From threads to threats

The full story behind, just to finish this for once and all. Longer, bigger, uncut version.

Here it goes: the core idea of 1x.com is to feature screened images only. If something goes wrong, the root of the problem lies with screening. I became an 1x.com member in February 2009 and by now realized that the coveted front page, where new additions appear, had gradually lost its magic. Too much mainstream, too much middle of the road in general and too many images with technical or other flaws in particular. This used to be an exemption before but recently became a daily issue. The forum was zombified with community life in the state of 911.
How to shake things up? First things first: let's get back to core values. I opened a thread titled "I'm missing Onexposure" to discuss the present situation; as you know, 1x.com was Onexposure.net it its upcoming phase when most of us joined it. Threads and posts telling misgivings about site features, providing technical and/or content suggestions are usually suppressed but the crew somehow let this topic live. Many well-meant suggestions were made and although we didn't all agree about front page becoming dull, there was an overall understanding that adding new screeners wouldn't harm. Appointing new screeners was supposed to work twofold: to give the crew a helping hand in the daily selection routine - 6 screeners are making the final decision about the submissions of about 5500 members, which is mathematical nonsense - and to have screeners for street, documentary, portrait and creative edit channels where the crew (as one of them admitted) are less strong than in other genres.
This initiative enjoyed the support of one of the two founders (Jacob Jovelou) who even encouraged it.

So far, so good.

Then Kevin, head moderator, told me in his most polite way that the "Missing OE" thread will be closed because it was getting off-topic. Kudos for him for doing that. I agreed, and to keep the momentum opened another thread, this time for making members aware that now it's their time to contribute and apply as screeners or recommend others.

Following the screener selection procedure set out by Jacob himself in the first thread, a list of candidates was drawn up and sent to him in OEmail. This thread was also closed and reasonably so, since it was a call for new screeners and no discussion thread.

However, shortly because it was closed, night owls could witness something weird. Ralf Stelander, the other founder appeared and said: this is all a misunderstanding, 1x is not looking for new screeners, and even if they would, crew already has its own list of members they would pick as screeners. This was in total contradiction to everything what was told in the "Missing OE" thread by the crew (Ursula) and Jacob. Surprise surprise, after a little exchange of fire he rescinded and apologised for his mistake.

This was late in the night and for a moment I was thinking that there will be a new dawn for 1x.

So far, still good.

Then, on 14 July (you know: allons enfants de la patrie, le jour de gloire est arrivé, contre nous de la tyrannie l'étendard sanglant est levé) I wanted to check out "Missing OE" just to check if there was anything I oversaw, and oups - it was gone. Deleted. Exterminated. Without any malice, I posted in the dull old "What ruined your day today" thread: "To find the 'I'm missing Onexposure' thread deleted."

And now comes the nasty part. I admit I don't remember everything in full detail (after all I do have a life in contrary to a certain enthusiastic moderator) but I write all this in full honesty and to my best recollection, because I have no reason to make my own acts look better or the moderator's and crews' worse than they actually were. Unfortunately I can't reconstruct every post - because the "What ruined..." thread was deleted as well.

So: my post, and the reactions thereto by other members (some of them asking the founders very straight questions which of course remained unanswered) made our most enthusiastic moderators go berserk in the best "Silence! I kill you!" style with unprecedented arrogance and a brilliant display of small-scale dictatorship. You know this kind of paranoid character: give him a hammer and he'll see a nail everywhere.
This was the point when I had enough of their little games. I summed up my feelings in three words:

KISS MY ASS.

(I don't want to tell his name because 1x'ers know him and after all he's just a tool in the hand of the crew, so it doesn't matter. I know he's now busily concocting vicious plans against me like a little Gargamel.)
Of course I was banned from posting in Critique and forum in about 30 seconds. Although at this point I couldn't care less about posting at 1x.com anymore, I was really pissed off - no, I was enraged, furious, berserk and reaching out for a fire thrower (but only spilling some coffee into my keyboard - too bad, it was a good one. I mean the keyboard. Our espresso machine sucks.) I wrote him a few OEmails and took extra special care to let him now my opinion about him as a moderator, a character - or better: his lack of it -, his actions, and the incredibly arrogant attitude of 1x.com which he so eagerly represents. Of course I should have known: he already told me once that 1x.com is not a community site but a business, and he will do what his bosses want him to do.

I exchanged a few sad OEmails with Jacob. He was quick to condemn my "agressivity", but if you ask me, all this could have been prevented if he (or Kevin or anyone else) stepped in and replied to the questions other members asked him about the deletion. You know what? They could even had made me apologise to the moderator. God knows I was willing, if in exchange they admitted to have screwed this up even if only in an OEmail. But no, nothing like that.

Probably Jacob wasn't aware of what's going on, but I'm fokken tired to give him the benefit of doubt (which of course I do) and play this "Comrade Stalin is good and fair, it's only his vicious advisors who are evil" kind of game. No way. I was sick and tired of their attitude.

But never ever asked him or anyone else to delete my gallery.

Surprise surprise, next afternoon I try to log in and find myself exterminated from the site. Home page, published photos, OEmails, everything.

That's the end of the story. Just to add a little spice: I had still about 690 days of bronze membership which I received from Ralf as a thank-you (and as I wrongly believed, a token of friendship) in exchange for drafting the user agreement* to the new photo book. Of course I could have argued because the terms of service don't give them the right to cancel a membership like that; but at this stage I couldn't care less about my membership. I doubt that anyone in my position would have.

So folks, that's the end of it. And probably a beginning to many good things as well. Thanks for your support - it would be flattering to think it's about me, but I know it's about just that last little straw that broke the camel's back. When the "Missing..." thread came to a standstill and all was looking bleak, I wrote something nasty and when a few minutes later Jacob appeared and gave us his support, I happily deleted it quickly and wrote instead: I LOVE YOU ALL. This is how I felt and that's exactly what I'd like to tell you here and now. I love you all and thank you.

And one day we will kick some ass. 2x will come. Until then, see you in Sherwood Forest.



*As a little reward to you for having read all this, a bonus warning: if you consider being included in that photo book, read that agreement very carefully... ;)