As I’ve mentioned before, I have a somewhat generic Gmail address that people often accidentally type into Web forms. That’s how I found myself signed up for an account at MyMudSpace.com, the Web’s leading social network for people who like driving trucks through mud, also known as “mudding.” And that’s how I ended up getting a curious e-mail last week, one that no Web start-up should ever find itself in the position of having to send out. It was from Simon Maziarz of Jupiter, Fla., who runs MyMudSpace, and it is best appreciated in full:

From: MyMudspace.com
Date: Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 10:25 AM
Subject: URGENT NEWS

Dear Mymudspace friends, members, and new members,

As some of you may already know, there has been some major changes within the ranks of the Mymudspace.com management.

Effective 6-01-2009 Mr. John Jackson ( JohnF350 ), formally a partial owner of Mymudspace, will no longer share the responsibilities, or day to day functions of the business. After careful consideration and numerous attempts to correct the problems which Mr. Jackson helped to create, it has been found to be in the ” BEST INTEREST” of Mymudspace.com, to part ways and TERMINATE Mr. Jackson’s relationship to the website. Mr. Jackson has NO further direct involvement with Mymudspace.com, nor will he have any FUTURE involvement.

If you receive anything from Mr. Jackson via e-mail, be it known that Mymudspace does not share or support any of the opinions and/or implications in the content which he distributes. We also do not support any of his future actions or websites. Many of you may have foreseen this action coming, and its nothing new … but for those members who didn’t and have forged a friendship with Mr. Jackson, please understand, this is and was never a personal matter. This was a business decision which will better the website and keep Mymudspace moving forward in the years to come.

Friends, Mymudspace.com was born to connect the mud bogging community together. To allow people to forge friendships with other people of the same interests, and to show many folks what the world of mudding is really about. This is what Mymudspace is, and what we will continue to strive for, each and every time you log on to the site.

There’s a HUGE future for Mymudspace and its members. There will be many new and exciting contests coming up for Mymudspace. We at Mymudspace.com invite you to share the experiences with us!

If you have any questions, or concerns, please feel free to contact us.

Respectfully,

Simon and the Mymudspace.com staff

But wait, there’s more. Mr. Jackson gave his side of the story later in the day in a message he sent to members of We4×4.com, “an online social network designed for 4×4 enthusiasts of all varieties.” (This is another site I never actually joined. I don’t own a truck. Or a car.)

From: WE4X4.COM
Date: Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 7:46 PM
Subject: WE4X4.COM PLEASE READ

Hello,

This is John from WE4X4.COM

There has been a lot of confusion between this site and MyMudspace.com

I used to own half of MyMudspace.com along with Simon. We had many differences and finally came to a conclusion to solve the problem. I would start my own site and run it alone, and I would sell my 50% of MyMudspace so that he could run it.

My purpose for WE4X4.COM is to provide a serious, drama-free site for ANYTHING 4X4, not just mudding.

I certainly do not hate Simon, nor will try to feed into the drama that he is trying to cause, that is why I sold. I could no longer deal with the drama and the stress of it all. My purpose is clear,

To provide a fun place for 4×4 enthusiasts to meet and interact
To help local clubs, businesses, charities, and events
We are a family-oriented site. We even pass out balloons at our family events (See our pictures from Truck & Tractor Nationals).

If you have met me, or talk to anyone that has, you would know the real person that I am. If you have any questions, please email me at johnj@we4×4.com or contact me on my profile as “johnf350″

Thanks for reading,

John Jackson
WE4X4.COM

So what were the unspecified problems that Mr. Maziarz cited as the reason for the split? And why did he feel the need to warn members of MyMudSpace that they might be hearing from Mr. Jackson?

Mr. Maziarz said by phone that he needed to talk to his lawyer, then did not respond to e-mail messages seeking elaboration. But some Web searching indicates that Mr. Jackson started We4×4 on the side a few months back, and then on June 1 posted an ad seeking a freelance programmer to help him copy the records from the MyMudSpace member database to We4×4, giving his new site an instant membership boost and a healthy mailing list.

When asked via e-mail about his posting, which shows that he picked a programmer in India who offered to do the job for $20, Mr. Jackson quickly password-protected the page (the Google cache is here). And when asked if this transfer of member information might be a violation of MyMudSpace’s privacy policy, he said: “MyMudspace doesn’t have a privacy policy, or at least we didn’t before I sold.” (Actually there’s a boilerplate policy here.)

Who says the Web’s Wild West days are over?

Source:http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com