AOL EXILES CHATROOM LEADER.

One of America Online_s leading chatroom leaders is fighting back after he and others were booted offline by the giant Internet company. Bronx native Robert DeLena created a cyber-forum four years ago called the Other Side of Creativity -- a place where thousands of published and aspiring writers meet to discuss industry secrets and advice. But he was recently told by AOL brass to take a walk. DeLena, a psychology professor at Bronx Community College, incorporated the Other Side of Creativity about 18 months ago and says the forum attracts over 5,000 writers a day -- including bestselling authors Steven Gaines and Kelsey Roberts. He says he owns the right to control the forum and refuses to relinquish the site to AOL -- which has since given DeLena the pink slip. "Thank you for your participation in America Online_s Community Leader Program," AOL_s Community Manager Mike Sansone wrote DeLena. "Unfortunately, your volunteer contributions are no longer needed. In addition, you are no longer eligible to participate in AOL_s Community Leader Program," he continued. AOL says DeLena is not alone. The company says it is in the process of transferring all 75 Workplace Channel communities like DeLena_s to the web to relieve the pressure on their servers. But DeLena insists the cyber-giant wants to get rid of popular community leaders so they can turn the areas into corporate-sponsored, money-making channels.