualm with being a snitch to LJ." ~

guma_kawauso He needed to be abused, the craven little scumbag. In a real revolution, he would have wound up in a ditch.

"it is fun to make you dance on the end of my string" Nice try, but no go. This is how I download and process anger. Get some interesting quotes, too.

~M~

I just love how you justify your thuggery. You disagree with someone, so that justifies abuse. Makes sense, since we know you are all-knowing and never make mistakes. Sorry, between the Leninists and a Fascists, we've had enough people justifying violence because they knew better than the people who disagreed with them.

So I guess you're a snitch, too, eh?

~M~

If someone if engaging in criminal behavior in a community I belong in, and that person's selfish behavior is going to, or is likely to cause harm to other people, yes, will gladly hand that person over the the authorities. That is part of living in a civilized country under the rule of law. Now, we can bitch about Herr Bush acting above the law, but that is a separate discussion.

He was clearly talking about simple 'informing' and smug about it, too.

~M~

Thanks, I appreciate it.

Thank you!

Thanks very much. I agree it may not have a difference, but I think whoever gets elected for the first year has to be someone capable of pushing for it to as hard as possible.

Thanks!

I have to dig up the links, but a couple of months ago someone noticed that several key interests went abruptly missing from the list of "100 most popular interests" that LJ promotes on the site.

These included things LJ has expressed issues with in the past (fanfiction, slash) and also things like depression. This was eventually corrected and LJ said it was a mistake but never explain why or how such a mistake occured.

To many, many users it seemed like LJ was embarassed by them, and this was, understandably, particularly offensive to those with mental health/illness concerns.

Well, not terribly active, but it does pop up from time to time and I do write in it:

hdm_fanfiction and there are a bunch of stories on Yuletide, which you surely know about if you have an interest in rare fandoms.

I think it's been incredibly clear that my interests are not strictly fannish. As a gay woman and a creative professional, the freespeech and seeming bias issues on teh site have affected me on multiple fronts.

While I don't have kids, I agree with you that LJs actions regarding the breastfeeding icons is also ridiculous. It demonstrates an attitude of misogyny and ignorance from the powers-that-be and is indicative of the sort of paranoia that has driven a lot of bad LJ policy decisions. Additionally, LJ's feelings about public breastfeeding should be irrelevant in the face of the law (which at least in my state and many others including, I believe, California, allows babies to be breastfed in public). Certainly there's nothing obscene about the fact that we are a mamilian species.

So yes, I would absolutely add the resolution of this issue to my list.

I also have no problem with ad-supported free and plus accounts if that is what the user elects (and many will and that's good and fine). However ads are frequently off-putting for an initial user experience and I think that a basic level of account without ads should continued to be offered by LJ. Those users may convert to paying or ad-viewing nd regardless they will create content that will help expand the use of LJ by both new members and existing ones.

Thanks!

No banner yet, and I just got back from Italy, but I will try to do one tonight.

Thank you very much.

And what an odd group of things to have in common!

No, I am not saying that. Considering I've paid it every year for years eventhough I've also had access to an early adopter account.

What I am saying is that everyone uses LJ differently and some users woud prefer fewer services with no ads. Often these users will convert to paid or ad-viewing accounts. Regardless even free users are generating content that helps grow the site and therefore revenue and I believe that these accounts need to continue to exist for the long term community and financial health of LJ.

Thanks for participating in the process.

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LJ Advisory Board

I've never banned you from any community I moderate.

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Re: best of luck!

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