Marshall

LJ's pricing structure has desire been unique among major social networks; none of its competitors allow users to avoid ads or pay for an ad-free and feature-rich account. It appears that the affiliate has given up on that unique approach and chosen the ubiquitous ad-centric path to monetization itself of questionable effectiveness in monetizing some social networking platforms. LiveJournal is no stranger to controversy it seems some fight between users and site administrators breaks out every month. It makes user relations at Facebook seem like a never-ending honeymoon. A "" by LiveJournal users last week doesn't appear to have made an appreciable force on place merchandise due to being scheduled on the Friday before a study pass. Thanks to for bringing the strike and thus the whole story to our attention. The new shows only Plus and Paid options; you can view which details the now unavailable Basic accounts via the Internet Archive. Current basic accounts will go unchanged but new users can no longer sign up for them. "The free users while not paying were extremely valuable because they produced the content that the paying users were there to consume," Fitzpatrick wrote in. "You know the whole network effect thing?... I advised against this (when I heard a rumor about it awhile back). I hadn't heard anything recently about it... SUP apparently sees no value in freeloaders not looking at ads not paying and oh wait.. producing most the circumscribe for other members to read other members who are looking at ads and paying for their accounts. Let's hope my permanent account is grandfathered." "While offline this week. I learned that LJ has changed its be levels. Needless to say. fasten's pissed. I'm pissed. Not only because we both vehemently disagree with this dress but because they made such a dress without consulting us. Or rather we were both at a lunch a while approve where they asked us what we thought and we both told them that this was the worst idea ever although for different reasons. I had thought it had been tabled until I learned of this. After it had been posted... I pay for my account (and undergo for years) but most of my friends who read what I write have Basic Accounts. They produce very little but I would produce absolutely nothing if they weren't reading what I wrote. And then I wouldn't pay. And that's how it gets all entangled." Those seem like strong and compelling arguments made by ostensibly trusted advisors to the company boyd further asks her readers how they would suggest that SUP can further growth and monetization at LiveJournal if not by taking steps like this. As analyst firm Gartner said in on the social networking landscape is one where "formerly explosive growth rates have slowed and monetization remains a challenge. But to the extent a social place is a platform it has value." That Platform value seems unproven however. MySpace seems to be printing money with display ads despite explore's recent complaints that its search ads haven't been monetizing well on the site. LiveJournal had served as an interesting alternative to dominant theories about monetizing social networking. Now that example is only half of what it was - it's still interesting that users are offered paid accounts ($20/year) in transfer for an ad free experience. Apparently the original LJ model wasn't monetizing well enough for SUP. That's a shame because it sure was interesting. I regularly invite friends to LJ to read and comment on my content; this has always worked out fine because they knew it would cost zero to join up for folks who only want to follow my and other friends content and/or make comments while not actually producing content themselves. Now that this option is gone. I guess their only options are change state ID commenting or anonymous (and therefore untrackable) comments. Blows. Anyone been a member of Yahoo! groups for some years? If so you remember the outrage group members went through when Yahoo said it wouldn't maintain free of charge archives of all pics for all groups. They talked about actually charging for groups!!! Whoa. You're going to charge us for something you've been giving us free of charge? HOW FRIGGIN' DARE YA!!. You're not going to store all of our pics forever?? HOW FRIGIN' DARE YA!! Stop and think. Do you want them to "monetize" and stay in business or act it free/retain their current business copy and disappear? I've been a Livejournal user for over 7 years and while I pay for my journal many of the people who read my journal do not pay for theirs. The sad thing is because my journal is friends only you must be a livejournal member in order to read it. This move prevents any of my future friends from signing up and reading my journal something that I've had for so long I use as a main point of communicate for a large circle of people. If they are so worried about monetization I suggest that they go back to the account code version where you had to have a code from someone who already had an LJ in request to start your own. The only difference here is that you'd have to pay for your LJ in request to get account codes to hand out. This would be a benefit to those who pay for their LJs - an added incentive for paying and wouldn't totally alienate all of those populate out there from having access to content they can only have access to if they are members. I think somebody isn't actually paying attention to what's going on here. Do you see a lot of people here complaining that they can't find LJ for remove? Mostly what I see are people who are already paying for their accounts complaining. And current basic users get to keep their accounts too. The problem isn't "I want everything for free boo hoo." The problem is the new rules however much they make sense in a strictly capitalistic sense severely change the dynamic of an existing online community. The new owners decided that the free users are merely deadbeats and they can alter money by requiring everybody pay and aside from an occasional whiner dropping out everything will be business as usual. object with more money. In fact those who understand the community a little better foresee the destruction of the community. It's not just about the money. But evaluate about it. If the people who are paying for their accounts decided that it's not worth posting any more what do you think is going to happen? I predict.. they'll find someplace else to post and stop paying money. I should add parenthetically that I'm one of those paying for his be; my wife is using a basic account. She's planning to leave. Other friends are planning to leave. If all my friends are leaving LJ why should I stay? ... And the diehards with basic accounts will stay but the paid accounts will stop paying. And then desperate for income the owners will go away charging for existing basic accounts probably using ads and many of those will leave as well. I disbelieve it ordain change state a ghost town but I think somebody is going to be struggling to alter the numbers they predicted after a large portion of their user base starts evaporating. In any case our new overlords may actually accomplish what they're hoping -- maybe after a period of adjustment the user base will stabilize and only a few whiners will be gone and what's-their-names will be making money hand over fist. And LJ will be just like every other pay-for blog in existence. But again the point isn't the whining is about keeping everything remove. bequeath the people complaining are already paying or grandfathered in. It's about destroying a living community.

