7 DAYS RESPONSE: a starting point.
This is an edited repost of an idea originally posted to my journal and expanded on greatly in comments, until it was decided that a central planning community was needed.
The proposal below is meant to be a coordinated large-scale community-wide LJ response to Six Apart. As such it is a work in progress and is subject to change. Please read and feel free to propose your own alternative Fandom Activity to make this plan as effective as possible.
We will discuss ideas in this community and take a vote on what the final 7 steps should be before we cull resources and spread the word. Watch this space to voite and learn how you can help.
Most importantly, PASS IT ON.
7 DAYS: A PROPOSAL.
Day One: Sponsored Communities.
Ahead of time, we create and distribute a list of contacts to companies who are sponsoring communities on livejournal. We pass this list around fandom, and then on the first day of the 7 Day Response, we sit down and email these companies. We email, and if possible, we call, the PR departments of these companies, and make sure they know our concerns with Six Apart.
* We will need: a list of sponsored communities and contacts for them! Anyone with info on how to go about compiling a comprehensive list, please speak up.
* Potential problems with this phase: it's aggressive / does not work with Six Apart but rather against it
Day Two: Advertisers.
Ahead of time, we create and distribute a list of livejournal's advertising sponsors. On the second day of the 7 Day Response, we call them. we hit every advertiser we can find. See above, lather, rinse, repeat.
* We will need: a list like this one. A great place to start. If you have more information on advertisers, please let us know.
*Potential problems: similar to above, but I think we can pull this phase off without coming across too aggressively
Day Three: Journal Deletion.
We'll delete all our *other* journals. Not just for a day but for good until they reinstate the purge. All your old livejournals you never use any more. All your sockpuppets, all the names you've been hoarding, all your old characters from dead RPGs, all your hidden private journals you haven't updated in a year, all the journals you've forgotten you had.
* We will need: guts
* Potential problems: Six Apart does not typically respond well to this step when tried in the past; it might be an empty gesture, even if it feels good.
Day Four: We Take the story off of livejournal.
Taking this issue to the media will involve complicated issues, which is why we want to emphasize inoffensive journals over the general impact on fandom at large.
*We will need: LOTS of guts ; articulate speakers ; a party line approach to how we talk about this issue to the media.
*Potential problems: negative exposure of fandom to media. The potential upside as I've stated before is that we have an opportunity to impact *how* we're represented in the media. We also have a chance to present SixApart with the possibility of creating *good* press for them by counteracting all the negative press they've been getting.
Day Five: Social Networks.
We go to Facebook, we go to MySpace, we invade Youtube, Flickr, and every other social network we can think of. (Not Vox, obviously). We send the message loud and clear that if you don't want your freedoms of speech restricted, you don't want to blog with SixApart.
*We will need: Youtube skills, anyone?
*Potential problems: too aggressively negative, again - though it could be powerfully affective.
Day Six: We Walk out. ****** Up for complete re-evaluation..
That's right. We don't delete our journals. We place simple, uniform statement across fandom, on our ljs and userinfos:
I have chosen not to post today in honor of all those whose freedoms of speech and creative expression have been restricted by Livejournal and SixApart.com or something similar.
And we walk out.
*We will need: Greatestjournal and journalfen (also robust server.)
*Potential problems: if not everyone does it, empty gesture; making a post about how we're not posting negates the point; SixApart doesn't really respond to this tactic traditionally; Also, by walking out, we'd be making the statement that we are willing to be driven away which is what SixApart presumably wants anyway.
Day Seven: Phone posts.
We call them. Moses approaching Pharaoh after the plagues: undelete my people.
We call Six Apart and Livejournal staff and we express our frustration (politely) and our willingness to do everything it takes to get them to listen to us and respect our needs as a community.
After six days of bad press, hopefully they will finally be willing to listen.
*We will need: long-distance
*Potential problems: heavy call volume meaning calls don't get through (as was the case today); annoying Six Apart more than we actually reach them
______________
Again, all of this is just a proposal. I think we need to seriously consider alternatives to Day 6 (Walkout) and Day 3 (Deletion) at the least.
Also, we need to think about whether we want this to be a negative campaign against LJ or whether we want to create a dialogue with them. I think we need to push for the latter as much as possible.
Please feel free to suggest changes to this proposed plan and tell me what you think would work better. SPEAK UP.
