Way back in 1997 when I was posting my messy pics on a random fetish forum, Andi from "Andi's WAM archives" contacted me and asked if I would like to have my images on a homepage on the WAMSAT network that featured about 10 other messy sites. I agreed and within a few days, the site was born, Andi gave it the name "Messygirl's Homepage" and from that moment on I became known as Messygirl. Then a few months later, some nice guy fresh out of college, asked if I would like to have my page on something he was starting up called the UMD. That nice guy also asked if he could become the webmaster of my little site, his name is Messmaster.
So as 2015 rolls around the corner, I want to personally thank both Andi and MM for all they did to help get us started.
On a side note, wamsat.com now belongs to a realtor with the last name Wamsat...lol.
IIRC, you could click the WAMSAT banner on each site to reach the next one sequentially in the "ring". Do a Forum search on "wamsat" and you'll find this great thread: http://umd.net/forums/umd_old_skool. Looking closely at the screenshots there I don't see any reference to WAMSAT, so maybe even by 2000 it was already gone? Lot of great nostalgia in that thread. Saw at least one of those Crazygirls webcams and even though it was just a screen that refreshed every 20(?) seconds with a new still picture it was very exciting because it was LIVE WAM!
It must feel fun to know you'll be known as a Wam pioneer I've seen some of your videos on your membership site over the years and you can tell you totally love getting messy.
Always love an excuse to dig through archives - here's a clip I had hanging around from 1999, let me know if its an issue sharing it:
I'd been connecting to BBSes for a couple of years beforehand but I got an AOL account on New Year's Day 1997 (pretty scary to think that was 18 years ago), with a 38.4bps modem. I believe I first came across Messyfun, then Aquatapes, then Shokolada's Mess, then the WAMSAT. I remember the 'UMD before it was the UMD', which I believe Messmaster ran, called messy-abc.com. It had several clips that the UMD now has in its archives. The WAMSAT shut down sometime in late 1998/early 1999, I believe, because the man running it, known as Jimminy Thicket, either could no longer afford it or no longer had the time. There was a void for a little while and then the UMD came along!
Without too much revelation, I can state that things-WAM was my main reason for purchasing a PC, back in early '96. I certainly remember WAMSAT and your early emergence from the morass(es) we love so much. There were only a few places to view anything remotely-wam-related. That was one of them. Now it seems the world is a click away - all substances included. Yet, it's still not enough. That should be good news for creative producers. Your site has always produced some of the most striking images in the medium - with no apologies, no holds barred. Lots of stuff bared. It has been a very good thing!
smess said: IIRC, you could click the WAMSAT banner on each site to reach the next one sequentially in the "ring". Do a Forum search on "wamsat" and you'll find this great thread: http://umd.net/forums/umd_old_skool. Looking closely at the screenshots there I don't see any reference to WAMSAT, so maybe even by 2000 it was already gone? Lot of great nostalgia in that thread. Saw at least one of those Crazygirls webcams and even though it was just a screen that refreshed every 20(?) seconds with a new still picture it was very exciting because it was LIVE WAM!
smess said: IIRC, you could click the WAMSAT banner on each site to reach the next one sequentially in the "ring". Do a Forum search on "wamsat" and you'll find this great thread: http://umd.net/forums/umd_old_skool. Looking closely at the screenshots there I don't see any reference to WAMSAT, so maybe even by 2000 it was already gone? Lot of great nostalgia in that thread. Saw at least one of those Crazygirls webcams and even though it was just a screen that refreshed every 20(?) seconds with a new still picture it was very exciting because it was LIVE WAM!
I remember the "web ring".
You clicked on the banner, and it would take you to a site, and at the bottom of the site was a banner of the next site on the "ring" (or the previous one).
It would take you around 360 degrees till it brought you back where you started.
At least that is how it worked on my old set-up from the late '90s.
I think that is how I found the Messygirl website. However, it wasn't the first wam website I found.
Ah, I remember that. I had just gotten decent (Ethernet T!) internet access at that point and was exploring the (very small at the time) web, looking for such things on searches like webcrawler and AltaVista.
I remember Wamsat. And the "rings' exposed me to a whole bunch of sites and interesting people!
I think it's interesting that longstanding producers here, such as Messygirl and Ariel, were people that I first saw on other people's sites, then all of a sudden I realized that they had sites of their own!
Thanks for telling "The rest of the story", MG! That was very interesting how you ended up getting started!
I also remember the Piemagination site, as asked by Trotter. I don't remember much about it, but I always wondered it there was some sort of backstory to that site that I didn't know about (but probably should have).