Live Journal protest to come almost unnoticed in Belarus
LiveJournal user lipkovich supports the initiative to abolish free accounts at livejournal.com and will not protest. Adam_hlobus has a sponsored account, so he will not joint the strike. User vinah will boycott quietly. The owners of livejournal.com have announced that effective from March 12 new users will not be able to create free accounts. They will have to use either sponsored accounts (with ads) or paid accounts for $20 p.a.
The US-based livejounal user beckyzoole proposed all the users not to write any comments or posts on March 21 in protest to the owners’ decision. The idea was quickly spread around the whole livejournal community.
However, few Belarusians are supporting the protest. Lipkovich describes the decision of Anton Nosik, SUP Director, as adequate. Yet, he understands the strikers as well.
“First of all, I have a paid account. Secondly, this is business after all, and it should bring profit. If I were an owner, I would be doing the same in order to try to increase the profit…”
Adam Hlobus has a sponsored account. He doesn’t get irritated by adverts. Therefore, he will not join the protest action.
Adam-hlobus: “My page is full of ads. Even when I receive comments, some stupid adverts are inserted. Should I worry about it? I am rather irritated by stupidity and pseudo-revolutions”.
Yet, Belarus-based vinah has decided to take part in the protest, but quietly and without hysteria.
“I will participate but not like someone who first runs around with a slogan “I am going to kill myself” and then pours petrol and burns himself to the joy of the rest. I will just sit quiet on this day. But afterwards I will start opening livejournal.com again and see what is going on there”.
SUP today publicly apologized. In the sup-ru community, SUP staff wrote that decisions are being developed in order to allow new users to create base accounts. It is not yet clear how this will be done.
The US-based livejounal user beckyzoole proposed all the users not to write any comments or posts on March 21 in protest to the owners’ decision. The idea was quickly spread around the whole livejournal community.
However, few Belarusians are supporting the protest. Lipkovich describes the decision of Anton Nosik, SUP Director, as adequate. Yet, he understands the strikers as well.
“First of all, I have a paid account. Secondly, this is business after all, and it should bring profit. If I were an owner, I would be doing the same in order to try to increase the profit…”
Adam Hlobus has a sponsored account. He doesn’t get irritated by adverts. Therefore, he will not join the protest action.
Adam-hlobus: “My page is full of ads. Even when I receive comments, some stupid adverts are inserted. Should I worry about it? I am rather irritated by stupidity and pseudo-revolutions”.
Yet, Belarus-based vinah has decided to take part in the protest, but quietly and without hysteria.
“I will participate but not like someone who first runs around with a slogan “I am going to kill myself” and then pours petrol and burns himself to the joy of the rest. I will just sit quiet on this day. But afterwards I will start opening livejournal.com again and see what is going on there”.
SUP today publicly apologized. In the sup-ru community, SUP staff wrote that decisions are being developed in order to allow new users to create base accounts. It is not yet clear how this will be done.