Should LJ continue to undelete journals and open a dialogue with the community as I hope they will, this plan as I've said will hopefully not be necessary. But in case they don't, again - we'll have a plan.
Let's get this rolling.
The proposal below is meant to be a coordinated large-scale community-wide LJ response to Six Apart. As such it is a work in progress and is subject to change. Please read and feel free to propose your own alternative Fandom Activity to make this plan as effective as possible.
We will discuss ideas in this community and take a vote on what the final 7 steps should be before we cull resources and spread the word. Watch this space to voite and learn how you can help.
Most importantly, PASS IT ON.
7 DAYS: A PROPOSAL.
Ahead of time, we create and distribute a list of contacts to companies who are sponsoring communities on livejournal. We pass this list around fandom, and then on the first day of the 7 Day Response, we sit down and email these companies. We email, and if possible, we call, the PR departments of these companies, and make sure they know our concerns with Six Apart.
* We will need: a list of sponsored communities and contacts for them! Anyone with info on how to go about compiling a comprehensive list, please speak up.
* Potential problems with this phase: it's aggressive / does not work with Six Apart but rather against it
Ahead of time, we create and distribute a list of livejournal's advertising sponsors. On the second day of the 7 Day Response, we call them. we hit every advertiser we can find. See above, lather, rinse, repeat.
* We will need: a list like this one. A great place to start. If you have more information on advertisers, please let us know.
*Potential problems: similar to above, but I think we can pull this phase off without coming across too aggressively
We'll delete all our *other* journals. Not just for a day but for good until they reinstate the purge. All your old livejournals you never use any more. All your sockpuppets, all the names you've been hoarding, all your old characters from dead RPGs, all your hidden private journals you haven't updated in a year, all the journals you've forgotten you had.
* We will need: guts
* Potential problems: Six Apart does not typically respond well to this step when tried in the past; it might be an empty gesture, even if it feels good.
Taking this issue to the media will involve complicated issues, which is why we want to emphasize inoffensive journals over the general impact on fandom at large.
*We will need: LOTS of guts ; articulate speakers ; a party line approach to how we talk about this issue to the media.
*Potential problems: negative exposure of fandom to media. The potential upside as I've stated before is that we have an opportunity to impact *how* we're represented in the media. We also have a chance to present SixApart with the possibility of creating *good* press for them by counteracting all the negative press they've been getting.
We go to Facebook, we go to MySpace, we invade Youtube, Flickr, and every other social network we can think of. (Not Vox, obviously). We send the message loud and clear that if you don't want your freedoms of speech restricted, you don't want to blog with SixApart.
*We will need: Youtube skills, anyone?
*Potential problems: too aggressively negative, again - though it could be powerfully affective.
That's right. We don't delete our journals. We place simple, uniform statement across fandom, on our ljs and userinfos:
I have chosen not to post today in honor of all those whose freedoms of speech and creative expression have been restricted by Livejournal and SixApart.com or something similar.
And we walk out.
*We will need: Greatestjournal and journalfen (also robust server.)
*Potential problems: if not everyone does it, empty gesture; making a post about how we're not posting negates the point; SixApart doesn't really respond to this tactic traditionally; Also, by walking out, we'd be making the statement that we are willing to be driven away which is what SixApart presumably wants anyway.
We call them. Moses approaching Pharaoh after the plagues: undelete my people.
We call Six Apart and Livejournal staff and we express our frustration (politely) and our willingness to do everything it takes to get them to listen to us and respect our needs as a community.
After six days of bad press, hopefully they will finally be willing to listen.
*We will need: long-distance
*Potential problems: heavy call volume meaning calls don't get through (as was the case today); annoying Six Apart more than we actually reach them
______________
Again, all of this is just a proposal. I think we need to seriously consider alternatives to Day 6 (Walkout) and Day 3 (Deletion) at the least.
Also, we need to think about whether we want this to be a negative campaign against LJ or whether we want to create a dialogue with them. I think we need to push for the latter as much as possible.
Please feel free to suggest changes to this proposed plan and tell me what you think would work better. SPEAK UP.
Should LJ continue to undelete journals and open a dialogue with the community as I hope they will, this plan as I've said will hopefully not be necessary. But in case they don't, again - we'll have a plan.
Let's get this rolling.