danah is right
6A buying LJ could really fuck things up there.
danah boyd has pointed out that 6A is about blogging, while LJ has created it’s own unique form of social computing - in a hyrbid balance between real-time status and messaging with community activity tracking and publishing.
The community and unique interaction that has grown up around LJ - has spawned look alikes (like Dead Journal) but also been hailed as (danah puts it so eloquently):
Live Journal is a culture, not simply a product or commodity that can be bought. From an outsider’s perspective, it might appear as though they are similar properties - they are both blogging tools, right? Wrong.
Jump inside LJ culture. People who use LJ talk about their LJs, not their blogs. They mock bloggers who want to be pundits, journalists, experts. In essence, they mock the culture of bloggers that use Six Apart’s tools. During interviews with LJ/Xanga folks, i’ve been told that MovableType is for people with no friends, people who just talk to be heard, people who are trying too hard.
LJ folks don’t see LJ as a tool, but a community. Bloggers may see the ethereal blogosphere as their community, but for LJers, it’s all about LJ. Aside from the ubergeek LJers, LJers don’t read non-LJs even though syndication is available. They post for their friends, comment excessively and constantly moderate who should have access to what.
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Movable Type is a product; LiveJournal is a community. Six Apart is seen as a community that provides tools, not culture.
I couldn’t agree more.
The idea of Barak and Andrew Anker running LJ puts shivers down my spine. Oh my god - this is gonna be fun to watch.
Sort of like the social experiment we’re doing with Marqui, or what’s about to happen at aSmallWorld (both our clients.)
I’m reminded of a song:
“Something happening here, what it is ain’t exactly clear….”
The divide between 6A and LJ is more than just cultural. It’s symbolic of the different approaches of technology, business models and ultimately digital lifestyle aggregation.
Will 6A evolve Typepad into a DLA or LJ? Will 6A build their own DLA platform or just buy us?
