Popular gay web portal Just Us Boys has responded to an apology made by Cyber Socket and allegations of fraud levied against them by Cyber Socket on the popular gay webmaster board, Gay Main Street. In a post, JUB_JD said,

I really hate board drama, and we try hard to stay out of it, but as an owner of the company baselessly accused of fraud by Cybersocket, I hope you’ll all indulge me the following post to get a few things off of my chest. I simply can’t let this sad excuse for an apology go without comment.

I wrote this rather quickly and haven’t run it by the lawyers or anything like that. I’m sure it could be more soundly worded and professionally composed, but it is a genuine expression of my personal frustration and absolute disgust with Cybersocket’s behavior and subsequent attempt to sweep it under the rug. Now that I’ve seen how they intend to handle these issues, I feel compelled to directly and forcefully respond.

I have only a few questions I’d like to ask of Morgan, and then I’ll get out of your hair and go back to work.

“
Dear Morgan,

I’ve waited patiently over the past month for you to do the right thing and make amends for your false and repugnant accusations. Perhaps I’ve grown cynical as the days have turned into weeks, but if this is the extent of your efforts at making amends… the best you can do… it really raises more questions than it answers.

First of all, JUB is the only company specifically named in your initial, completely baseless posts about circulation audits; JUB is the only company you subjected to hostile, unfounded accusations of fraud; and JUB is the only competitor you publicly linked to shady business practices, the likes of which you yourself now stand accused.

Considering all of that, don’t you think you should have specifically named JUB in your apology? Why instruct one of your employees to post a vague mea culpa directed to “any person or company” when we were the sole recipient of your libelous remarks?

What does it say about your character that you couldn’t issue a real public apology, specifically mentioning those you injured, and take 5 minutes to actually post it yourself?

Further, if the sentiment expressed in your post is genuine, and not simply an attempt to restore your reputation, why didn’t you contact us privately to express your regret? You could have sought us out at the GayVN show, or you could have called our office. You’ve done so in the past. You have the number.

What does is say about your character that you couldn’t be bothered to own up to your mistakes by directly contacting those that you injured?

I’d rather not subject the rest of the board to further public sparring over the issues that exist solely between our two companies, so I’ll leave my personal expressions of frustration at that. However, as a former advertiser in your magazine, I have a few questions that I do think should be addressed publicly. Allow me to refer back to your own words:

“Any Publisher who is not audited by an outside bureau and who is unwilling to show cancelled checks and printer receipts for actual print run is most likely embellishing the numbers…. So in a sense Cybersocket is saying to all print publishers in our industry. Let’s make sure the data we are reporting to each other is real and true. Cybersocket is audited and our numbers are 100% verifiable.” Source: http://www.gaymainstreet.com/TheStr…59722#post59722

And…

“Now if we are going to have an honest and open discussion of magazine circulation data, let’s open it up. I challenge them to open up their data to scrutiny and an outside audit.” Source: http://www.gaymainstreet.com/TheStr…59729#post59729

Don’t you think that after making statements like that you are COMPELLED to publicly explain the apparent discrepancy between your public statements and what we now know to be reality?

How could you possibly think it adequate to issue a PUBLIC challenge like that, and then when facts casting doubt on your own honesty come to light, require that people contact you PRIVATELY for an explanation? Could it be that you realize that almost no one will bother to call you and that you’re hoping that by giving out your phone number these issues will fade from public scrutiny?

What does it say about your opinion of this community that you think such an obvious flip-flop would be overlooked by anyone paying attention?

In closing, I’d like to issue a few challenges of my own.

- I challenge you to cast off the veneer of disrepute under which you now operate by issuing a full accounting of the circumstances surrounding your claims of having an audited circulation and the facts, as we now know them, including the name of the company you claim to be currently performing your audit.

- I challenge you to release signed statements from your printer attesting to your print run for each issue from the time of your last REAL, CERTIFIED, audit through the current issue of your magazine.

- I challenge you to personally contact all of your current and former advertisers to fully and completely explain yourself and answer their questions about how all of this could have happened. Don’t make them contact you… take the initiative.

- I challenge you to issue a press release clarifying your audit claims and to provide full documentation to members of the adult press.

- I challenge you to live up to the reputation you enjoyed prior to this whole self-inflicted nightmare and to DO THE RIGHT THING.
”

There, I said my piece, and while I’m sure I’ll regret publicly addressing these issues tomorrow… for now, it feels good to have let all of that out. To those of you who are (rightfully) sick and tired of this mess, I apologize if this post reignites the drama. Sometimes you just reach a point where you can no longer stay silent. I reached that point this morning.