[info]msilverstar in [info]07refugees

LJ is ending the Basic account option

From May March 12 on, it's see ads or pay up:

Basic Account is an option available to accounts which were created before March 12, 2008. No account created after this date can be turned into a Basic Account. Basic Accounts will not have any advertising displayed on their accounts, but will have fewer benefits and features.

Source: FAQ 38

ETA: fix the date in my text.

ETA 2: Jason Shellen, VP of Product Development for LiveJournal" says it was to make the registration process "easier for new users to understand" To which I say, Apparently they think their users are STUPID. The new ones for needing it "easier" and the old ones for taking that crap.

Also, Brad says no one really asked him. And he's on the LJ Advisory Board -- that was the whole point of the advisory board!

ETA 3: Another advisory board member and "thought leader", Esther Dyson, says that no one talked to her either. And that the person who emailed her can quote her on that.

Comments

You're exactly right!
I've made the "stop putting all of our eggs in the same broken basket" speech too many times on my LJ friends list tonight to repeat here, but really, that's whats bugging the hell out of me. Too many people are bitching and moaning and then not DOING anything. LJ is obviously becoming myspace, and I hate myspace, but yes I do have an account there so I can interact with my friends who DO use it. And hopefully LJ will someday be the same deal -- I can access it if I need to interact with someone who DOES use it, but it's not my base. My base are belong to me, kthnx (attempting to integrate openID onto my own domain... hooray, myopenid.com!)