I Am Elated!

Back in late October, I left a labor of love: a local publication based on a web to print model. I had helped to build this potentially incredible publication from the ground up. I stood at ground zero and worked either for free or handouts.

I continuously stated, "My time is my investment." Yet, when I hesitantly asked for it in writing a year after helping to launch it, I was met with severe resistance then granted a mere pittance of pay. No partnership, no recognition that I was co-founder.

Aside from the abusive one-sided relationship with this supposed "partner," I lobbied relentlessly for the development and employment of contributor compensation and for more printing of the members'/contributors' content. After all, that's what we were claiming to do in our marketing materials.

Well, I decided that fateful October day that it was time for me to split. No reason to stick around for the "kids'" sakes. Several months have passed, and I've continued to remain somewhat active on the site. This was a serious mistake, as it kept me aware of the shamelessly self-interested and nosistic way he ran the site, while continuing to tell people that it was their voice in print when the actuality was much, much different.

I continued to turn a blind eye until today. He had announced that the one who contributed the "best" or "most interesting" article would win an iPod. Now, let's not discuss the sheer hackery of this "incentive." Every company, it seems, is using this form of enticement these days. Screw the iPod; pay me for my contributions... I have bills to pay.

What happened today to cause me to finally cut all ties? He deleted my comment/question in regards to the iPod incentive. I think my question was warranted: "How is the 'best' selected?"

Once I saw it was deleted, I deleted every blog I wrote, every picture I uploaded, every poll I devised, every field in my profile. I wanted to delete my account entirely, but he has cleverly hidden or removed this option.

With each item I deleted, especially each blog post, I felt a greater sense of joy. Each click of the delete button brought me to a tremendous sense of closure. As I was unable to delete my account, I wrote him with instructions to delete my account, that I was done with the site. But, it wasn't until I removed the bookmark from my browser that the full sense of elation washed over me and the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s immortal speech rang through my very fiber:

"Free at last, free at last, thank God, I'm free at last!"

Welcome to a truly new era in my blogging life.