So I did it. Despite my yearnings to stay with this very cool site, I deleted my account from www.jpgmag.com. Seems kind of insignificant, but for those of us who have enjoyed the style, vibe and communal nature of this SF-based mag site, recent developments have tainted the whole experience.
Now granted we only get one side from Derek - BTW, I only know him through JPGmag and 1 degree of separation - in his post The Real Story of JPG Magazine and the follow-up Why I Did It, but if only a small portion of what is said is true, man . . . and I thought the church could be harsh.
Again, I realize in the whole scheme of things, this conflict at a high-tech artsy website pales in comparison to issues of global violence and poverty, but there are a few observations to make that might be helpful for us as all as we strive to be in authentic community. Here are a couple of quotes from his posts that are some nuggets that we all might do well to remember.
On Transparency: I chose to tell this story because I wanted the community I spent three years growing to know that I didn’t leave on a whim. As sad and embarrassing as it is to tell, I put the truth out there because my personal and professional credibility is on the line.
On Truth Telling: If there’s one thing I’ve learned about community-building, it’s this: Do Not Lie. People are too smart and well-connected to believe a lie anymore. So, with that in mind, the story I’m about to tell is absolutely true as I experienced it.
On Community: I’ve always said that JPG doesn’t own its community - it rents. And that rent is paid by treating the community members with honesty, integrity, and respect.
Farewell once awesome jpgmag.com it's been real.
