LiveJournal Now Turning Passions Into Thriving Online Super Communities

LiveJournal was one of the original social blogging sites. Long-time bloggers may remember opening up their first blogs or online diaries on LiveJournal and spilling their guts about everything that was going on in their lives. Well folks, LiveJournal is still alive and well today and has become more social and community-oriented than ever. They’ve launched a new initiative to turn LiveJournal super communities into full-blown genuine media sites. I had the opportunity to find out more from LiveJournal general manager Anjelika Petrochenko. Read on to learn what LiveJournal is doing to turn passions into thriving online communities. Petrochenko explained that LiveJournal is working hard to find and reach out to what they are calling "super communities" and help them take things a step further. She tells me, "A LiveJournal super community is one that is extremely active. It is a community where members post often (at least once a day), have lively discussions through commentary and have the desire to grow the community’s membership." Community size, monthly traffic and subject matter also play a role. "If we determine a community is a candidate to be ‘super,’ we reach out to the owners and moderators to start a conversation, which we hope leads to a deeper and long-term relationship." So what benefits do super communities get to take advantage of that regular communities don’t? Petrochenko tells me, "Once [a super community] is established, we spring into action by helping to redesign the community by working with members for the right custom look and feel. We offer marketing support through promotions, social media, homepage exposure and a host of activities. Depending on whether or not advertising will run on the community, we can also discuss possible advertising-revenue share." Celebrity gossip community ONTD (Oh No They Didn’t) kicked off the launch of this new initiative. Petrochenko told me, "A year and a half ago, ONTD’s community owner, Brenden Delzer, was approached with the idea of growing. Brenden is now a full-time member of the LiveJournal staff and oversees a site that boasts some three million visitors a month." If you visit ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com you’ll notice that the site has a much different look from other LiveJournal communities with right-rail activities and advertising space. Petrochenko asks, "If this can work for ONTD, why not bring other communities into the fold? With tens of thousands of communities based on any subject imaginable, LiveJournal offers a depth of great content, which provides endless possibilities." She says, "LiveJournal invented social and we will continue to build upon it in the future. Each month, millions of people create, lead and participate in communities of all subjects and sizes on LiveJournal. Members engage in a depth of discussion rarely found anywhere else on the web. Our team’s long-term plan is to foster this notion of meaningful conversation. In turn, we will continue to identify and help build the communities that are deserving and desirous of growing. The sky’s (and the content’s) the limit." Megan O’Neill is the resident web video enthusiast here at Social Times. Megan covers everything from the latest viral videos to online video news and tips, and has a passion for bizarre, original and revolutionary content and ideas.

Social Pro Daily

LiveJournal Now Turning Passions Into Thriving Online Super Communities

LiveJournal is still alive and well today and has become more social and community-oriented than ever. They’ve launched a new initiative to turn LiveJournal super communities into full-blown genuine media sites.

Megan O'Neill

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Megan O'Neill