Comments | maewitch: Dreamwidth vs LJ

maewitch

Dreamwidth vs LJ

Mar 01, 2011 10:32

Is anyone on Dreamwidth? How does it compare to livejournal?

(By the way, I just created a mirror account there, also called maewitch, while I try to figure out whether to stay here or not. If you post regularly over there and are so inclined, please add me so I can keep up with you.)

Comments 10

alicia_stardust March 1 2011, 17:27:26 UTC

I started a Dreamwidth account way back when they first started up. I hated the interface initially and never really gave it a chance. At one point last year I deleted the account. Then late last year I got another one, but I never use it except to comment on the posts of friends who have fled livejournal and don't cross post.

I'm ambivalent about it, really. Nothing about it really jumps out at me.

maewitch March 1 2011, 17:32:25 UTC

Yeah, I'm getting the same vibe so far. It seems...chunky? or something? I'm really starting to loathe the adverts on LJ though.

I'm debating just starting fresh with a personal transformation type blog, and maybe cross-posting it here. I wish LJ had more of the functionality available in the blogger platform.

alicia_stardust March 1 2011, 17:35:35 UTC

*nod* Chunky is a way to describe it. It's just not quite right yet.

I actually just buck up each year and pay for the livejournal paid account to avoid the ads. ;)

maewitch March 1 2011, 17:54:02 UTC

Here's the thing...I am very, very cheap. And not in the sexyfuntime way. ;)

Thread 7

elfwreck March 2 2011, 07:29:53 UTC

I only post at Dreamwidth anymore, although I still comment around at LJ. I love DW. It's actively growing and changing, and the coding team takes suggestions and never, ever says "we've decided that's a feature not of interest to enough users." (They do say "that would be disruptive to more users than would enjoy it" or "that would take more coding resources than we have at the moment, for as few people as would like it"--but it's never a case of "we've decided that's irrelevant.")

It's cozier over there, which has pros & cons.

What I love about it:Split "friends" into reading list & access list; I don't have to see someone's posts to give them access to mine, and I don't have to give them access to follow their journal. (LJ's consistently said the way to deal with this is with filters ( ... )

maewitch March 2 2011, 15:11:05 UTC

That's a very helpful breakdown, thank you!

I think the main thing that concerns me is how difficult it might be for lj users to keep up. Can they view dreamwidth entries on their lj friend page or via a feed?

I made a dw account so that I can read your journal (among others) - would I have the option of viewing it otherwise, if you gave me access via an access list?

elfwreck March 2 2011, 16:26:47 UTC

Dreamwidth entries are available for RSS feeds, with whatever settings the DW account has set up. (Mine are set to restrict by cut tag, so you'd see whatever was above the cut & maybe the tag; there'd be a link to the actual entry.) I haven't set one up because only paid accounts can make feeds. (And apparently, not the "two week free trial of paid features!" accounts that are going on right now. Sigh.) I don't know if the feeds would show locked posts, though. (I think there's a setting for that? Maybe ( ... )