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From the the_lj_herald

Newsflash: Sponsored Accounts and Sponsored Layouts

From post:

Sponsored accounts, which we briefly mentioned back in September 2007, will start being beta-tested "within a month". This new type of account will be then made available to the users using Cyrillic services then possibly to all users. In exchange for displaying banner ads and using sponsored layouts from a chosen sponsor, Sponsored accounts will have all the benefits of paid accounts except the ability to create custom styles. Paid and Permanent users will not see the ads but will see the sponsored layouts. More details here at [info]no_lj_ads. (Sources: 1, 2 and 3)

Huh. Link to sup_ru in post.

Am I the only one kind of wishing they read Russian now?

Comments

[nuptse.livejournal.com]

Uh...okay. Sooooo.... we can pay, or we can use 'sponsored' layouts. Those are the options. Am I guessing that in by 'sponsored' they mean corporate? Will we have to choose between Toyota or Clearasil now?

[auburnnothenna.livejournal.com]

Paid and Permanent users will not see the ads but will see the sponsored layouts.

Underline, mine. If I understand this right, that's the real kicker: even permanent and paid users will be forced to see these layouts if they look at that journal. Because the advertisers are going to embed their product right into the layout, unless I miss my bet.

But what about ?style=mine and ?style=light, you demand.

What do you bet ?style=mine will be disabled when viewing sponsored accounts?

Of course, we know Live Journal will never do that.

No, really.

[auburnnothenna.livejournal.com]

Of course, there's always viewing via your friends list, but I'm waiting for them to disable customizing your view of that and call it an improvement too. All those choices are just too confusing. We'll tell you what you like.

[harriet-spy.livejournal.com]

unless I miss my bet

Look at the examples. Ads totally embedded.

[auburnnothenna.livejournal.com]

*whines* Do I have to look? Can't I just go ahead with my pro forma cynicism while noting my own hypocrisy in that I've been posting more on LJ lately than ever?

[abbylee]

This, btw, is how it's been done for almost the last year?. There have been sponsored layouts (Pepsi and Havaianas, maybe others) that weren't tied to any other kind of promotion. Paid and Permanent users saw them if they went to the user's journal, although I think there was a link on each that were not displayed. But you still saw the giant product placement.

So that part's not new.

(I'm avoiding speculating on the style=mine stuff because I don't think it's likely to be blocked but that doesn't mean I'll be proven wrong.)

[hilarytamar.livejournal.com]

Wait, does this mean we'd have Plus, Paid and Sponsored options, which is to say a return to the "confusion" of three types of account on the sign-up page? (Though they're right about confusion: god knows I'm confused now, but only because I keep trying to work out WTF they can possibly be thinking. Assuming, of course, that they are.)

[marmadok.livejournal.com]

We don't like SUP polytics eather, including this proposal. It feels like suddenly we're guilty in something we didn't do just because SUP is a russian company. Me and my friends are very nervous about fans leaving LJ.
Your site with fic recomendations are our only hope now.