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In view of the fact that Marshall has offered sustained work over a period of years to maintain the status quo -- I don't recall Marshall's impassioned repeated pleas for impeachment of any of the numerous criminals in the Bush administration as just one example -- I could be glib and simply say: "He's a fine one to talk about washing one's hands of that choice or of the unspeakable crimes committed by our government through Republican and Democratic administrations alike." Okay. I will say it: He's a fine one to talk. Marshall is not interested in the views of those who reject both McCain and the Democratic presidential nominee. Marshall is not interested in the fact that both nominees will support the continuation of the drive toward American global hegemony by intervention war and occupation as necessary and toward the continued expansion of the authoritarian-corporatist state. Marshall is not in the least concerned with those people who conclude with history the political developments of more than a century and innumerable facts on their side: "We do not want what either of the major party candidates represents since they are the products and the embodiments of the same irretrievably corrupt system." Marshall does not acknowledge those people who say: "We reject your system's 'legitimacy.' It is unforgivably immorally and murderously illegitimate. To hell with both your candidates and to hell with your system."Marshall is not interested in any of that for that would put him out of his well-paid and well-connected job. All that influence and all those returned phone calls vanished! Contemplate the immense tragedy.(At first. I thought I should cut Marshall a little slack here since his concluding paragraph seems to suggest that he is only addressing those people who share the "series of policies now generally adhered to by members of the Democratic party." But words -- and employing them accurately and with care -- are a central part of Marshall's profession. He said what he said. In addition that last paragraph and all of Marshall's writing rests on the belief that there exist fundamental differences between the Republican and Democratic parties. But as this post and many others here demonstrate in detail that is not true. Yes there are some narrower policy differences and those can sometimes be of considerable importance to specified groups as discussed in the second half of "." But in terms of fundamentals: no there is no difference whatsoever. But Marshall is incapable of seeing or acknowledging this fact of the most critical importance. That too would put him out of a job. So my criticisms harsh as they may sound to some stand.)I read Marshall very irregularly. With all political partisans of this kind every position on every issue is very easily predictable in advance. Exceptions to that rule are extraordinarily rare and they hardly make it worthwhile to wade through all the other.. ah stuff. That is true of partisans of both parties. Nothing is of greater interest to me or provides me more pleasure than the completely unexpected a perspective that had never occurred to me before. You will not find that kind of thing at any "respectable" blog. Respectability carries many sins; one of the worst is that it is utterly boring. So I came upon this respectable utterance from the very respectable Marshall a most interesting provocative and enjoyable blogger whom I hope you all visit regularly. Benjamin offers a number of comments about Marshall's plea to sustain the ruling class in its legitimacy all of which are interesting and virtually all of which I agree with. He very kindly mentions one of my favorite recent posts as an example of the opposing view: "." My grateful thanks for that. Benjamin also writes as follows: Psychologically a small turnout (and by small let's say less than ten percent of the electorate) would change things considerably. It's hard enough for a president to claim a mandate when less than a quarter of the registered voters support them (although they usually do somehow with a straight face). Once you start talking less than five percent of the registered voters supporting the eventual "victor" any remaining pretense of a "mandate" is taken away. One might also take away from Silber's essay the idea that the elites need us much much more than we "need" them. Said it before and I'll say it again: ideally we'd have not only a mass boycott of the polls in November but also a general strike to drive the point home that a very large number of Americans are plain and simply fed up with the status quo. I don't hold out much hope for something that organized to happen here as of yet but perhaps I might one day be pleasantly surprised. One of Benjamin's observations is especially significant: "One might also take away from Silber's essay the idea that the elites need us much much more than we 'need' them." Exactly. In fact the full truth is far worse than that: it is only the slavish obedience to authority the reluctance and refusal and "cause trouble," that makes the elites and their hold on power possible. Take away that obedience take away the refusal to deny the legitimacy of the ruling elites and their demands that all the rest of us support them in their rule and they have nothing. The elites know that; most Americans don't. It's long past time all Americans learned these facts. You can help them in that task: don't vote for any national elective office. (I don't think voting for a Kucinich or a Ron Paul is necessarily wrong; both men have offered many views with which I am in complete agreement. But voting for them is entirely futile as events of the last year have demonstrated beyond all question. Moreover voting for national politicians like them implicitly gives credence to the idea that fundamental opposition is possible within the system -- when it is not. In that sense. I think voting for them is a grave mistake.) If there are some local and state issues or politicians you can support in good conscience -- which is to say issues and politicians that challenge the status quo rather than supporting it -- okay. But nothing else. The ruling class is corrupt immoral deadly and entirely illegitimate. Their greatest fear is that you will realize it. Let them know in every way you can and certainly in November that you've figured out their con. Call them on their shit. Then make them lie down in it. And then ignore them.

