The Ochre Letter

The novel, "The Scarlet Letter", begins in 17th-century Boston, Massachusetts, then a Puritan settlement. A young woman, Hester Prynne, is led from the town prison with her infant daughter, Pearl, in her arms and the scarlet letter “A” on her bosom. The scarlet letter "A" represents the act of adultery that she has committed and it is to be a symbol of her sin – a badge of shame – for all to see....

Dear Multiply Folks,

I am shocked and outraged that you have branded the Premium members with that horrible Ochre Letter, "P". Not only does it infringe our profile images, but it is an embarrassment to be "classed as an elite member".

I don't mind having "Premium" under my home page picture, but to have that ochre P show up on our icon is an unfair way to market the fact that people are paying for your services.

What happened to respecting our privacy? I never bother to check whether or not others are Premium, because IT DOES NOT MATTER. Premium use is something we choose for our own reasons, and absolutely NOT to show off to others, because IT DOES NOT MATTER. Communication, and connection is what matters. It is also absolutely of no benefit to us to have that hideous P obscure our icons. All it does is put us in a seemingly cliquish group in an attempt to try to make us look like we are "better or different" from those who are not Premium Users. This is absolutely not the case. This is a very bad marketing tactic.

I request that you remove the Ochre Letter P from our icons immediately and return it to the previous system, for branding us with an ochre P is just as bad as branding a woman with a Scarlet Letter.

Shame on you!

Cameron Switzer

(Letter sent to Customer Service)