(no subject)

[jademermaid]

I don't usually read the news bulletins here. You probably don't either. Like me you probably missed the announcement that LiveJournal is switching off the ability for users to make new, basic accounts. While current, basic accounts will stay, in future, new users cannot create a basic account, only a Plus (full of ads) or Paid.

I'm a paid member, as it happens - it doesn't cost that much to join and there are some clear benefits.

This action hurts all users - even paid members - because it prevents you from growing your audience; your "friends". The marketing value of being able to say "come over to LiveJournal and friend me" has been totally negated in one move - because without the basic, free account with limited bells and whistles and no ads, I don't think they will hang around to pay for an account anyway.


But the thing that really has folks in an uproar is that they did it without saying anything first. This has really set folks off, and they are taking it personally.

Comments

[icbhod.livejournal.com]

Agreed but, in the end, they have to pay for the servers and bandwidth to let you say that somehow and I would dare say that, like me, most users are not paid members.

[myrrhdusa.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's the sneakiness that I don't like. Why not simply let people know that they were phasing out Basic accounts? LJ has always been very open with their community, but since this buyout, the new regime haven't been as forthcoming. It's a business, I get that, but it's also a community.

[icbhod.livejournal.com]

True enough......I mean, its not like the people that are already in the game with Free accounts are going to bail because they are a dead breed....and even if they did, its not a huge deal to them anyway because they aren't drawing any revenue from them....

[erikthedane.livejournal.com]

Agreed on the sneakiness. And there is a pretty special community here.

[erikthedane.livejournal.com]

"come over to LiveJournal and friend me"
That's the way I started on LJ. I have some friends who are going to let their paid accounts expire and move on as a result of this. I'm all about if you disagree with a company's policies, and it means a lot to you, you should speak with your dollars.

[icbhod.livejournal.com]

Absolutely....it is the way that free enterprise works!!! If a company is doing something you don't like.....stop patronizing them....if people start leaving them, they will either wake up and smell the coffee or they will go under.

[myrrhdusa.livejournal.com]

Well they don't have to move on, because their paid accounts will revert to Basic ones, unless they change that too.

[isobael.livejournal.com]

It was suspected for a long time that SixApart would try to force people into paying, either by buying a paid account or forcing the ads on your site.

People have spoken...they said they don't want the ads being forced on their page, but since when does SixApart actually listen or CARE what people want?

I can't afford to fork money out for the bells and whistles I rarely use, but I like the basic, no ads.

I bet they kept is hush hush to keep people from hurrying to make a hundred new accounts to keep it basic/no ads. Then, they could just give their friends the account if a friend wanted it without ads.

[icbhod.livejournal.com]

Its possible that this is the reason but its unlikely. They will surely have a sundown for inactive accounts set up and, if they don't already, they can easily enough.

Blank accounts don't take any bandwidth and next to no server space....

As for the ads on the page, well, you are good and that may be a bell....or is it a whistle? that people might be willing to shell out for...

[myrrhdusa.livejournal.com]

LJ isn't a Six Apart Company anymore, they belong to a Russian comapany called SUP, that happened in December.

[isobael.livejournal.com]

Heh...

Did not know that.

Thanks for the heads up. =)

[myrrhdusa.livejournal.com]

I'm actually sort of embarrassed that I know that. Don't ask me what I did last week though, I won't remember!

[athena777.livejournal.com]

That sucks. I know I enjoy the advantages of not having free lj. It helped get a feel and see if it was something I wanted to do. Its better than posting on myspace. Once I got comfy with LJ, I went ahead and paid for it.

[cairech.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this sucks. I'd hoped to get my sister to join, but she hasn't and now it isn't free. :(

[myrrhdusa.livejournal.com]

She can still get a free account, it will just have ads.