Occasionally Snarky and Meta

 

3. What do you do when a new person first comments in your journal?

I don't think it ever is, unless it's specifically dated. I do think you have to realize they might not respond if it's a really old entr. I've responded to some entries YEARS later, because I found them on google. Usually people ignore me (either because they don't care what they thought about a book five years ago, or they're no longer on LJ, or they don't get comment notifications), but I've had a few people respond.

The whole LJ debacle, written to the tune of "Somebody That I Used to Know." 

(Note: This isn't me making light of the crummy situation. At all.  It's just how I handle these things.)


( Read more... )

Is anyone else just not getting their friends' posts?

Because seriously, 24 hours will pass and I'll have five posts on my feed. Fine, it's a busy time of year and LJ's not that active, but then I go to individual LJs and surprise: I never saw their posts, even though there's only been about five posts a day, so you'd think I would've remembered that one.

Is LJ doing what facebook does? I don't really use filters so I don't think it's that.

It's hidden a few posts in the past, as I've said before, but either I'm using a filter and don't realize it or... I don't know. Anyone else having this issue?

(The one non-tech possibility I can think of is that people do seem to be posting what's later into the evening/night my time, and I tend to go offline around 10, 10:30 EST. So maybe everyone's just updating when I've already signed off for the night?)

I hate friends cuts, but... I've defriended people who haven't updated lately or whom I feel I've grown apart from or didn't have much in common with. I hope this doesn't offend anyone, and I'm sorry if it does. :( I really do wish you well.

Saw this secret, which sort of broke my heart. And for some reason I'm worried it's about me. I don't know why, I just have this weird... feeling. Maybe it's just that it seems familiar? I feel like someone may have linked to it a while back.

Short version for people who don't like links: Basically, someone had posted another secret saying how much they cared about an LJ friend - come to find out they'd been defriended.

I think sometimes people are under the impression that someone has stopped using LJ, or stopped reading theirs. That's often why I defriend. Other times it's because we've drifted, and there's a lot of times it was an accident - seriously, I've wondered many times "why hasn't x posted in so long?", and I realize they're not on my flist anymore for some reason.

If by any chance this is about me, I'm sorry. And even if it isn't... if I defriended you, and you'd like to be added back, let me know. I've screened comments, just... because. :) I really do miss people who I did defriend because I thought they just weren't around anymore or felt we'd drifted, so if you're back or you'd like to reconnect, let me know.

This was originally an entirely different post, but I got off topic and onto another one: Harry Potter fandom three years after DH.

It's interesting to see who left, who stayed, who came back, and who joined - in terms of people and communities/websites alike - after the final book.

Around HBP and definitely by the time DH had been on shelves for a few months, websites and communities (Livejournal and otherwise) w ere much quieter, if not down completely.

But I don't think that means Harry Potter fandom has died. Quite the opposite. Under the cut, I have explored how Harry Potter fandom has changed over the years.

( We didn't start the fandom... )

(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?

This Livejournal is now Friends Only.

Yes, that's right... I've gone Friends Only, mainly because there's a need to seperate my real life from my fandom life, and I'd really rather not risk anyone IRL coming across this unless I gave them access.

If you want to be friended, however, I do friend. I'll warn you, however, that this is an extremely fandomy LJ - mainly Heroes and Harry Potter, with a mixture of other fandoms now and then. I do have a lot of real life posts, but my purpose of getting this LJ in the first place was to have somewhere to obsess over my, well, obsessions, if you will. :)

ETA: Yikes... sorry to anyone who experienced the Friends Only Banner of Doom before I had a chance to click edit! Apparently, the image is a bit larger than I realized. I apologize to anyone whose flist I temporarily messed up there... you may want to refresh.

charades:
For the uninformed, charades is a game where you act out something - a movie, book, song title, etc. There's such little appreciation for the game. I actually prefer all interactive games to games like Trouble; I like to be forced to think, as well as being able to use my own strategies and my own talents. I guess there's some thought in games like Trouble, just not the sort I like.

fanfiction:
I've never not known fanfiction; I only had to find the name for it. As a small child, I'd play games - by myself, with my Mom and with others - based on stories I'd read or movies I'd seen. Heck, I remember telling my Mom she was out of character! I also wrote fanfics for things other than Harry Potter - sometimes as school assignments, sometimes because I wanted to practice my writing on something I was familiar with. When I realized there was a name, and that others were as weird as I was/am, I was like, "oh!"

itunes:
I didn't get it for the longest time, and now I love it. I don't really buy a lot on it, but I do use it as a personal playlist, and I have found some songs I doubt I could've otherwise.

livejournal:

Livejournal rocks. Yeah, it's the base for most of the wankier fandomers, and yeah, I hate when it deletes what I just typed, but there's so much to love. It's helped me keep in touch with people, it's been a place to let loose, and I've met a lot of friends from LJ I probably would never have really met otherwise.

pennpaper:

Pen N Paper is a site my friend Julie (julibeth) started, and I'm pleased to say it's going well. It's a writing site, for submitting stories and the like.

reincarnation:

Yes, I believe in it. Or think I do. The reason is because I don't know that anything can just end, so there has to be an afterlife of some sort. The way I see it, there are three afterlifes: you can die and go to Heaven (I'm not sure I believe in Hell as a physical place), become a ghost, either to watch over loved ones (so more like an angel), or because you're not ready to go beyond (maybe you did too many evil things, or maybe you just can't face death yet), and finally, you can be reborn. As for Hell, if anyone cares - I sometimes think it's physical, but sometimes I think it's more a state. If you're a truly evil person, going to Heaven is hard, because Heaven is paradise, and you have to take extra steps to be forgiven. However, eventually you are, unless you're pure evil, and I don't think anyone is. Or maybe there is a real hell. I don't know.

shrek:
I love Shrek. It's a spoof of fantasy, and the movies for it are fantastic. I mean, it's all so true.

subs:
Two kinds: the bread, and the sq87 sub.

The bread: I love a good sub, though I can't stand the really crispy kind that are taller than I am if they stand. I like soft - like the Classic Italian.

The sq87: Supposedly, it's a group in which we find the meaning of 87. However, it's become much more than that - I think by now, the meaning of 87 is pretty much not really what we're about, especially given what it is. It's about friends who are obsessed with all things Quill, who have been there together throughout all, and who know no age, nationality, or even ship!

the marauders:

I think the Marauders get a lot of underappreciation. At best, they're a bunch of living stereotypes. At worst, they're imbeciles that tortured innocent Snape. I like the rare fic or essay that explores what are, to me, the real Marauders. They were royally messed up, could be vicious, yet there's so much to admire. They stuck together the worst of times, and didn't let themselves be daunted by prejudice.

As a side, there's definitely a lack of apprecation for the Sirius-James dynamic. Their friendship is either ignored, or they have to be lovers. Why? If there's any Marauder romance that should be shown, it's Lily/James. I think there's so much to explore with James and Sirius: Two brothers, if not by blood, who were together through thick and thin. The tragedy of Sirius accidentally killing James is really horrifying if you take that into account.

I'd also like to see more - and better - Lily/James. Another relationship that has to much to it. What finally made them love one another - and please, nothing stupid and sitcom like. What was their marriage like? I want exploration!

wicked the musical:

Wicked the musical is just amazing. Juvenile, maybe, but I think there are deeper ways to look at it. Plus, the songs and characters are wonderful.