Pass the Chablis

ASmallWorld gets even more small minded

When it started in the same month in 2004 as Facebook, the social network ASmallWorld was ahead of the game. Founded by Erik Wachtmeister with the help of such people as Rob Hersov, it fast found favour with the so-called “elite” of London, New York and Paris. It was a place where people made fun of one another but also a place where people trusted the advice they were given.

Such esteemed (and not so esteemed) people as Michael Ezra, Uri Schneider, Emma Gibbs (now Farah), Emma Louise Hill (now West), D’Arcy Wyvill, Anthony Mamo, Timmy Grech, William Aitken, Emma Rogers, David Reuben Jr, Jakob Eltz, Payam Ghamsari, Gabriele von Lutzau, the Ceveli sisters and Antonine Sorice quickly became the flavor of the site’s forums and others such as a woman who wore sunglasses and furs in all seasons [who since has demanded her name be removed otherwise she’ll report us to the police] talked about camels, chocolate and basements. A man named Eddy Chabli even went so far as to recount an encounter with “The Donald” (Trump) and much to the mirth of the membership was met with only: “Just have another glass… [of Chablis]”.

The likes of Robert Bell hosted parties in honour of the website and at some oddballs turned up. I remember an “up the skirt” photographer harassing my friend Kerri Moss (now Beaumont) at one but we laughed like drains the day after.

ASmallWorld, in fact, to the majority of the membership back then, was just another link in our already interlinked worlds. Then, with new ownership, as one could only expect, it went south. In came people who talked about what to do about the prostitutes who frequented the corridors of the buildings where they lived (I do not make this up) and a man named, if I recall correctly, Bruno, who worried about which private aviation firm would be able to let his dog aboard. Bruno later asked if anyone wanted to share his “ride” with him. I suspect this freak deservedly flew solo.

Friends renamed ASmallWorld “the small minded world” and we all turned off. I was, therefore, as someone who’d quit several years ago, surprised to receive the following yesterday:

Dear Valued Member

Trust is important to us. How important? Well, as part of our ongoing efforts to protect the integrity of our membership, we have decided to terminate the accounts of anyone who undermines the unique spirit of openness that serves as the cornerstone of ASW—and sets our community apart. Obviously you are not one of those people! You’re receiving this email because we value your contributions to the community, and we hope you always feel comfortable here at ASW, online and off. The reality is simply that our growth has inadvertently allowed certain members to degrade this trust, and those are the people we’re exiling, effective immediately.

It is our hope that this will help you feel even more at ease in sharing your life with the rest of the ASW community.

Warm Regards and Happy Travels,

The ASW Team

P.S. Should you wish to review the conduct expected of an ASW member, feel free to read our rules. In the event that you feel a member is in clear violation of our Rules, please email [email protected].

The team at ASW have not only lost the battle to Facebook, they’ve lost the plot. Not only is their grammar appalling and not only is their use of capital letters awful, they have yet again illustrated all that is wrong about their “world”.

It’s simply time for another world. Next!