Friday, January 18, 2002


Going through all my back mail I found this pearl had been submitted. As many know, a dot-com tradition has grown up of spinning your failures into valiant dreams of success--you usually see these reverse mission statements on the only remaining splash page the site has before it sinks forever. I've read a lot that are strange and indulgent, but in my book this one takes the cake. Note how the author actually quotes himself in his own letter--fantastic!

Subject: Last Moment of CitiZEN
Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 01:00:21 -0800

The FINAL MOMENT of citiZEN

-the community email from Halcyon and your fellowcitizens at CitizenX.com. [note: this is the last ever email of this type. No need to unsubscribe.]

"I am so grateful for this magical journey we've shared. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you."
-Halcyon

_____


This is the End. This is the beginning.

Dear current user of CitizenX.com:

The beta period of CitizenX.com is over and we are shutting down the site on January 15. To all who have been a part of our family during this 1.5 year beta period, THANK YOU. It has been amazing.

But it is time for CX to shut down and evolve.

This is not a bad thing. It is part of natural progression,

Our grand digital experiment has gone as far as it can.

It is time to evolve or die. Like the Phoenix, we hope to do both.

A story

CitizenX was like a bonfire at the beach. We invited a few friends, who invited a few friends. It was intimate and loving. During the last year and a half, countless magical moments happened dancing around the flames.

Other people noticed the light of our fire and came over to check it out. Most who dropped by were like-minded souls. But some were buzz kills.

They would ogle the women and make them feel uncomfortable. They started arguments. They made the party feel less safe.

Since this was a party on a public beach, it became near impossible to police it. The jerks were rare, but it only takes one to ruin the vibe.

Many of the original partiers left. Many of the women put baggy sweaters over their bikinis to avoid the leering.

There was still much fun and good vibes to be shared, but it took effort. It took a tough skin to deal with the occasional bad seed trolling the bonfire.

The party continues to grow. Despite it all, much magic happens around our glowing fire.

As 2001 came to a close, we realized we were out of wood.

The number of people who volunteered to gather logs and kindling was inspiring.

It became clear that amidst all the 140,000 member craziness was a core of passionate people that truly cared about our community. They saw our community as more than a place to see chicks or act tough to compensate for real life insecurities. There is a group of people who, like me, saw this place as their home.

So we're gonna extinguish the fire.

We'll see what happens when we close the door and start from scratch.

((hug))

Regardless, I hope to see you at a weekly HugNation Hug. Or a monthly Globalgasm.

Or just a late night chat around the bonfire.

I am so grateful for this magical journey we've shared.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

With love,

-Halcyon


Breathtaking. I need to have my Globalgasm now.