Wilson pointed out that the internet is a lot like traffic, if somebody cuts you off in his car, you can hurl all the insults and shake your fist all you want, because you’ll never see that guy again. If he was walking down a sidewalk and did this, you most likely would not have the same reaction.

I mention this because how many of you here actually know Derek Powazek? Or Paul Cloutier? Personally, and not just in passing, or from what you know of them from the internet? The internet is a funny thing, it makes you feel as if you know complete strangers as well as your best friends out in the real world.

I say this because I know Derek and Paul. I’ve known Derek for years now. I moved in March, but before I did that I could see his living room window from my deck, my Chihuahua loves his Chihuahuas Chieka and Bug, and both being nerds we have a lot of the same interests. He’s been to my house countless times for barbeques, and Battlestar Galactica. We both mourned the passing of Deadwood. Derek and Heather took some amazing photos of my wedding last year. I don’t just know Derek and Heather because they are an internet super couple, I know them because I know them.

I also know Paul really well. In fact I’ve known Paul for half my life, since high school, which is about 15 years now. Paul is a standup guy, a great friend, loyal, hardworking, annoyingly good at the wii tennis fire serve thingy, and a great photographer. And also, which is a major point here, really fucking honest. If you ask Paul if you are gaining weight, (hoping he’ll say no) he’ll tell you the truth, that yes, those pants are a little tight. I can assure you that Paul does not make it a habit to lie. Even though he is honest, Paul is not a jerk. Paul is a really good guy.

At this point you may have figured out that I am more than friends with Paul. In fact I am Paul’s wife. And I’ve kept quiet, and avoided the internet for 3 days, (which is hard, all I could read were celebrity gossip blogs, since they only care about Paris Hilton) while complete strangers said really horrible things about my husband. And not just complete strangers, some of them are people who’s work I admire, and some are even contacts. I’ve commented on their photos, and they have commented on mine. Because I know them from the internet, I felt like I knew them a little. All of this makes me sad.

There is a thing called context. And emotions change the context of things. We are all familiar with this, it has happened to us all.

You have heard Derek’s version of how things happened, and it was detailed. And very well written, because Derek is a talented writer. But it was not a years worth of details. That would be a very long post. Conversations that happened did not make it into Derek’s version, and some that did are skewed. Some key facts are omitted. (Such as why Paul took the CEO title. Derek got to be on the board, while Paul did not. In a small company, titles don’t mean as much, it’s really just a title. I feel like Derek left this detail out to make it look more sinister. Which feels dishonest to me.) Some things are closer to the truth if you reverse them. I know this because some of these conversations happened in my living room, or over the phone while I was nearby. Our old apartment wasn’t very big, so I was there for a lot of conversations.

One other thing that I do want to address specifically is the issue of Heather in regards to JPG and 8020. Heather works for Flickr. Heather was offered a job by 8020 when they first got funding, as the editor of the new and improved JPG, and Heather turned the job down. Heather’s official role in 8020 was the same as mine, as a wife of a founder of 8020 publishing. She was never employed by 8020, and Derek and Heather were paid for the JPG name at the beginning. She had a say in what photos were chosen, because she is Derek’s wife, but she was never on the payroll. To say she was “fired” is false.

Derek is upset. It’s understandable. He’s disappointed about how things ended. So am I. So is Paul. So are the other 7 employees at 8020 publishing. It’s a sucky situation made worse by the reactions. I think it could have been handled better on both sides, but I also think it needed to be handled in private.

What you will not get is a detailed version of Paul’s story. Mostly because it won’t do any good, and Paul is not the sort of guy to point fingers, and play an online former business partner version of he said, she said. It’s not going to get any of us anywhere. I think he’s been the target of enough insults this week, and detailed posts will only continue this.

What he is doing is what he has done daily for the last year, which is running the day-to-day operation of 8020 publishing, and planning out the next step for not only JPG, but the other magazines that they have in the works. Did you know they have other magazines planned? I do, and they are fucking awesome, people. And they had better be, because we keep postponing our honeymoon because of 8020. I believe in Paul and the company, and it’s awesome employees enough to give up two weeks in Mexico.

I’d hate to see you all miss out on JPG and future projects. What I’d love is for everybody to sit back, take a deep breath, and wait. If you come back and check out JPG in a few weeks, and you are still mad, then well, I guess I can’t change your mind. But if you still like what you see, and your worst fears haven’t been realized, then please, post an awesome photo.

That whole thing about authentic media, that takes a community, not editors, not founders. The whole point of JPG and the 8020 model is that we (meaning the community) control what gets published, and that doesn’t change if people leave, even if it’s Derek and Heather or Paul. It still belongs to you, just like it did before.

JPG never publishes my photos, but maybe they’ll publish yours. And come on, that’s awesome.

-alana

what am i talking about? this is what i’m referring to.