Dreanwidth isn't like a lot of the other lj-alikes that sprouted up in the last few years in that it isn't just lj with a different name and mostly just there in case lj explodes. It's lj if it was thought out for over a year and discussed with hundreds of users (as far as what they like about lj, what they don't like, and so forth) before they even started writing code for it. Yes, to look at it is very lj-like, obviously. But it's basically lj without the Russians (sorry, Mika *g*) and without the backlog of insanity.
Unlike most of the other sites (insanejournal and its ilk) that popped up mostly as a response to the lj-splody, this really seems enough different that it is something people can either use instead or along with lj.
Most of the people I know who knew about Dreamwidth prior to its opening yesterday plan to cross-post their public posts and continue to make private posts on lj to their existing friends and are currently deciding how they want to handle private posting to new friends they make on Dreamwidth. No one I knew who knew about the site before yesterday was viewing it as a refuge sort of thing... yes, it /can/ be like that in the event lj does go nuts, but that's not it's main usage.
As far as your questions:
Is this a secret plan to migrate from LJ? (Is there a migrate option?)
Yes, you can import everything... comments, custom friendslocks, tags... from your lj with the exception of your layout. Since Dreamwidth is still technically in beta phase (just open beta now as opposed to closed) the layout design part is still in the works, but I think if you actually know code you can do a ton of stuff already. You can also add your lj to your Dreamwidth account for cross-posting and on the post page there's an automatic option to do so.
How's the custom design options for free accounts? Like I said above, there are only about three basic layouts right now for those of us who don't know code, but I have seen some shiny layouts already so I assume you can design things. Not so sure about what's available for free accounts, but the FAQs are pretty good there and there are several official comms for that sort of question that probably have a better answer for you than I can give.
Does anyone know if it works like LJ when you get a paid account and let it expire - that it's downgraded to a free account?
As far as I know, yes that is how it's handled. I know that during closed beta, anyone who had accounts was able to temporarily upgrade to a paid account to try out the features as a thank you for helping during the beta process and I know when it went live to open beta they mass-expired the paids down to free so that if people wanted to buy an account they could, so I'm assuming that yes, that is how it works.
I don't want to move, though. I love my LJ. I'd just love to have an option to join my friends when LJ decides to explode or be taken over by the Russian Mafia or sue-happy copyright exploiters or *gasp* myspace kids.
*giggle* That's the thing about Dreamwidth... it would be my number one choice for a post-lj journal, but I fully intend to use my Dreamwidth /and/ my lj. Now, if all my friends decide eventually to move to Dreamwidth, then I will probably post primarily there. But my lj is friends only and, like a lot of people I've seen, my Dreamwidth account has all my lj posts backed up there and they're locked like they are on lj, but my posts /just/ on Dreamwidth are public. I plan to use it as a place where I can geekily meta about shows or anime or whatever in a public way that can be linked to and also post about SCA events and post my photos from said events and that sort of thing. Yes, I do plan to post some Zuka content (locked) there, and I created a Zuka community, but for the most part I'm viewing it slightly differently.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2009-05-02 12:34 am (UTC)Unlike most of the other sites (insanejournal and its ilk) that popped up mostly as a response to the lj-splody, this really seems enough different that it is something people can either use instead or along with lj.
Most of the people I know who knew about Dreamwidth prior to its opening yesterday plan to cross-post their public posts and continue to make private posts on lj to their existing friends and are currently deciding how they want to handle private posting to new friends they make on Dreamwidth. No one I knew who knew about the site before yesterday was viewing it as a refuge sort of thing... yes, it /can/ be like that in the event lj does go nuts, but that's not it's main usage.
As far as your questions:
Is this a secret plan to migrate from LJ?
(Is there a migrate option?)
Yes, you can import everything... comments, custom friendslocks, tags... from your lj with the exception of your layout. Since Dreamwidth is still technically in beta phase (just open beta now as opposed to closed) the layout design part is still in the works, but I think if you actually know code you can do a ton of stuff already. You can also add your lj to your Dreamwidth account for cross-posting and on the post page there's an automatic option to do so.
How's the custom design options for free accounts?
Like I said above, there are only about three basic layouts right now for those of us who don't know code, but I have seen some shiny layouts already so I assume you can design things. Not so sure about what's available for free accounts, but the FAQs are pretty good there and there are several official comms for that sort of question that probably have a better answer for you than I can give.
Does anyone know if it works like LJ when you get a paid account and let it expire - that it's downgraded to a free account?
As far as I know, yes that is how it's handled. I know that during closed beta, anyone who had accounts was able to temporarily upgrade to a paid account to try out the features as a thank you for helping during the beta process and I know when it went live to open beta they mass-expired the paids down to free so that if people wanted to buy an account they could, so I'm assuming that yes, that is how it works.
I don't want to move, though. I love my LJ. I'd just love to have an option to join my friends when LJ decides to explode or be taken over by the Russian Mafia or sue-happy copyright exploiters or *gasp* myspace kids.
*giggle* That's the thing about Dreamwidth... it would be my number one choice for a post-lj journal, but I fully intend to use my Dreamwidth /and/ my lj. Now, if all my friends decide eventually to move to Dreamwidth, then I will probably post primarily there. But my lj is friends only and, like a lot of people I've seen, my Dreamwidth account has all my lj posts backed up there and they're locked like they are on lj, but my posts /just/ on Dreamwidth are public. I plan to use it as a place where I can geekily meta about shows or anime or whatever in a public way that can be linked to and also post about SCA events and post my photos from said events and that sort of thing. Yes, I do plan to post some Zuka content (locked) there, and I created a Zuka community, but for the most part I'm viewing it slightly differently.