Mod post: Why does Artists_Beware stay on LiveJournal...

[kerstin-orion.livejournal.com]

...when there are so many newer, more popular social sites out there?

I've been asked that several times, even by my fellow moderators.

There are several reasons, but it mostly boils down to "Interaction".

LiveJournal offers a level of discussion rarely seen on other sites. Forums often have rather hard-to-follow comment threads (if they have threading of comments at all). Facebook truncates large comments, and formatting a post with the proper evidence would be next to impossible. Tumblr's comment system is rather...disorganized. Twitter has a character limit, though we're working on setting up a feed for notifying when a post is made. Art sites don't allow call-outs, which is what our 'bewares' are often called.

Finally, using a our own site would require users to create a login for yet another site. We feel that would discourage the level of discussion we have here on LiveJournal. Here, at least, you can log in with your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ account, thanks to Livejournal's connect widgets. No LiveJournal account needed.

Because Artists_Beware isn't just about tossing up a post about a bad experience with an artist, commissioner, or business. We offer advice and suggestions on how to resolve these issues, sometimes even debunk the issue when other proof shows up due to members' questioning. That wouldn't happen with a "post-and-walk-away" site.

There are other reasons we stay on LiveJournal, and yes, there are also things we don't like about LiveJournal, but not enough to drive us away (yet).

Comments

[wolf-goat.livejournal.com]

I for one am glad AB hasn't moved to another of those sites. Especially Tumblr, the comments system on there is woeful.

If it were to move though, I think Wordpress would be the only other viable option (that I know of).

[foxhack.livejournal.com]

So, you wouldn't even consider moving to Dreamwidth?

It's basically Livejournal without the annoying Russian spambots and with people who can actually fix all the bugs.

[shukivengeance.livejournal.com]

We have a DW where all posts here are imported to.

[dennisthetiger.livejournal.com]

Where is it? I am willing to so subscribe.

[oceandezignz.livejournal.com]

The DreamWidth address is practically the same as the LiveJournal address. Just different host sites!

http://artists-beware.dreamwidth.org/

[kerstin-orion.livejournal.com]

Dreamwidth is a convenient mirror for our community, but we don't use it as the main site because

1: Dreamwidth does not allow logging in from other social services (yet).

2: There are more people with existing LiveJournal accounts than with existing Dreamwidth accounts.

3: We're already firmly entrenched here and switching sites for a virtually identical service is something I'd rather avoid, considering the work of moving and advertising the change.

However, if spambots and bugs start to make LJ totally unusable, we may migrate elsewhere, and Dreamwidth may be one of the options we examine.

[grygon.livejournal.com]

i am glad that AB stays here. AB and one other comm are pretty much the only two things keeping me here, BUT i cannot imagine AB and that other place being as active anywhere else... i am very glad that for now, until something as good or better comes along, we remain here.

[felonykat.livejournal.com]

I too am glad that A_B stays on LJ. Other sites have come and gone and while I've tried them and even use them, LJ is still my favorite format because of the reasons you mention as reasons why you stay.

[wyngaed.livejournal.com]

Exactly this! With all the social networking site options available today, LJ often gets overlooked. So many people have come to prefer updating about their life in short 140 character sentences and random pictures while they're on the go with their smart phones or something. It is really sad!

I appreciate the solid communication and true discussion that takes place on Live Journal daily. You can leave long, thoughtful responses to posts, update more about your day/week/life than just a short sentence so your friends/followers can get to understanding you better. How well do you (general you) really know the folks you follow on Twitter? I can't say I know the people I've met through that service very well! It's the people I connect with on Live Journal that I really get to know!

[xianjaguar.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you're still here. I personally don't use any other networking sites. LJ is so much better for actual text, stories and discussions (whereas other sites focus mainly on short sentences, pictures and shouts.)

[taasla.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you guys are sticking here. I've invested a lot of time and effort into LJ (and money with a paid account @.@), and I have no reason to move just yet.

[mistresswolf.livejournal.com]

I, too, am among the people that like that A_B stays on LiveJournal. I don't much use LJ for anything else... but I like how everything works on this site. :)

[deejthistle.livejournal.com]

Also glad of this. Even with the site's flaws, LJ's clutter is nothing compared to places like Facebook. The front page is kind of busy, but actual journals and communities have the option not to be.

With FB, in particular, there's nowhere you can go without YOU MAY KNOW or YOU MAY LIKE on both sides of the screen. It's so distracting, I can barely stand to use it (and rarely do).

[mgsfriedchicken.livejournal.com]

A_B is best on livejournal. Tumblr, though is what a lot of people currently use and stuff spreads a lot faster but still disorganized.

