lettered: (Default)
It's Lion Turtles all the way down ([personal profile] lettered) wrote2006-03-12 11:37 am

Dynamics of LJ

JB. I was going to say how much I loved lj's "save draft" thing for posts, but I retract because I lost half the post and apparently it wasn't saved.
O. speaking of lj, is there a way to mark posts on your friends page?  I usually scan the list through to the last entry I read, taking note of the posts with fic, posts I want to read more thoroughly, and posts I want to reply to.  Then sometime later when I feel like it I go back, but then I have to scroll so much and can't find/remember the things that were of particular interest.  I'm a lazy bint who wants a system.
R. speaking of all that I don't know about lj, what's this "skip 20" or "skip 50" people sometimes mention as regards their friends pages?
G. speaking of "friends," that whole thing is distinctly odd.  I mean, it's been said before, but I'll say it again.  But even if the system wasn't called "friends", I think it would still have that weirdness attached to it.  And I myself can't help feeling all weird about it.  I fancy that the way I use the ole flist is objective; I use it as a reading list.  But I'm starting to realize that the way I FEEL about it (and the way I feel about those of others) is still strangely emotional and sensitive, as *logical* as I've always tried to be about it.
E. speaking of that whole weirdness thing, what're y'all's thoughts about filtering the flist posts that you read?  I know some people are way against it.  I suppose others secretly do it.  I personally feel like I would use them--not to completely knock anyone off and secretly not read them, but if I had a list I had trouble keeping up with, I'd probably have a filter for the people I'm most interested in, so if I'm really busy I can fly through very quickly.  Then I'd have a filter for the others to zoom through periodically as well.  Most of the time I'd just go through the whole list, but in really busy times it seems like the filter thing would be handy.  It's not like I need it, though.  I'm just wondering if there're angles of it I haven't considered.  What do you do and how do you do it?
S. speaking of discussions about how you use your lj, I'm also wondering about locked posts.  Some people are against using them.  Some are against using them except for personal matters.  Some seem to use them completely arbitrarily.  Some, I guess, might use them for more...sinister reasons.  And some feel the need to explain every time they flock.  Anyway, I personally see nothing wrong with flocking something you're just not interested in discussing with everyone, either because you're feeling introverted or lazy, but again, I'm wondering if there're other things to consider?  What do you do and how do you do it?

*

I feel the need to point out that this isn't in response to anything--people are always trimming or locking or skipping or what have you.  Actually, it is in response to something.  3 things, actually.

1. [profile] imnotacommittee informed me that there's such a thing as a rich text editor for when you post. I had no idea.  Beats the shit out of typing out all that freakin' code, and made me wonder what other little treats lj has I'm too lazy to suss out.
2. I'm going to Austin tomorrow and will be gone for two days.  I'm wondering what'll be up with the ole flist when I get back and how I'll ever manage.
3. Which really just made me wonder how everyone manages, and how all this crap works, and while everyone is always discussing it I'm interested in having stuff to discuss with everyone on my lj when I get back.  Yay!

Look at the color of this text, yay!

P.S. I've discovered I hate the rich text thing.  I've discovered that this post contains massive frippery and the title of the cut is misleading.  It's much more difficult to edit such a thing when one is using this do-hickey.  I throw up my hands I say, I throw up my...ouch, ceiling.  And ew, throw up.

[identity profile] baffae.livejournal.com 2006-03-13 03:59 pm (UTC)(link)
I friends lock anything that is personal. Basically, anything that gives away my age or location or any other details that I don't feel comfortable sharing with who-knows-who will be placed under a cut. Usually, the only unlocked posts in my journal are purely fandom ones.

Also, my LJ is not known to anyone in my RL. I know at least one of my RL friends uses the internet for fandomy reasons but I do not want anyone, even her, coming across my journal and knowing it is me. So anything that I think could give away to a person who knows me that [livejournal.com profile] baffae is really me will be placed under a cut.

My f'list is of a perfectly manageable size so I don't use filters. I have no qualms about filters; though it seems a bit pointless to filter people out completely but yet keep them on your friends list. If you don't want to read them. just defriend them, IMO.

And what, may I ask, is the significance of Borges?
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[identity profile] tkp.livejournal.com 2006-03-18 07:47 am (UTC)(link)
I know what you mean about not wanting RL people to know who you are. I always want to be open and unashamed of it, but some of my friends are so . . . disdainful of stuff like this; I just don't want to have to put up with them giving me shit about it. The other thing is I don't want anyone to see how much time I waste online!

I think it'd be crappy to filter someone out completely--I hadn't thought of using filters for that until [livejournal.com profile] semby brought it up. I agree, if you don't want to read someone, you should just defriend them.

Jorge Luis Borges is an Argentinean writer (of short stories, essays, poems, and literary critique). He's one of the most famous movers and shakers behind "magical realism", which means reading some of his stuff is strangely like looking at a painting by Salvador Dali (of melting clocks fame). I highly recommend his short stories. He's thinky, but FUN. He's like reading a dream.
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[identity profile] tkp.livejournal.com 2006-03-18 09:20 am (UTC)(link)
er...it occurs to me that you may already know who Borges was, in which case my impromptu lesson may seem...didactic. If so, sorry, and in answer to why he's up there: I just used him to number my points because numbers are boring and he was on my mind.

Got up again at 3.15am to tell you this. Insomnia sucks.

[identity profile] baffae.livejournal.com 2006-03-18 02:31 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't know why I'm so uncomfortable with the idea of telling my RL friends about my internet life but I am so I won't be sharing anytime soon.

I actually did not know who Jorge Luis Borges was/is so thanks for the info and no need to feel didactic; I was not in the least bit insulted. (herein lies the problem with the internet, we need to write out all of our feelings when we are used to having them come across without words in RL). But, actually, now that you mention him I remember that he is on my reading list for spring term English class!
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[identity profile] tkp.livejournal.com 2006-03-18 11:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, lucky you! I never got to study Borges in a class. It would be interesting to hear what someone who knows their stuff has to say about him.