A casual poll --

[alfreda89]

I think the time has come to upgrade to a higher account. So, there seem to be two levels above this -- slightly more stuff (with pics) with ads, or paying without ads and additional features (like Feeds from wherever.)

So, be honest -- is this only an excuse to change the design every six weeks? Or is it worth it to you to have chosen either upgrade?

This may become my major interaction point, if I can't do conventions. So... .

Comments

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

I like the option of the feeds, etc--in fact, I am going to do some experimenting with podcasting in my copious free.

[incandragon.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty happy with my paid account. It's relatively inexpensive, it makes my comment page look pretty, and I don't have to worry about stuff. But frankly, I'm not likely to want much that I wouldn't get with free. (I'd personally stay away from the ads, but that's just because this is my personal haven, and ads are a stress point.)

[lagilman]

I am very cranky with Livejournal, whcih has gone from "no ads, we don't believe in ads" to "some ads but of you're paying you won't see them" to "well, we're offering you all these nifty things (most of which we don't actually want) and hey, we're also opening our doors [and legs] to corporate sponsors without thinking through how this is going to impact our somewhat opinionated and freewheeling client base" So I'm probably not the best person to ask about upgrading.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

I have the paying account. Is tax deductible, and I like all the icons.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

(I'd personally stay away from the ads, but that's just because this is my personal haven, and ads are a stress point.)

That's what I'd like it to be. A very good point. If I don't like the ads, that would be tres annoying...

Ah -- podding

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

I hadn't read far enough along to catch that, but I, too, would like to experiment with podding. (I just got GAIM -- I'm just behind the curve, because I don't really want a blackberry in its current incarnation. There is such a thing as being too accessible.)

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

I hope that it settles down for you. Someone encouraged me to do Multiply, and one of the others -- this has been the only one worth continuing. It can be blogging without having a blog, so to speak.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Deductible, and a better place for PR than a lot of places. Different icons means I may have to look for a few... ;^)

[lagilman]

well, I have a paid account, mainly because it's the best of what's available. I just don't trust the new corporate-minded owners to keep to their word, after so many unannounced changes to their ToS.

Beats the hell out of MySpace, though.

[ramblin-phyl.livejournal.com]

I like my paid account because I can post more pictures and icons. Also tax deductible. Thought I'd have more flexibility in design but when they "reset" they wiped my custom codes and they never came back again. So don't put a lot of effort into that aspect.

[ladypoetess.livejournal.com]

I really love my paid account. I've found the voice post feature to be very useful at times, and I love having a place I can keep online photo albums that isn't like Photobucket or Geocities (with their occasional "bandwidth exceeded" placeholder images). I am quite addicted to having lots of icons, so I always get the bonus icons add-on, as well. The polls feature is also a useful thing to me at times (as well as just a fun toy when I want to goof off with it) when I want an easy way to get graphical displays of data from my LJ friends list.

[mongo42.livejournal.com]

I have the paid account. It's pretty cheap, I like having all the themes and stuff to choose from. The main reason I started paying was so I'd have a place to upload pictures of my trips and link to them from LJ. That's real handy.

[apricot-tree.livejournal.com]

I like my paid account. As vices go, it's pretty cheap. And I love making/having lots of icons. It seems like its one of the few creative outlets I have time for. :)

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

Beats the hell out of MySpace, though.

Oh, yes. But they're all playing games. W has an account with a major bank. They have changed their privacy info, which you must approve before you can use their on-line banking. He called the bank. The bank said, oh, it's the same thing. W said, no, it's not, or you wouldn't be requiring people to click on it.

He's waited eight months to balance the checkbook manually, because he wasn't going to click on the new privacy junk. He found the missing statement while tidying up for the party.

Sometimes there *is* a reason to buck the traces.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

but when they "reset" they wiped my custom codes and they never came back again. So don't put a lot of effort into that aspect.

Sounds like saving a copy of things is a good idea. I've been making file backups of really important, private journal things.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

Hadn't thought of the journal as a graphical display, but of course it can be. Keeping photos might be very useful. I was thinking of uploading first peek at book covers, things like that.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

And I do have a few icons I'd like to have the choice of...

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

It seems like its one of the few creative outlets I have time for. :)

This I understand all too well...

[mongo42.livejournal.com]

Yeah, multiple icons is handy.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

The paid account is so cheap that I can't see any reason NOT to have one. I've also invested a bit in extra icon privileges, because I like having a few more than the minimum. The whole amount, per annum, is less than I spend in the dealer room at the average con.

There are a lot of paid account features that I don't even bother to use. I don't do phone posts, I have only a couple of pictures in my album, and LJ Chat is just as uninviting to me as any other IM program. But it gives me control over the few things I really do care about; for example, my recent "new look" has happened because I finally got enough back entries tagged that being able to search by tag became useful to me.

[ramblin-phyl.livejournal.com]

I compose some of my best ones off line and save them to a file on my harddrive and on a flash drive.

[oliana0.livejournal.com]

I'm cheap. Free's for me. Of course I've got my own domain for posting pictures, I only have like three icons, and don't need anything prettier than the defaults to read other people's journals.

Cheapcheapcheap

[mhat.livejournal.com]

I decided to start paying for my account because I feel like the service is good enough to pay for. Being able to read all of my friends messages on one sight has value to me.

If I were looking to incorporate a journal into a professional setting I would probably avoid LJ and instead use MovableType or TypePad which are both available from LJ's parent company: Six-Apart.

[penmage.livejournal.com]

I like having a paid account. It's not that expensive, and I like being able to make polls and have bunches of icons.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

for example, my recent "new look" has happened because I finally got enough back entries tagged that being able to search by tag became useful to me.

Good point. I've been trying to tag, thinking I might want it eventually.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

Good idea. I used to write things and save to a temp file before they had autosave...

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

True. But I'm getting tired of the layout!

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

If I were looking to incorporate a journal into a professional setting I would probably avoid LJ and instead use MovableType or TypePad which are both available from LJ's parent company: Six-Apart.

But that requires me to be firing on eight cylinders to get through that transfer. Fans can find me here -- so until I can hire office help (oh, to have enough fan mail to need an assistant...) I think I'll be here.