Oh joy... :(

[elisi]

Originally posted by rahirah at CONFIRMED: LJ Servers moving to Russia, now with all kinds of links and shit

LJ has been owned by a Russian company, SUP, for some years, but until recently, the servers were in California, and thus subject to US law. This is no longer be the case. Links on the ramifications of this (English speakers will need to use Google Translate on the last two):

http://madfilkentist.dreamwidth.org/77455.html
https://mdlbear.dreamwidth.org/1584905.html
http://siderea.livejournal.com/1330106.html
http://lynnenne.livejournal.com/285076.html
http://dolboeb.livejournal.com/3079690.html
http://dolboeb.livejournal.com/3081385.html

I have done a traceroute ( http://ping.eu/traceroute/ ) on my own LJ, and it appears to come through a Russian server now.

There are unconfirmed reports that journals with 'objectionable' content, such as pro-Ukraine blogs, are being deleted. There's also what looks like a mass migration of Russian users into Dreamwidth over the last week or so.

There are all kinds of ramifications for this move, most of them bad. For people located outside Russia, I think the greatest risk is simply that SUP has decided that the non-Russian side of LJ hasn't been profitable in ages, and is never going to be profitable, and this is the first step in shutting it down entirely. So if you have a Livejournal with content that you'd like to preserve, now is a real good time to back it up.

HOW TO BACK UP YOUR LJ:

https://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faqbrowse?faqid=127 (importing personal blogs)
https://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faqbrowse?faqid=230 (importing communities)

You can import tags, icons, filters, posts, and comments – the whole shebang. You can also set up crossposting to Livejournal (I've been crossposting to LJ from DW for years.)

If you have no Dreamwidth account, if someone imports a comment you made, it will be made under your Open ID account. If you make a DW account, you can claim these comments:

http://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faqbrowse?faqid=84 (How can I claim my OpenID account with my Dreamwidth account?)

If you're already on Dreamwidth, or is you're setting up a backup account there now, please let me know so I can friend you over there. I'd hate to lose track of everyone if we wake up one morning and find a big ol' 404 error where LJ used to be.

~~

What rahirah said: Please let me know who you are on Dreamwidth. (I'm elisi everywhere, except Tumblr.) (But Tumblr is not important...) ETA: I'm not going anywhere, and I don't particularly *like* DW, it's just... Not home. (And does not have a single layout that I like.) However, I like to have back-up plans. Let's all move to InsaneJournal!! :D (Tweak says, "i love you")

Comments

The fucking Cold War continues . . .

[promethia_tenk]

Oi vey.

Under normal circumstances I'd say that the practical implications of this for anybody who isn't Russian are probably negligible. But after this year, who even knows anymore. I doubt the Clinton campaign thought they needed to censor their discussions about pizza, and look how that ended up . . .

Back when I moved, I made a series of resource posts about Dreamwidth. They're four years old, so I won't vouch for all the links anymore, but there's still a lot of info that I think people would find useful:

Some basics: https://promethia-tenk.dreamwidth.org/27704.html
Mirroring and cross-posting: https://promethia-tenk.dreamwidth.org/28284.html
A tip about font sizes to make things look better: https://promethia-tenk.dreamwidth.org/28555.html
How to fill out your reading list: https://promethia-tenk.dreamwidth.org/31350.html

ETA: every time LJ has one of its ~episodes, I fall down the biggest rabbit hole of friends-of friends-of friends-of friends: reading everybody's posts and comments. It combines two of my very favorite things: fandom, and technology platform wars. Figure out a way to fit typology in there too and I'd probably never come up for air.

Re: The fucking Cold War continues . . .

[elisi]

It combines two of my very favorite things: fandom, and technology platform wars. Figure out a way to fit typology in there too and I'd probably never come up for air.
The joy of being an INTP... You could type everyone based on their response?

Thank you for the links btw. And I'm still unsure what exactly to DO.

[ringthebells]

We're already friends here, as you can see.

[elisi]

Good. :)

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

We may already be connected over there. I'm shadowkat.

[elisi]

I think we are? Will check in the morning.

[kerkevik-2014.livejournal.com]

Kinda appropriately finishes 2016 with a flourish; killing the blog I spent most time on.

Dreamwidth is ok, but it isn't the same.

kerk

[elisi]

My thoughts exactly.

[kita0610.livejournal.com]

Dumbass question- how do you know you're on a Russian server? I ran the thingy but I don't speak code and have no idea what any of it meant.

[elisi]

No idea. I've not gotten that far, merely re-posting to spread the message & so I can easily find it...

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Do you honestly think DW is so much less likely to simply disappear?

This might give it a boost for a while but honestly it give the impression it is a one woman and a dog outfit these days, if it was ever anything more.

[elisi]

Well, it isn't owned by Russians...

And I dunno. For now I'll crosspost. I've never taken to it, but needs must? Meh.

Like I said to Kita, let's all go to InsaneJournal instead?

[kaffy_r]

You and I have talked about LJ/Dreamwidth, and I understand how you feel about it. Even though I'm not as attached to the place, I don't intend to actually shut down my journal here unless there's any technical possibility that Russian bad guys could knock out my Dreamwidth abilities or posts via LJ, which is probably not much of a possibility. This is, after all, where I got to know online fandom, even if I got started later than others. I owe LJ a hell of a lot.

I think Dreamwidth's ambiance can only be enhanced by more people, but I don't like the idea that something awful happening to LJ is the reason people move to DW. It's just another suckalicious travesty of 2016's making.

2016, The Year That Was A Troll.

(What's Insane Journal?)

[elisi]

This is, after all, where I got to know online fandom, even if I got started later than others. I owe LJ a hell of a lot.
I've been here since... 2004. *clings* They'll have to force me out. :(

2016, The Year That Was A Troll.
Aye.

(What's Insane Journal?)
!!! InsaneJournal is a LJ clone that predates DreamWidth. It could have been DW, except they've never supported Importing or Crossposting. Communities are called Asylums. It makes me terribly nostalgic, and I still have an account... ETA: InsaneJournal is probably one reason I'm not keen on DreamWidth. I like InsaneJournal more, just on principle. DW is very... twee. IJ, despite it oddities, has character. And DW is still (to me) the new kid on the block, y'know?

[sea_thoughts]

I'm sea_thoughts over there as well. Haven't got around to importing/cross-posting but maybe should get on that.

[elisi]

*adds you*

[classics-lover.livejournal.com]

I'm halberdier over on DW (I bet there's a story about why I chose that name but I can not recall for the life of me)

[elisi]

You are added. And if you ever remember, I'd love to hear the story behind your name. :)

[flowsoffire.livejournal.com]

*waves* I'm also flowsoffire, and routinely cross-post from DW, so I can be found there as well :)

[elisi]

You have been added back. :)

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

I'm already there, but I was using it as a fic archive more than anything. Guess I will have to back up everything there!

*Headdesk*

[elisi]

It's dead simple:

Go to Organize -> Import Content (https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/importer)

Click 'Start another Import'

Tick the boxes for what you want (Posts, Comments, Icons etc.)

Put in your LJ details.

Click the start button.

Sit back & wait.

Done.

[vixenofflames.livejournal.com]

I'm spritechan over on DreamWdith! ^_^

[elisi]

You have been added back. :)

[double_dutchess]

I've created a DW account, just in case, for backup purposes. Same name as here and everywhere else: double_dutchess.

[elisi]

Added! :)

[cordykitten]

BTW I'm cordykitten @ Insanejournal too. ;)
But I now see we're already mutual friends there too.

[elisi]

WE DO IT OLD SKOOL! :D

(This was the very first icon I ever uploaded...)