Hi I'm Kate and here is why I think you should nominate me for the LJ advisory board:)

I've been an active member for over 7 years. I have a permanent account and have been an active member since 2000, when I first started university. I've strengthened many of my friendships through Livejournal and even made some new ones (I met my partner partially because of LJ!) I have also started a few popular communities, such as two student communities utoronto and queens. I also understand the internet and internet culture - I've been online since 1995, when I was 14.

I have a deep understanding of LJ. As well as my own personal experiences on the site, I have been researching LJ and social media since 2003 and have published two papers specifically on LJ, one on the meanings of LJ friendship (which was published in a book) and the other about finding information through friends and communities on LJ.

I love LiveJournal and understand how special it is. I appreciate that Livejournal is special and different from other sites like Facebook which from the start have always put money before users. LJ started out as a community project which put users first, with a social contract to boot- a very unique thing indeed! Livejournal has offered a place for communities and groups that were not welcome in other online spaces and has, up until last year's incident, been very progressive about its censorship policies. LJ provides a very valuable service in this age of commercial networking where our privacy, freedom of speech and intellectual property are being put at risk for profit. This is something we need to nurture and protect. And in some cases, I think there are areas where LJ needs to return to its roots. (The challenge to privacy and IP is also part of the focus of my PhD research on Facebook, which I have been blogging about. Please go here to read more.)

I know how community works and what it needs to thrive. I've worked for a number community-focused non profits, both online and offline. Including a housing co-operative for students, by students, where I also sat on the board of Directors, and a youth-focused social network for change called TakingITGlobal.org. I love working with people, solving problems and overall, making people happy.

If you want to nominate me, please reply to this entry with "I support this nomination"

PS Jay Maynard aka Tron Guy rules! Vote for him too!:)