manifesta

To whoever purchased a month of paid time for my account, thank you! If you'd like to let me know who you are so I can thank you personally, please do. :) Ironically, I've actually been waiting for DW's new account-purchase system to go live, which it seems it has, before buying paid time for myself, which I just did. I now have 6 months of paid time in addition to the 1 month purchased for me. I hope I can pay it forward somehow.

When I was considering spending money on Dreamwidth, I always circled back to, "Why?" I could pay as much or less for a domain of my own. Avatars don't mean that much to me, though I am excited that I no longer have to cycle between my favorite ones, and honestly, the majority of the perks that differentiate between the free, paid, and premium paid accounts have never interested me. Then I wondered where that money would go and what exactly I would be paying for, if not these optional add-ons.

What sets DW apart from other blogging sites in my mind is that it supports safe spaces. It is a multi-layered community that works together, developers and members alike, to ensure that everyone feels welcome here. It's become a mecca for academic and creative types to gather and exchange ideas. In some ways I feel like to support DW is also to support a larger cultural movement of awareness and respect.

Some journals and comms that I think encourage this statement (for followfriday!):

hooked_on_heroines-- meta on women characters and quickly becoming very active
ladiesbigbang-- still accepting sign-ups until April 30th! Want me to cheer for you?
academia-- for people interested in scholarly pursuits
fantasy-- meta on all types of fantasy, also quickly becoming more active

staranise-- fun, interactive posts on writing, psychology, and fandom
miss_haitch-- lots of yummy meta on writing, plus provides tons of great links

three_weeks_for_dw begins on April 26th! I still haven't decided what I'm going to contribute for the fest, but I will be doing something.