Mission Statement

My philosophy for building a community is simple: it’s to build it with the community. A community is meant to be built from the bottom up with others, not the top down; something we all shape together. It's about being transparent, making others feel valued, and actively listening to the perspectives of others.

I’ve long dreamt of creating something fun and sustainable that I could build with others. Something we could all be proud of, and I believe our forum here on Office Outlaw is that dream turned reality.

I originally created Office Outlaw in November 2024 to bring together a community of people who wanted to make what they felt were toxic work environments more tolerable for themselves. People who were tired of being micromanaged; people who just need to give themselves a break. However, some circumstances that occured actually changed this forum for the better.

Backstory

I want to provide a bit of backstory for this next part as it’s an important part of why Office Outlaw is the wonderful forum it is today. You see, after my contract with a long-term client who owned an internet marketing forum was abruptly terminated in March 2025, I also found that they changed the login details on my personal account on their forum, claiming it as “company property.” This was a forum I started off as a member of back in 2013 before becoming a contractor in 2018, and for the first time since 2013, I found myself cut off from the majority of the community. Their administration had the gall to even post a “farewell” thread suggesting that I simply moved on from the community.

What they did not understand is that I am and always will be a part of this community. Not long after my contract termination, I found that some in the community began reaching out to me, and I spent time reaching out to others to share the truth of what happened.

I’m thankful they terminated my contract and hijacked my account, because if they hadn’t done that, it wouldn’t have caused this next part to happen.

What Happened Next

So many of us got together and built ourselves a new home that we could be proud of: Office Outlaw.

But we didn’t want to build ourselves a clone of our old home. No, instead we built ourselves something better: a forum that was built by the community, for the community. This is more than just an internet marketing forum; it’s a lifestyle forum for those of us who don’t follow made-up “rules” that only exist to benefit the few over the community as a whole.

Our Mission

I want this forum to be a chance for all of us to really engage with each other without worrying about corporate profits or what silly things shareholders might have an issue with. This forum will be a chance for all of us to explore concepts and ideas that weren’t taken seriously because they didn’t generate enough profit for the board of directors. An opportunity to open up discourse without ridiculously over-sensitive restrictions in place.

I want this mission statement to serve as more than just a backstory or an introduction to this community. I want it to be a promise to the community that this forum will never devolve into a corporate machine that prioritises profits over people. As some members have told me, I want this to be a safe haven for the community to have a chance to really be themselves, because since joining this community, I've met some truly unique, smart individuals who just need an opportunity and a little support to grow.

I'm confident this forum can be what I want it to be. But you know what? If these promises are ever broken, I want that to be called out. I've never had an issue with fervent members who care about the community speaking up, and in fact, I admired them for doing so on the other forum, even when they were speaking up against me. I know I was never a perfect administrator or the best moderator, but I always strive to be better than I am right now, and I want this forum to be a reflection of that.

If you can accept this, then I think you would enjoy being a member of Office Outlaw.

~Alistair Kavalt, AKA Zwielicht