Vox: Livejournal lite? & stuff

[matgb]

flemco has a new book coming out.

This is (probably) a good thing. Admittedly, I'm still barely a third of the way through his first one (borrowed from nadriel). Hmm...

6 Apart has launched a new service, called Vox. It's, um, Livejournal with a different name aimed at old people. Um, why? You bought Livejournal, and now you're launching a different version? Why not market the one you've got better?

I decided not to take part in the whole delete your journal in protest at the nipplegate thing. 24 hours switched off may have put across a message, I hope that 6A listen to sense and back down/apologise/sort out a proper Abuse team, but, at the end of the day, I just don't care enough, those kicking up a fuss were being just as obtuse as those causing the original problem. I did think about it a lot. I nearly put up a poll as well.

Oh, weather reports. Top "hours of sunshine" and temperatures last few days. Torquay. Where do I live? Torquay. What do I hate the most? Hot weather. Still, got a letter from teh council, someone has complained about downstairs' music. I think I might be backing up that one, she's got it on again, it's loud, crap and she's shouting her head off as well. Everyone OK out there?

Comments

[freddiefraggles.livejournal.com]

"Everyone OK out there?"

Not really. I've still not found my keys, I'm tired, and tucked up in bed but I know that I haven't made my fridge porridge for breakfast tomorrow, so I'm going to have to get out of bed soon to do that, and I'm having to field questions from Sarah about the meme I did earlier (eg: "Which one is me?!?!?!?!!!").

I have no exams, why am I so stressed? :'(

[freddiefraggles.livejournal.com]

(This comment was written in the place of a proper entry. For that I apologise.)

[matgb]

I have no exams, why am I so stressed?

Cos you is a stress head...

I don't do those memes, because, well, I don't want the hassle.

[atlanta06.livejournal.com]

Nipplegate?

[matgb]

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/007600.html

Amongst other sources. Comment thread is long but illuminating.

[atlanta06.livejournal.com]

Oh,that. Six Apart bans breastfeeding icons from default(something about a grudge to settle...?),breastfeeding moms go nutso and demand Six Apart's head on a plate,Six Apart gives half-arsed apology,breastfeeding moms call for boycott. Wankery ensues. Boobies ruined for many people.

It's all rather o_O in the Penanut Gallery,for me...

[rho]

Re nipplegate:I was on the abuse team a couple of years back. I know some people who are currently members of the abuse team. What I will say is that in situations like this, you only ever hear one side of the story, because the people at LJA can't discuss it because they're bound by confidentiality issues. I could go into a lot more detail, but most people are sick to death of the whole thing, so I won't.

[matgb]

Yeah; reading the Making Light thread alone gave me another side; I could see that the complainers were going about things the wrong way, exaggerating and not using channels correctly, and I'd hate to be in LJA stuck in the middle of this one.

6A aren't doing themselves any favours in the way they're handling it, and if it's partially led by legal concerns over pending US legislation (as it seems to be) then why don't they mobilise their userbase?

Far as I can see, 6A are at fault, the "boob nazis" have a point but are blowing everything out of proportion and LJA and observers are tuck in the middle.

And the "we hate 6A" crowd (who have a point) are using it as another stick to beat and taking sides. Ah well. Reckon it'll sort itself out in the wash, I just suspect that LJ is haemorraghing customers currently, and marketing is concentrating on other products...

[rho]

The big irony of the whole thing, is that what initially caused the problem was an insensitive form reply. If the initial reply had said something along the lines of "we know that it sucks that we have, but can you please make this non-default because Americans are puritans/American law is scary/whatever" then there probably wouldn't have been a great big fuss. The boob_nazis people might not have been happy about it, but I can't see such a big fuss being raised over it either. But what they do in response is to crapflood the hell out of LJA, ensuring that many hours of manpower are spent on dealing with the crapflood, so there's less time to write considered replies specific to each case, and even more necessity to rely on potentially-insensitive form replies. Oh, good times.

The big problem that I see LJA/6A being in now is this: if they do conceed the point and change their mind, then they're sending out the message that the heavy-handed tactics of boob_nazis work, which will encourage other people to direct vitriol and hate and spam at them until they capitulate again. Which is never a good idea.

Also, the people complaining about this who are comparing themselves with Gandhi and with Rosa Parks? Really not helping me think they're anything but self-important entitlement-whores. (And yes, I have seen people make both comparisons.)

I think that LJA made the first mistake. I disagree with the policy, and I don't think things were handled terribly well even within the policy. But since then, it's just been one great big mess on all sides. But IMO, mostly from the side of the boob nazis.

[nwhyte]

if they do conceed the point and change their mind, then they're sending out the message that the heavy-handed tactics of boob_nazis work, which will encourage other people to direct vitriol and hate and spam at them until they capitulate again. Which is never a good idea.

Or, possibly, it will send the message that livejournal and sixapart actually listen to their customers' concerns, rather than saying that the more you complain, the less you will be listened to; and might also involve them setting up a more professional and possibly even transparent grievance procedure?

[matgb]

Incidentally, that's probably one of the better summaries and conclusions I've seen on the whole thing, hence me linking Nick here.

That's one of the great problems with those witha grievance; no sense of perspective. Hyperbole destroys a legitimate cause far too often...

[rho]

And since I can't comment on one of the linked entries without joingin the community, I'll comment here. The backend infrastructure that is mentioned will almost certainly be memcache, so not so much about replication of LiveJournal features there (unless you consider being fast and not crashing a feature).

Not to say that Vox isn't a copy of LJ with different marketing. It probably is. I didn't get far enough to find out, though, because the site design was too horrible for me to look at for more than a minute. Just saying that that comment shouldn't be used as evidence.

[matgb]

Ah, see, backend stuff that is beyond my ken, so I can only go with what the text says.

I'm looking at the marketing and utility perspective, and yes, Vox does look ugly. The no lj ads lot are pretty good on technical stuff, I read out of interest really.

[silentgreeneyes.livejournal.com]

Hi
Um.. Vox.. what's the point, as you said? Stupid people..

Nipplegate.. um.. hadn't actually heard about this..

sunshine? I can cope with it

am I ok?
I seem to have inadvertantly caught your cold. My sinuses are full of stuff, and my throat's a little rough.. but otherwise, my energy levels are fine.

[matgb]

It's not "my" cold; it's every bugger's cold; I got it from someone after all...