Downtime, Account Settings, iPhone, NaNoWriMo, NaBloPoMo, Permanent Account Sale Update, Halloween
A Little Downtime
As you might know, LiveJournal still runs on the Six Apart servers. 6A is taking a little downtime for maintenance, which means so are we. You won't be able to access the site on October 29th from 9:00 p.m. to midnight PST Edit: 8:30PM to 12:30AM (October 30) PST.
But the good news is that our upcoming server move means we won't have to schedule downtime for maintenance in the future (Edit: after the move, that is). In mid-November, we're moving to a completely new server facility in Montana that will make LiveJournal bigger, faster, better, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Housed in a brand-new data center, the new servers are more efficient and increase the overall capacity of the site. The new location also offers increased roaming capacity for Frank.
Account Settings Page
In our neverending quest to make LiveJournal a more friendly place to visit, we are introducing a new Account Settings page.
We took all the various "settings" scattered and hidden throughout LJ and exposed them to the light. This project is in phase one, so it's only in beta for now. Go to lj_design to read more about the new settings page and find out how to test it. In phase two we'll take all of your comments, discuss them internally and on lj_design, then incorporate the discussion into our thinking and put the Account Settings page up again in what we hope will be an even easier-to-use design. And while you're over at lj_design, take a look at the revamped Profile Page beta. We're really looking forward to hearing what you have to say.
It's Here! LiveJournal App for iPhone
The LiveJournal.app is available in the App Store on iTunes. Now you can use your iPhone or iPod touch to keep up with LiveJournal when you're on the go. Post entries to journals and communities, select userpics and security settings for individual posts, upload photos, use familiar LJ formatting commands like and user, and more. Read the FAQ here. And be sure to check out cosysoftware_en, the Cosy Software developer community, to give feedback and get news about upcoming features.
National Novel Writing Month Is Coming
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), your annual chance to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days, starts on November 1. We know NaNoWriMo is very popular with LJ users, and we also know the key to finishing is having the right kind of support. Together with our friends at NaNoWriMo we've come up with a number of ways to help you get across the 50,000-word finish line.
Don't Forget National Blog Posting Month
For those of you who feel a little daunted by 50,000 words in 30 days, why not try 30 blog posts in 30 days? If you want to make blogging a daily habit, sign up for NaBloPoMo to kick your posts into high gear. LJ staffers chasethestars and marta took the pledge, so check their journals during November to make sure their posts are on track (see above about fear of public failure being a great motivator).
Permanent Account Sale and A La Carte Userpics Update
So, we said we would know the details about the a la carte userpics and Permanent Account sale by October, but due to various product priorities being juggled in the last month, we have to delay that announcement until November 6. We're sorry for the six-day delay, but rest assured that we're working furiously to get it all lined up because we know it's important to you.
Happy Halloween!
It's the spookiest time of year. Treat (or trick) a friend with one of our haunting Halloween v-gifts. And keep your eyes out next week for a horrifying new site scheme.
As you might know, LiveJournal still runs on the Six Apart servers. 6A is taking a little downtime for maintenance, which means so are we. You won't be able to access the site on October 29th from 9:00 p.m. to midnight PST Edit: 8:30PM to 12:30AM (October 30) PST.
But the good news is that our upcoming server move means we won't have to schedule downtime for maintenance in the future (Edit: after the move, that is). In mid-November, we're moving to a completely new server facility in Montana that will make LiveJournal bigger, faster, better, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Housed in a brand-new data center, the new servers are more efficient and increase the overall capacity of the site. The new location also offers increased roaming capacity for Frank.
Account Settings Page
In our neverending quest to make LiveJournal a more friendly place to visit, we are introducing a new Account Settings page.
We took all the various "settings" scattered and hidden throughout LJ and exposed them to the light. This project is in phase one, so it's only in beta for now. Go to lj_design to read more about the new settings page and find out how to test it. In phase two we'll take all of your comments, discuss them internally and on lj_design, then incorporate the discussion into our thinking and put the Account Settings page up again in what we hope will be an even easier-to-use design. And while you're over at lj_design, take a look at the revamped Profile Page beta. We're really looking forward to hearing what you have to say.
It's Here! LiveJournal App for iPhone
The LiveJournal.app is available in the App Store on iTunes. Now you can use your iPhone or iPod touch to keep up with LiveJournal when you're on the go. Post entries to journals and communities, select userpics and security settings for individual posts, upload photos, use familiar LJ formatting commands like and user, and more. Read the FAQ here. And be sure to check out cosysoftware_en, the Cosy Software developer community, to give feedback and get news about upcoming features.
National Novel Writing Month Is Coming
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), your annual chance to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days, starts on November 1. We know NaNoWriMo is very popular with LJ users, and we also know the key to finishing is having the right kind of support. Together with our friends at NaNoWriMo we've come up with a number of ways to help you get across the 50,000-word finish line.
- Doing something for others can be a great motivator, so for every LiveJournal user who finishes the contest this year, we'll donate a $1 to NaNoWriMo's Young Writers Program. We partnered wth NaNoWriMo and created lj_nanowrimo to keep track of who's participating and who finishes. All you have to do is join and let us know your NaNo username or number, and at the end of the month we'll check our list against the list of verified finishers.
- If you're more motivated by personal gain than altruism (and really, who isn't?), we have something for you, too. We're giving away 5 free one-year paid accounts to a random selection of LJ users who join lj_nanowrimo and finish NaNoWriMo.
- Want to offer your support to friends who are writing madly to meet the deadline? Encourage them with a special v-gift and we'll donate 50% of the net proceeds to the Young Writer's Program.
- It takes more than coffee to write a novel in 30 days. One of our writing-themed templates might be just the thing to keep you going late at night.
- LJ staffers coffeechica and lyndaellen are taking the plunge this year and you can track their progress in lj_nanowrimo (we hear that fear of public failure is a great motivator).
- And, as part of NaNoWriMo's Write-a-thon fundraiser on November 15, we're sponsoring what we think is the grandest of the Grand Prizes-the LiveJournal Laptop! The top fundraiser of the night will walk away with a brand-new Dell Studio 15 laptop all pimped out LJ-style.
Don't Forget National Blog Posting Month
For those of you who feel a little daunted by 50,000 words in 30 days, why not try 30 blog posts in 30 days? If you want to make blogging a daily habit, sign up for NaBloPoMo to kick your posts into high gear. LJ staffers chasethestars and marta took the pledge, so check their journals during November to make sure their posts are on track (see above about fear of public failure being a great motivator).
Permanent Account Sale and A La Carte Userpics Update
So, we said we would know the details about the a la carte userpics and Permanent Account sale by October, but due to various product priorities being juggled in the last month, we have to delay that announcement until November 6. We're sorry for the six-day delay, but rest assured that we're working furiously to get it all lined up because we know it's important to you.
Happy Halloween!
It's the spookiest time of year. Treat (or trick) a friend with one of our haunting Halloween v-gifts. And keep your eyes out next week for a horrifying new site scheme.