[starbonds.livejournal.com]

If I may make a suggestion here, if there are no plans to move to other websites, is it possible to fix the current layout to a variable width size? The current fixed width is really small and there's a lot of empty space left underutilized on my screen (mine's 1600x900).

But regardless, tumblr/facebook/twitter are really unfit for discussion so I'm happy staying here.

[kerstin-orion.livejournal.com]

We liked our original format, which did allow for flexible width. Unfortunately, when LJ updated that style, it made it unusable for us.

We tried to find another format that included all of the options we were looking for, while maintaining readability. Unfortunately, we had to make a few compromises.

Perhaps with future LJ updates, we can find another format that works better.

[dinogrrl.livejournal.com]

Well, I for one am very glad AB has stayed here. I'm not on any of the 'cool' social sites--I can't stand them! And while I do like forums, I understand your reasons behind not wanting to move AB to one. For all LJ's annoyances, it is one of the most accessible social platforms that actually allows people to be social. Which is what this community's about.

[loganberrybunny.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to hear this. LJ is simply better set up for a community like this than Twitter/Facebook/Tumblr. Unlike (so it seems) a lot of people, I've actually increased my use of LJ recently, so it helps no end to have this here as well to keep an eye on easily. I have a DreamWidth account, but I agree that moving to DW now would probably be more trouble than it was worth.

[tunavoice.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine how badly the no-harassment rule would be broken if A_B were on Tumblr... I personally think that is an awful blogging platform.

I'm glad it's on LJ, honestly, because things like this can be enforced much better, not to mention privacy protection of posts. There is NO privacy on tumblr, at all. LJ is convenient, I love the layouts, and the commenting system is better than most others that I've seen.

[oceandezignz.livejournal.com]

A_B would have been BOOTED off Tumblr I'm sure.

[tunavoice.livejournal.com]

If someone complained enough, yeah. But I don't think it's against tumblr's policies, unless I missed something. :|
Tumblr sucks anyway.

[ocelotish]

I'm not so sure; there's plenty of negative opinions and call outs on tumblr if you know where to look.

[doodlesthegreat.livejournal.com]

Tumblr's comment system is rather...disorganized.

A better term would be nonexistent.

[foxhack.livejournal.com]

Discus works well.

Whenever it bloody does.

[xenafox.livejournal.com]

Is there a way to maybe utilize some of the other sites? Like...keep it here on LJ pretty much but perhaps have a tumblr where you post up the new bewares with a link back here to the comm?

I just mention this because even with no real comment system on tumblr, it sure would get bewares out to more people with how fast things travel on tumblr.

[oceandezignz.livejournal.com]

But the problem with Tumblr is that people can screw with any and all content in a post, when they reblog it, sometimes going so far as to remove sources, etc. etc. etc. The average tumblr user is not going to go digging for the actual sauce. Y'know? Its all apart of that instant gratification culture we got going now.

But we are going to roll out a Twitter account soon so we are taking steps to join the rest of the world. Just slowly.

[xenafox.livejournal.com]

Yea, I thought about that and it really sucks...x.x I just thought regardless maybe it could be useful. But you are right about instant gratification, and people like to see a bad thing and reblog it before verifying it it seems...

Haha, I absolutely loathe twitter but I see how it can be useful for this comm.

Mod Post

[kerstin-orion.livejournal.com]

To post to this community:

First join it by going to the community info page (http://artists-beware.livejournal.com/profile) and clicking "Join Community" on the top-right.

Then, click "Post", also on the top-right of the above page. Write up your post using our report template (http://artists-beware.livejournal.com/432731.html) and submit it.

We moderators will review it and determine whether it will be approved or not.

In the meantime, I am screening this comment and the others you made in other posts.

[frazzled-niya.livejournal.com]

Please don't move from LJ =T...There is an unaffiliated one of DevART already and there may already be ones on said other social networks. I think it works best here anyway.

[kaputotter.livejournal.com]

LJ may be circling the drain in some aspects, but I too am glad AB stays here. It really is simply the most practical network for it on so many levels.

Besides, LJ may make more of a recovery sometime. Stranger things have happened....

[raeraesama.livejournal.com]

I'd like it if AB had an actual website of it's own, but given that people don't need an LJ account anymore to post, I do like that it's here rather than elsewhere.

[ikirouta-fox.livejournal.com]

I´m glad that AB is here on LJ. So many communities and artists have recently moved away from LJ to Twitter or Tumblr. I am glad that there is still activity on LJ because I personally really like this site. I don´t like Twitter and Tumblr and never use them.