Omigod, it’s S-E-C-R-E-T. Omigod, it’s a CLOSED GROUP, a SECRET SOCIETY.

Ah, yes, it is, whether it’s artmesh.org, or NakedGenius.com’s Artist Collaboration Community (ACC), or any number of other private groups on the Net.

One self-declared leading lady (the one I call ‘Ms. Snits’) has, oh, so much to say regarding anything “secret,” but the plain facts are that

• the best deals are made in private (called “private treaty”),
• and the best groups are those which screen their membership to include only those who have a serious commitment to their art and respect others for theirs.

Oddly, the “secret,” private groups demonstrate much less cliquishness and much more democratic character than do the open ones…probably because they can TRUST their members, members who know that, should they violate that trust, they lose their membership, not so much for being themselves and speaking their mind, but rather by being “catty,” dishonorable, or unethical.