author_by_night (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
author_by_night) wrote2008-01-03 08:51 am
author_by_night) wrote2008-01-03 08:51 am
Entry tags:
Livejournal Versus Websites
(This public post mostly refers to Harry Potter fandom, but can apply to others. I just don't know how it works in other fandoms in terms of websites over LJ. But if it's like that in other fandoms, or just the opposite, I'd still love to know.)
When I first came into fandom, messageboards were huge. But now, I've noticed a decline. Messageboards (and websites overall), old and new and revamped, seem to get far less traffic.
My question is - what's the cause? Obviously there are many reasons. Without naming names, some boards over time became so big that it got confusing for the members. Then suddenly, many members left, and it eclined from there. There's also the fact that members who had time to run the sites and messageboards and/or be active in keeping things going there had less time.
But could Livejournal have an impact as well? I wonder if people aren't choosing Livejournal over messageboards and websites, and that's what I'm asking. I know with me, I do certainly find it's sometimes easier to post on Livejournal. For one, LJ doesn't have the "newbie stage" - the newbie stage being the stage wherein new members are more or less ignored on the basis of being new. For another, I myself am a very elaborative person; at a board, half of what I'd want to say would probably be considered "tl;dr" ("too long, don't read"), so I have to shorten it. But when I shorten things, I'm often too vague and make no sense. On many occasions, discussions at messageboards have prompted Livejournal responses, because I'd rather not write a full page reply. ) However, on a website, I do know what I'm going to see and discuss; it's harder to have a firm idea of that with Livejournal, because even LJ communities change.
Thoughts?
When I first came into fandom, messageboards were huge. But now, I've noticed a decline. Messageboards (and websites overall), old and new and revamped, seem to get far less traffic.
My question is - what's the cause? Obviously there are many reasons. Without naming names, some boards over time became so big that it got confusing for the members. Then suddenly, many members left, and it eclined from there. There's also the fact that members who had time to run the sites and messageboards and/or be active in keeping things going there had less time.
But could Livejournal have an impact as well? I wonder if people aren't choosing Livejournal over messageboards and websites, and that's what I'm asking. I know with me, I do certainly find it's sometimes easier to post on Livejournal. For one, LJ doesn't have the "newbie stage" - the newbie stage being the stage wherein new members are more or less ignored on the basis of being new. For another, I myself am a very elaborative person; at a board, half of what I'd want to say would probably be considered "tl;dr" ("too long, don't read"), so I have to shorten it. But when I shorten things, I'm often too vague and make no sense. On many occasions, discussions at messageboards have prompted Livejournal responses, because I'd rather not write a full page reply. ) However, on a website, I do know what I'm going to see and discuss; it's harder to have a firm idea of that with Livejournal, because even LJ communities change.
Thoughts?
no subject
For discussions of various topics, I like organized forums so that you can read based on one very specific subject, then leave that thread and go to another thread to read about another topic.
That's the main reason I've stuck with MediaMiner.org all of these years. The format is easy to follow, and batshit is at a minimum.
LiveJournal gives me just the opposite. I find myself jumping all over the place; for Pirates of the Caribbean fandom alone I have a buttlong list of comms to scroll through every time I want to post a fic, and each comm has different rules for posting. This can be in the header, this HAS to be in the header, none of this type of feedback, put some out of the LJ cut, put only the header out of the LJ cut...it's a pain in the butt to keep track of.
With a website, feedback is what it is. If someone wants to be wanky because they got constructive criticism, and the feedback was within site rules, not much they can do about it. With LJ, again, the comms all have different rules. Some have Thumper Rules, some have Oreo Cookie Rules, some have ambiguous rules, some have no rules.
With a forum, only mods lock or delete posts. If you're an idiot, it's usually there indefinitely for the world to see. On LJ, people can delete their posts, or FLock posts, or delete their LJ or whatever reaction they think they have to take to make it look like they weren't being batshit.
For a long time, I wondered - due to these reasons - why people claimed to prefer LJ over websites and forums. Then I realized - these WERE the reasons people prefer LJ over other sites. They have near-complete control over their own posts, but can wank enough to be protected from criticism in other posts.
Someone's picking on you? Get a bunch of your friends to run in and post in your defense. Got ridiculed for your fic? Delete it from your LJ and pretend it never happened. No one standing up for you? Make some socks and create your own real-life drama - there's no mod around to lock your thread. Few rules, little structure, and not having to take bruising of the pwetty widdle ego from anybody.
No wonder LJ grew so fast. :/
no subject