I am often guilty of feeling that I should jump in and try to fix things or say something to make the person feel better, in LJ and RL. As you've noted, that's not always what the person who is venting wants. So, another friend of mine has developed a way of letting me know she just wants to vent. Before she starts, she'll say, "I'm NOT looking for analysis or solutions. I just want to vent/tell you about this." That cues me to just shut up and listen.
I don't know if that would work with everyone on LJ, but feel free to use her "introduction" at the start of any LJ entry. Once you've made it clear what you want, you'll know that anyone who ignores it isn't really listening anyway, so you can, in turn, ignore whatever they post. (And yes, I note the irony that I am suggesting a solution!)
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branchandroot
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Date: 2014-08-23 07:37 pm (UTC)I don't know if that would work with everyone on LJ, but feel free to use her "introduction" at the start of any LJ entry. Once you've made it clear what you want, you'll know that anyone who ignores it isn't really listening anyway, so you can, in turn, ignore whatever they post. (And yes, I note the irony that I am suggesting a solution!)