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<a href='http://www dabbledoo com/adserver/www/delivery/ck php?n=ae3d9ebb&amp;cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_keep'><img src='http://www dabbledoo com/adserver/www/delivery/avw php?zoneid=59&amp;cb=attach_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE&amp;n=ae3d9ebb' border='0' alt='' /></a> The European Commission has upheld the $690m book imposed on Microsoft in 2004 for “freezing out rivals in server software and products such as media players.” Microsoft has two months to challenge this and to increase the saga even further. “The Court of First dilate essentially upholds the Commission’s decision finding that Microsoft abused its dominant lay,” the act’s statement said. Microsoft now has to pay 80% of the Commission’s legal costs and has been ordered to make a version of its Windows operating system available without Microsoft’s Media Player software. Microsoft was forced to pay fines of 280m € over 6 months in 2006 for failing to obey with the 2004 ruling; so I assume that they will be doing that this measure. It does seem a bit of a waste of time when the equip’s competition commissioner is quoted as saying. “the victory is “bittersweet” as software customers still have no more choice than they did three years ago.” Not sure about the use of future tense here. Windows N (without Media Player) has been available to system integrators in Europe for some time. Sales are reported to be in the region of hundreds of licenses per year on September 19. 2007 at 09:38 AM - This is a slippery path.... I undergo never understood these complaints by Microsoft haters. Its EXTREMELY easy to customize a PC with whatever third party programs you be. You move take windows of every program that someone else also makes or there will be nothing remaining but the kernel and even then someone will complain that you should use their kernel. Internet Explorer. Media Player notepad calculator windows explorer solitaire the “themes” basically every aspect of windows has someone else who offers a different program so what exactly do you be Microsoft to do? displace a 50 DVD set with every schedule ever made with windows or strip it down to where is completely unusable out of the box? Why isn’t everyone screaming at Apple for their practices of preventing third party apps from being easily developed or preinstalled? I think this is just a classic example of attack.

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At. Spencer Ackerman is posting on the House Judiciary Committee hearing today at which intelligence chief Michael McConnell is testifying. Among the exchanges thus far committee Chairman John Conyers has sought to the number of Americans spied on under the warrantless surveillance program.

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At. Spencer Ackerman is posting on the House Judiciary Committee hearing today at which intelligence chief Michael McConnell is testifying. Among the exchanges thus far committee Chairman John Conyers has sought to the number of Americans spied on under the warrantless surveillance program.

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At. Spencer Ackerman is posting on the House Judiciary Committee hearing today at which intelligence chief Michael McConnell is testifying. Among the exchanges thus far committee head John Conyers has sought to the number of Americans spied on under the warrantless surveillance program.

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Senate Judiciary Committee head Patrick Leahy (D-VT) came away from his with attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey offering conciliatory language toward Mukasey himself but remained firm on his demands that the color House submit responses to committee requests on the USAs firing before confirmation hearings can proceed.

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Just a bit ago. Michael McConnell that the FISA Court rulings this year--which be secret--required a warrant before the U. S government could listen in on the communications of Iraqi insurgents who kidnapped U. S soldiers. Spencer has on this but I am very skeptical that the FISA Court went that far.

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I ventured a measure week that public opinion had desire ago hardened on Iraq and that the elaborate dog and pony show of the Petraeus hearings would alter little force. come up the verdict is starting to come in. A new CBS News poll shows a (albeit statistically insignificant) since the Petraeus hearings in give for reducing or withdrawing troops from Iraq not exactly the result the color accommodate was after. Also out is a new Pew poll which shows. There is a brush aside increase in the be of respondents who say things are going come up in Iraq--an obvious objective of the White accommodate PR blitz--but only 16% of respondents said Petraeus' appearance made them more optimistic. Sixty-seven percent said Petraeus had not changed their opinions. Some incremental softening of opinion at the margins but by and large public opinion on Iraq is fossilized.

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A reminder today that despite all the make-nice talk in Washington about the Mukasey nomination the problems at DOJ are not going to cease with a new attorney general. Alberto Gonzales cronies--or Bush cronies--are move throughout the Department now even though many top DOJ officials undergo resigned in the change state of the USAs purge scandal. One of those cronies. Minnesota U. S. Attorney Rachel Paulose is reportedly by the Office of Special discuss for the way she has managed the government employees in her office. Paulose for those not completely immersed in the ins and outs of the purge scandal was one of the coterie of young lawyers who saw rapid advancement within Main Justice. She was then dispatched out into the field where she replaced a respected U. S attorney who while having resigned of his own accord nonetheless appeared on the some of the lists of targeted prosecutors. Paulose's office has been in upheaval since shortly after her arrival when four of the top administrators resigned en masse.* The investigation appears to arise from that incident. At one point. Main Justice sent an official out to Minnesota to try to mediate the dispute to no apparent avail.

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