Early online communities ? (Full Version)

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frenchpet -> Early online communities ? (10/17/2005 3:43:40 AM)

There have just been funny references to what BDSM communities were like 20 years ago, with for example spelling differences... So I'd like to know, who was online 20 years ago, and how ? I mean, hardly anyone knew about the internet before 1994, so... was the online community a community of scientists using the early internet for something else than research ?

In fact, there were certainly online communities in France as early as 1982, when the minitel appeared, because this prehistoric looking thing, that had a very ugly screen, so it was almost exclusively texts, was hardly used for anything else than finding sexual partners, or chatting with professional fantasy providers... (although officially it was useful to register to the university, make a train reservation, check the stock prices, the phone directory or the weather forecasts etc... haha). Btw, this thing cost the unbelievable price of $.15 to $.8 a minute to use (with no additional monthly bill), and about anyone had access to it. At least it had millions of users before 1990.

So anyway, I'm curious how technically online communities were possible 20 years ago ?? Was there some equivalent to the minitel which many people had access to ? Or was there no online communities, but a non R/T BDSM community with specialized publications ?
Just curious.



stormsfate -> RE: Early online communities ? (10/17/2005 4:42:05 AM)

I remember prior to 1989, there were bbs you telneted into. In `90, Prodigy was going strong. By '95, AOL and the world wide web was going strong. These aren't accurate timelines, but timelines when I happened to participate in these particular communities. 20 years ago, there were most certainly online communities. I don't know when ASB started, but they were most certainly around 20 years ago in '94.


best regards,
f



frenchpet -> RE: Early online communities ? (10/17/2005 4:59:38 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: stormsfate

I remember prior to 1989, there were bbs you telneted into. In `90, Prodigy was going strong. By '95, AOL and the world wide web was going strong. These aren't accurate timelines, but timelines when I happened to participate in these particular communities. 20 years ago, there were most certainly online communities. I don't know when ASB started, but they were most certainly around 20 years ago in '94.


best regards,
f

thanks... could you explain the acronyms ? I know google usually is my friend but...I guess bbs doesn't stand for BlackBerries or Brain and Behavioral Sciences. What kind of device would you use to telnet ? An early IBM computer with a modem, or something else ? What about ASB ? I guess American Society of Biomechanics (or Baking) isn't what you were refering to ? Alien Space Bat ?

Thanks again.



JohnWarren -> RE: Early online communities ? (10/17/2005 5:29:09 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: frenchpet

There have just been funny references to what BDSM communities were like 20 years ago, with for example spelling differences... So I'd like to know, who was online 20 years ago, and how ? I mean, hardly anyone knew about the internet before 1994, so... was the online community a community of scientists using the early internet for something else than research ?


There was chat as early as 1979 using CompuServe, which was not yet nationwide at that point. They had what they called a CB simulator with a number of different channels (chatrooms). I seem to recall that channel 13 was where the BDSM crowd hung out. We did information sharing and online play.

The military ARPNET which first appeared in 1969 spawned UseNet about ten years later at Duke University. The first newsgroups were serious and headed with codes like "sci" for scientific and "news" for information but soon ones like "rec" for recreation appeared. Among the less serious groupings was "alt" (alternative) and, in that, alt.sex.bondage appeared. There are tales that, in fact, it was created as a joke but it quickly became on of the most popular groups. I was reading and posting back in the 1980s, using my university account. It was often the first "out" for new students whose manners and self control at finding this "brave new world" occasionally were somewhat limited. This led to the term "It must be September" when a particularly offensive poster appeared.

In the 80s and 90s we also had computer bulletin board systems. Most were the work of enthusiasts who set up a computer in their house, rented an extra phone line and provided an electronic meeting place for fellow enthusiasts. Some began to charge and grew to significant size. When Libby and I founded The Boston Dungeon Society, the core of the Society was a 24 line BBS. In about 1992, BBSs began attaching their system to the internet but it was complex and expensive. BDSBBS "went internet" in 1995.



target -> RE: Early online communities ? (10/17/2005 5:54:05 AM)

I first went"online" through Bitnet in 82. It was a Dos driven network built over the arpanet that already existed. Bitnet actually stood for " Because It's There" net. It had email and messaging (store and forward) capabilities. The internet didn't take off till interfaces became graphical instead of text driven but by then there were many small communities, and usenet (newsgroups).



frenchpet -> RE: Early online communities ? (10/17/2005 6:23:28 AM)

Thank Y/you very much A/all ;o) !
So basically... university computers available to students have never been used much for anything useful to the university :) ?



pup -> RE: Early online communities ? (10/17/2005 8:19:25 AM)

Quantumlink started the big bulletin board systems in 1984 for commodore 64.

Thats where I found some of my first written information. That was from home.

From there it evolved to text telnet, to irc, to muds, and eventually gopher/newsgroups thanks to some university servers.




frenchpet -> RE: Early online communities ? (10/17/2005 8:30:45 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: pup

Quantumlink started the big bulletin board systems in 1984 for commodore 64.

Thats where I found some of my first written information. That was from home.

From there it evolved to text telnet, to irc, to muds, and eventually gopher/newsgroups thanks to some university servers.



