What?
The one-day content strike is on for this Friday, March 21, from midnight GMT to midnight GMT.
For 24 hours, we will not post or comment to LJ. Not in our own journals, not in communities. Not publicly, privately, or under friends-lock.
This is a protest that will have long-lasting effects, showing up forever in the daily posting statistics.
This is a protest that will not harm LJ in the long run, as leaving LJ might do.
This is a protest that will demonstrate the power of community, as all users unite to support Basic users and the concept of adfree space.
This is a protest that will educate the new owners that LJ is driven by user-created content.
Why?
We are holding the Content Strike because we want to demonstrate that LiveJournal is content-driven.
We are holding the Content Strike because we want the new owners of LiveJournal to better understand the power and resolve of the LJ Community of Users.
We are holding the Content Strike because all of us, Paid, Permanent and Plus users as well as Basic, want to demonstrate our solidarity as a Community of Users. We do not consider Basic users to be freeloaders, we consider them to be valuable content-providers and Friends.
We are holding the Content Strike because we ache to do something to show our displeasure, and commenting on the 
news post -- even with cat macros -- just isn't powerful enough!
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beckyzoole will be emailing and snail-mailing SUP that the strike has four terms:
Restore basic accounts for new account creation.
Inform users before any change to the site that affects how we use the site or demands on our resources.
Run change proposals by the Advisory Board and take their advice into account before implementation of any change.
Homophobia, misogyny, and racism must not be a part of the decision making processes about appropriate content of the site, including what user interests are deemed appropriate.
NOTE: I'm aware that there may be good business decisions for eliminating Basic accounts. If Basic accounts are to be eliminated, though, that action should be taken only after approval of the Advisory Board and consultation with the LJ Community of Users.
ETA: Credit and thanks due to 
lavendertook for the wording of the terms, with which I am in full agreement.
How Can I Help?
DO post about this in your own LJ.
DO post and comment about it in appropriate communities.
DO remember that it's based on Greenwich Mean Time, which may not be your local time.
DO turn off LoudTwitter and your RSS feeds for 24 hours.
DO feel free to friend
beckyzoole for updates, and defriend when the strike is over.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Text above courtesy of beckyzoole, with only the slightest editions.
So, the strike will be on in about six hours. Scabs beware! And my thanks to saraste_impi for bringing the protest to my attention. I had been aware of the so-called reforms of the new management and had thought they were a load of crap, but since it is not in my nature to be a rabble-rouser, it would have never occurred to me to whip up an organized, non-violent protest. The content strike is, in my opinion, in accordance with the finest principles of non-violent civil disobedience. We won't be trying to hurt the new management by any action, we are simply refusing to co-operate. By inaction we will remind them that they need us: our time, energy and willingness to actively produce new content to our blogs and communities. They simply can't afford to make any far-reaching reforms without consulting us.
And while I realise that LJ has always been, and remains a business venture, with all the handicaps and benefits that come with it, I'm also convinced that there are many profitable ways of running a business. It seems to me that the new management has made the tragic mistake of thinking LJ users as mere consumers. We are more than that. True, we do consume the facilities set up for blogging and community-building set up by the LJ management, but these facilities are only a tool for us to enjoy the true attraction of LJ: its content. And to this date, the fact remains that this content is created by the LJ users voluntarily and free of charge. So, in truth, we are the producers of LiveJournal's most valuable asset, and we do it for nothing. Therein lies our power; since we're not paid, we're financially independent of the LJ management, but since their investment would be worthless without user-generated content, the management is dependent on us.
I think it's time we demonstrated our power. Let's show them we cannot be ignored.
timeasmymeasure
