Several months back I was interviewed by a freelance writer for some thoughts on OIM; how it’s doing, plans for the future, etc. During the conversation I casually mentioned an interaction I had with the folks over at Overheard in New York that consisted of me emailing them, somewhat out of naivety but totally harmless, for advice on a few topics, including advertising. I was politely advised they did not mind my starting an Overheard site, but that they would not assist in developing a competing business. While I thought it was a tad on the ridiculous side at the time (my thought process at the time: their city population is more than our entire state, so competing I thought was a stretch), I completely side with their response and I hold no hard feelings at all. I mean, hello, if it weren’t for them, I never would have come up with this.

Fast forward a couple months to a follow up email stating she was not able to sell the story then, but now she’s working for City Pages and would like to put something in their Blotter, especially with the 1st Year Annivesary party approaching. I answered a few additional questions and hoped to see it show up in a few days. She also wanted to know more about that above story and even though I was trying to stress that there was no story, that it was not a big deal, she went ahead and contacted the people at Overheard in New York.

They basically told her the same thing and pointed out their newer addition, Overheard Everywhere where they not only accept submissions from, well, everywhere, but they also accumlate some of what they consider the best of the other Overheards across the world, give them their own headlines and link back to our sites. This is something I have been aware of for some time, and OIM has appeared on there quite a few times. I very much appreciate this part of their site. Who wouldn’t?

So, now I’m embarrassed. Actually, this calls for something stronger. I am fucking embarrassed. Something that occured over a year ago that probably wasn’t even a blip on their radar anymore, and it’s brought back to their attention in a way that definitely suggests I’m sitting over here bitter to the point that it’s being picked up by a journalist. Perhaps I am making a mountain out of a molehill here. One could argue they probably don’t give a rat’s ass about me or that exchange back then, but maybe they do. I quickly respond to her to clarify that if she intends to go with that angle for the story that it must include the fact that I agree with them on their response, hold no bad feelings, and that I am grateful for the spotlights they put on my little website. She agrees and acknowledges that it’s “not quite as tight of an angle” as she thought it was.

Fast forward a couple more weeks, and not a single word has been uttered, that I can tell, anywhere in their Blotter or elsewhere, and the party was a week ago. So I’m wondering why a scandal has to be what gets covered about OIM. Is it because of CP or because of the reporter? Either way, it made me feel pretty lousy, and nothing even ran!

Thank you.

PS, If I’m wrong and just missed it, someone please point it out and I will replace above post with an apology. I am not completely unapologetic. But until then, you’ve lost a reader and a supporter.