OK thanks. Now I have another satisfying answer to the question 'how in the world could people do before...'. :))
I guess this thread about online BDSM protohistory belongs to the off topic section...



stormsfate -> RE: Early online communities ? (10/17/2005 5:00:48 PM)

You were all very kind to not point out that '94 was not 20 years ago...lol. One should never post until their eyes are fully open. At any rate, Compuserv was before P*, as John pointed out. I didn't make it online until '86, but my first online chats were on local bullentin board services. Then a brief time at Compuserv, then I moved to Prodigy and was there for a couple of years.

It was a good question, frenchpet :)


f



JohnWarren -> RE: Early online communities ? (10/17/2005 5:04:25 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: stormsfate

You were all very kind to not point out that '94 was not 20 years ago...lol. One should never post until their eyes are fully open. At any rate, Compuserv was before P*, as John pointed out. I didn't make it online until '86, but my first online chats were on local bullentin board services. Then a brief time at Compuserv, then I moved to Prodigy and was there for a couple of years.


I have fond memories of Prodigy despite their incredible censorship efforts. After all, I met Libby on that system.



Soulhuntre -> RE: Early online communities ? (10/17/2005 9:34:56 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: frenchpet
There have just been funny references to what BDSM communities were like 20 years ago, with for example spelling differences... So I'd like to know, who was online 20 years ago, and how ? I mean, hardly anyone knew about the internet before 1994, so... was the online community a community of scientists using the early internet for something else than research ?


I went online to Compuserve sometime around 1983 or so. I had been on BBS's for a little bit before then. I was onlien from around 12 years old and up. Fromt he beginning adult and BDSM related information was available, and when channel 13 on CB (compuserve) hit I was well on my way. I wrote and have run BBS's, then websites and so on every since.



MasterBenedict -> RE: Early online communities ? (10/19/2005 7:44:31 PM)

(clears His throat )Actually, it was very active in ~~1980 or so :-))
MB



MasterRobert1 -> RE: Early online communities ? (10/20/2005 3:51:16 AM)

Something most people don't speak of: there was a BDSM D/s community BEFORE there was the internet! GASP! Hard to believe, but very true.



stormsfate -> RE: Early online communities ? (10/20/2005 4:38:19 AM)

<chuckling> I think most people are aware that wiitwd has been around in some form or fashion since the beginning of time. The point of the OP, however, seems to be in reference to "online communities" *before* the internet was widely available, how that was possible...and who has been online that long.


best regards,
fate



MstrssPassion -> RE: Early online communities ? (10/20/2005 4:42:36 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: MasterRobert1

Something most people don't speak of: there was a BDSM D/s community BEFORE there was the internet! GASP! Hard to believe, but very true.


True

I found online BDSM & D/s about 10 yrs after discovering it real time. I remember the first time I entered a chat online, I left shortly after. <wink>

To this day I don't do chats. I have been curious enough to sample a spot from time to time when I am told it is a really good environment, but I seldom hang out for any length of time. I just don't grasp the nuances that the online community present, it is strangely different than what was demonstrated within the real time community I began with 20 yrs (+/-) ago.







frenchpet -> RE: Early online communities ? (10/20/2005 5:01:33 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: stormsfate

<chuckling> I think most people are aware that wiitwd has been around in some form or fashion since the beginning of time. The point of the OP, however, seems to be in reference to "online communities" *before* the internet was widely available, how that was possible...and who has been online that long.


Exactly, thanks.



JohnWarren -> RE: Early online communities ? (10/20/2005 5:05:54 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: stormsfate

<chuckling> I think most people are aware that wiitwd has been around in some form or fashion since the beginning of time. The point of the OP, however, seems to be in reference to "online communities" *before* the internet was widely available, how that was possible...and who has been online that long.


best regards,
fate


I can't remember the notestream, but a while back I posted a little about the early BDSM groups like TES and what has become to be called The Old Guard. However, you are exactly right, the original question here was about early online activities.



FangsNfeet -> RE: Early online communities ? (10/20/2005 5:13:18 AM)

And to think, even today Role Players still play RPG Mud games. They've been around for about since atleast the early 90's. Before then I belive it was still having to actually role dice for the civilian public atleast.



JohnWarren -> RE: Early online communities ? (10/20/2005 5:26:33 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: FangsNfeet

And to think, even today Role Players still play RPG Mud games. They've been around for about since atleast the early 90's. Before then I belive it was still having to actually role dice for the civilian public atleast.


I know Dungeons and Dragons dates back to the mid-70. I was part of an academic role play group later in the decade. We drew most of our members from the English and psychology faculty. I've even published a few articles in The Dragon, a publication for D&D players. The Society For Creative Anachronism dates back to May of 1966, just about the same time as the Church of Satan, but I'm not sure the latter really qualifies as role play.

Military role playing dates back further than that. The German general staff was using systematic, data-based war gaming in the 1930s.



frenchpet -> RE: Early online communities ? (10/21/2005 10:12:53 AM)

Thanks again to all for the informative replies.

Some people out there were really in advance : the profile that showed up on the other side of CM was the profile of a "domme" (looking for "MONEYSLAVES") under 40 who claimed "27 YRS RT AND ONLINE EXPERIENCE". I know, I should ask her how was online D/s back in 1978, but she wouldn't answer without a tribute, so I'm afraid I'll never know. *sigh*.

It would be great if in addition to the block button there were a hide button (just a thought, I'm not complaining !)



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