Here via metafandom. I've never posted to messageboards but was a member of several Yahoo groups and still are of two or three.
Originally, when I discovered LJ, which was admittedly rather late, I thought that it was a great idea, becuase I regarded it as a kind of network. I always thought that the point was that - at least in theory - everyone would be able to read everyone else's posts, comment and maybe become friends.
But lately I've seen more and more people f-lock their LJs. It's their prerogative, and I can see their point if they post a lot of personal stuff, but I've even seen people f-lock their LJ who only post fandom stuff. In my opinion that's completely counterproductive to the idea of LJ, though. On top of that many of these people manage to give no hint about what their posts might be about. Let's say I read a fic somewhere and like it a lot. Therefore, I want to check out that person's LJ, expecting to find more fics and other fandom stuff etc. But if the LJ is f-locked and I'm given no information about the owner, why should I even friend it? Who knows if all the posts aren't about the writer's sick puppy and adulterous husband?
Therefore, LJ seems less and less like a community to me, but rather like a myriad of small entities, many of which clearly meant to be closed and cut-off from the rest of the world.
no subject
Originally, when I discovered LJ, which was admittedly rather late, I thought that it was a great idea, becuase I regarded it as a kind of network. I always thought that the point was that - at least in theory - everyone would be able to read everyone else's posts, comment and maybe become friends.
But lately I've seen more and more people f-lock their LJs. It's their prerogative, and I can see their point if they post a lot of personal stuff, but I've even seen people f-lock their LJ who only post fandom stuff. In my opinion that's completely counterproductive to the idea of LJ, though. On top of that many of these people manage to give no hint about what their posts might be about. Let's say I read a fic somewhere and like it a lot. Therefore, I want to check out that person's LJ, expecting to find more fics and other fandom stuff etc. But if the LJ is f-locked and I'm given no information about the owner, why should I even friend it? Who knows if all the posts aren't about the writer's sick puppy and adulterous husband?
Therefore, LJ seems less and less like a community to me, but rather like a myriad of small entities, many of which clearly meant to be closed and cut-off from the rest of the world.