LJ Advisory Board

[rm]

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.

Comments

[pyrop.livejournal.com]

• 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.

Can you expand on this? What company did you work for in PR/Marketing? What did you do there? What on-line community? How were you an active part of it?

[insomnia.livejournal.com]

I can attest from my time in the early days of LJ that is is talented at what she says that she's skilled at, but I don't know how much she can answer about the specifics right now, as she is in Italy.

That said, some of this info is available in her bio. You may also want to check out her post and responses in my ljunited community. We voted overwhelmingly to endorse her, in large part because her POV is very much in line with the community's goals.

[jesurgislac.livejournal.com]

When is she due back from Italy, if you can say? Because my query - without which, no vote - was concerning the original SixApart/LJ Abuse attack on journals: suspending people who had a default icon of a baby breastfeeding, and doing so while simultaneously claiming "oh, we'll work things out, we'll look into this".

When the big fannish issues of 2007 came round, they were reprises.

[insomnia.livejournal.com]

I think/hope she's getting back after this weekend. I hope she can get back in touch with everyone, because she *WILL* be very busy upon returning. It was an unfortunate time for the trip, really, but she is doing quite well anyway.

If I remember right, rm opposed any kind of action against the breastfeeding userpics. I know I did. It was a stupid ruling that victimized mothers, and, in some cases, was even applied to icons that contained classic works of art!

Basically, she strongly approves of the goals of LJ United, which supports people's rights to post what they want to the maximum amount possible by law, copyright, and as necessary for issues of harassment, etc.

Unfortunately, there was far too much effort made to "child-safe" LJ, and the actions that were taken were aggressive attacks on the community as a whole, without people actually filing complaints about any of the content. There were no victims... except for ordinary members of the site.

[insomnia.livejournal.com]

Oh, and btw, you *REALLY* should consider joining LJ United, because I am aware of your statistical work on LJ's shrinking as far as site activity goes. In fact, it's part of the information I am hoping that we will convince rm to bring to the attention of the advisory board should she get the nomination.

If she doesn't win, it will be harder to do that, but it will still be our goal to arm the decision makers and other board members with information, so that they can make informed decisions... and knowing that LJ is at risk of dying out without a real emphasis on growth and on loyalty to their customers is a big part of the equasion.

Basically, our goal is to be around even after the election, in order to influence the powers that be as best as we can.

[pyrop.livejournal.com]

If you want to solicit me do it in private.

[insomnia.livejournal.com]

I'm not trying to sell you something. I just believe that you have a habit of putting together good information that should be brought to the attention of the community as it's released, as it could help to inform both them and to ideally inform others in the advisory board of the issues that LJ faces.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I worked in public relations and marketing for About.com (originally The Mining Company -- I worked there through and was involved with the name change and the IPO), Neale-May & Partners (PR agency) and Brainlink International (computer security/HIPAA compliance firm), as well as several other companies on a freelance basis. I've been quoted here and there in PR trade publications and in industry-related books.

I was an active community member at Mindvox where I later became a staff member. Mindvox was a high profile BBS/ISP combo in the 1990s. It no longer exists, but a Google will bring up a lot of media, including a rather embarassing article by Sassy magazine that includes comments I made when I was 18 (17 years ago).