LOLING (ALBEIT IN PAIN):

[thene]

From Yonmei, at feministSF:

I realised in June 2006, when I was kicked off Livejournal by Denise Paolucci (who, ironically, now runs Dreamwidth), that the model that we’re all becoming used to, of social services which are free at first-registration (and sometimes, always free) is one in which we are the product. Facebook and Livejournal and WordPress and Twitter (and Huffington Post and Comment is Free at the Guardian) all look different but they all have the same basic business model: you are providing the means by which the corporation that owns the network attracts viewers to their site. You get to use the service provided for free, for much the same reason as a farmer doesn’t charge chickens for their feed. In 2006 I made a decision that substantially lowered my value as “product”: SixApart banned me and SUP upheld the ban even after they had themselves removed the specific rule I had protested. [Update: In a naked reminder of How This Works, literally while I was composing this post Twitter took away my ability to access their site using their original clean design and I now have only a muddled, confused screen, based on Tweetdeck, which restricts the original functionality but will enable them to push advertising at me more easily.]

Google+, in demanding your credit-card name, simply makes this overt. You are allowed to use their social network for the purpose of making them money: and they no more want us to be able to decide for ourselves how we’ll be used by Google than a farmer wants a flock of independently-minded hens.

brb never joining one of those massive real-name sites ever.

Comments

[kat-nic.livejournal.com]

Oh god me neither. D: While my lj username may be based on my real name, and I don't have a problem using my first name--which is fairly common, anyway--my middle and most importantly my last name--which is definitely not common--have never been used on any public forum anywhere. And hell, my fic journal user name is a pseudonym of a pseudonym, because there are LJ friends I would prefer not discover I write smut. :/ I have my gmail account and I'll keep using their web browser, but google+ can fuck right off.

[thene]

Yeah - I'm not totally fussy about letting irl and the internet mix, but I definitely don't want anyone I work with to find all the smut. I don't even have a fic journal - I prefer stashing stuff on comms. lol compartmentalising :(

I don't even really know what the content on such sites is meant to be...eh, whatever it is I don't need it in my life. Anyone who wants to talk to me knows where to find me.

[thene]

I first read something by you-as-'Alis Dee' pretty much exactly 10 years now, so. :)

[thene]

...You're right, I think it might have been simply 'Dee'? On the Pit, circa 2001-2002.

[nakki]

Oh poo, I was hoping to entice you to the dark side =(

There's definitely a lot of problems with the G+ name/gender situation but I'm willing to give them a couple more months to work out the kinks, mostly because Google utterly owns my entire online life at this point and I may as well go all in. Also, having lived with one of the project managers on G+ for 4 years I'm willing to trust them much farther then facebook (which I only keep up as a placeholder for my real name so no one else can use it)

[thene]

ngl, when I first heard about g+ I HAD HOPE that there would finally be a useable social network I could be on, BUT NO. :( So I do hope they fix their shit (dunno if you saw Dee's piece on this). It is very reassuring to know that you have corrupted this project personally. <3

Hm, we are hoping to come up to Boston in early October. Fingers crossed. In the meantime I am writing terrible fic that is not even porn. ;__;

[nakki]

really???? what are you coming to boston for???

[thene]

Because we want to move to either Boston or Pittsburgh at the end of the year and are going to have a nice big exploratory roadtrip first.

[nakki]

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!????????????????????????????????????????????????

OMG, YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well if you need apartment hunting help in the Boston area just ask!! I'd be happy to show up at apartments and make video tours for you =D

[thene]

yay yay yay and Ting has said the same thing about the outer city (she's always in either Framlingham or Malden and says the transit links to the city from there are really good).

I keep telling M that I have an open mind about this and he keeps telling me that as soon as I get to Boston and start exploring it with you guys Pittsburgh will be RIGHT OUT; and he really wants to move to Pittsburgh. /facepalm IDK, just dunno how realistically affordable Boston is for us. BUT WE WILL TAKE A LOOK.

[kyrias]

Pittsburgh. Don't force me to make bad pun / immature jabbing remarks at ...Pittsburgh.

But anyways. Malden isn't even REALLY city fringe. F-ham, however, doesn't count as part of greater boston.

[thene]

M thinks he wants to move to Pittsburgh. He also thinks I will want to move to Boston and that we are going to have a giant fight about this, which he is already planning out in his head. I keep telling him to have an open mind about all this, please! :(

Still in limbo when it comes to funding this trip. Hoping we can make it to Pittsburgh in the last week of September, and then up to you in the first week of October - you must tell me when exactly you'll be a free woman again.

[kyrias]

Mmm. I think I'll be free in October, actually. Dad is leaving in Sept!