Oh, and while I'm ranting?

[demiurgent]

Guys?

The Russians don't care about your journals. They really don't.

The people who are worried are Russian LJ users, because the Russian livejournal presence is thriving -- and nearly ubiquitious -- and LJ is seen as a place where you can say whatever you like about the government and get away with it, and Sup has ties to State Security (as almost all successful Russian businesses have ties to the Russian government right now -- things are not clean over there).

No one's going to delete us. They're not going to give a shit about us. But the Russian users have cause for concern, and it's legitimate.

For one thing, almost all those Russian LJ users can remember when the price for writing dissent involved Siberia. And they know it's not that big a leap back to those days. These are people who know just how valuable their freedom is, because it's still pretty new to them.

So, on the one side? The sky isn't falling. All our communities and BPAL trading groups and Superguy discussion places and RSS feeds to Garfield are still going to work.

And on the other side? Don't belittle a people still recovering from decades of harsh totalitarian repression for being freaked out right now. they have plenty of reasons to be scared, even if you or I don't.

Peace, y'all.

Comments

[dvandom.livejournal.com]

Most of what I've seen has been less on the "freaking out" side and more on the "an excuse to drag out running gags" side. :) But I think my flist tends more towards Parker-ish "I choose to be amused" in general.

[mephron]

Sir:

Yours is the baseline I will use for arguments concerning this issue, in terms of rationality. I may even just simply link to this, for you have said it with wit, verve, grace and exceptional percipacity.

Rgds,
Me.

[dlobok.livejournal.com]

Russian dingos ate my friends list.

[dvandom.livejournal.com]

I'm sure we deserved it.

[adders.livejournal.com]

My favourites so far revolve around the "HAHAHAH! Six Apart couldn't handle the complaining fan base and had to sell!"

Oh, right, so nothing to do with the fact that Movable Type, Typepad and Vox all share an underlying Perl-based code base, and Livejournal doesn't, and this move (a) frees up capital and (b) allows them to focus development on a trio of products they can switch functionality between easily.

But hey, I'm just a business journalist who knows the guys at 6A, and no a fanboi with inner cosmic insight.

Really, I should write more underage slash fic. It's the only way to get respect around here these days...

[hooverdam.livejournal.com]

Kind of like how the frequently changing rules on adult content were totally the result of 6A being out to get fandom (NB: curiously, I heard no hue and cry from my corner of fandom about the whole thing) and not the result of a company taking daily orders from a legal team as they look to go public/secure funding.

[z-gryphon.livejournal.com]

Well, the superior attitude and broad-based general insults will sure help with that whole "respect" thing. I mean, I know I'm convinced you're a person to be reckoned with now.

[adders.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm most terribly sorry. Would a few well-placed smilies have eased your pain?

[ardaniel]

There are certainly American users who are going to have to find new homes now, though.

It's, for example, a little hard to gun for a security clearance when your blog hosting is run by FSB. ;)

[rustmon.livejournal.com]

I didn't think about that, but honestly, I figured my stuff wouldn't change very much so I didn't think about it too much.

That said - WORD.

[paradisacorbasi.livejournal.com]

Very eloquent and well said.

[letiwolf.livejournal.com]

However, consumer protection (see: Our credit card numbers) is a lot weaker in Russia than in the US and enforcement for Americans is nigh impossible. Also, don't tell me for an instant that the current administration wouldn't ask Their Friends The Russians for a little assistance.

Without even needing any of that messy retroactive immunity to lawsuits.