1
50
18
-
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/97e22b05969625c77537ae213afad193.txt
ab5dfa661ed0310295b0a4b7023fc483
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/3c03196420125584d30ccaca3ea96d19.png
85e513e69ab3e591928967534f6f3661
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Queer Digital Community Catalog
Language
A language of the resource
English
Description
An account of the resource
<p dir="ltr"><span>This catalog collects basic information and resources on LGBTQ-related online communities prior to 2010, particularly those from the so-called Web 1.0 period. Each catalog entry includes information on the group’s format, its approximate dates of activity, its audience and topical focus, and links to other materials discussing the group, such as editorial columns, personal essays, or archival materials.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>One of the driving impulses for the creation of this catalog was to offer a starting place for research into early LGBTQ life online. As I found in my own research, simply knowing the name of a place or person could, in some cases, be key to my archival research. Beyond just its research utility, however, this catalog is also meant to preserve the memory, if not the content, of communities and groups whose names might otherwise be lost or forgotten.<br /></span></p>
<h2>Why a Catalog?</h2>
<p dir="ltr">I’ve chosen to focus on a catalog, as opposed to an archive, for several reasons. Firstly, at its most basic level, an archive is focused on primary material—in this case, the content of posts. However, archiving for most online groups from the mid-1980s up to the late 1990s is often incomplete at best, so in many cases, there’s limited to no archival material available. Instead, what exists in many cases is secondary material, writing describing or reflecting on posters’ experiences with and in these spaces. The catalog, ideally, links these disparate materials together in order to give a slightly fuller picture of the online landscape at any given time.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Secondly, posters in early LGBTQ groups often wrote (sometimes in detail) about close and personal issues in their lives under the assumption that their posts would remain private within the group. Given this, I’ve designed the catalog to respect (to the best of my ability) posters’ initial expectation of privacy. Linked content has all been previously published in other venues, and any other detailed personal reflections submitted by users specifically for the catalog have been made public with their consent.</p>
<h2>What Qualifies A Community For Inclusion?</h2>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are no specific criteria determining inclusion in the QDCC. However, many of the communitites currently listed in the catalog have multiple references in contemporaneous periodicals, newsletters, web guides, or other LGBTQ-related informational websites. These sources are key for establishing not only the existence of a space, but its particular attributes.</span></p>
<h2 dir="ltr"><strong>On Audience Labels</strong></h2>
<p dir="ltr">All of the communities cataloged include descriptive metadata culled from various sources, including contemporaneous listings in print publications and online reference guides. However, the terminology used in archival sources does not always match current preferred terms. <a href="http://notchesblog.com/2017/11/28/troubling-terms-the-label-problem-in-transgender-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">As has been discussed elsewhere</a>, retroactively applying labels with which individuals or spaces might not have identified is a politically fraught act. In my metadata practices, then, I follow a policy similar to that of the <a href="https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/about/policies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Digital Transgender Archive</a>: whenever possible, I use terminology included in contemporaneous decriptions. If terminology is not used or a detailed description is not available, I categorize using terminology derived from the archival reference.</p>
<h2>Adding Communities to the Catalog</h2>
<p>This catalog is by no means complete, and I'm always looking for new groups to add, if additional information is available. Please feel free to suggest a community for inclusion using <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe9oGcXtpUNGXXhEBIYdZlb40HTj3EDzG_fk4xltxxcCck6AQ/viewform?usp=sf_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this form</a>, or email me directly at <a href="mailto:adame@winona.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adame@winona.edu</a>.</p>
BBS
Bulletin Board System
Name
Name of Forum
Land of Awes BBS
Area Code
Area Code of BBS
316
City and State/Province
Wichita, KS
Year Founded (approximate)
1990
Last Year Active (approximate)
2001
Network/Platform
Networks or Platforms the forum participated in
FidoNet node 1:291/9
Sponsor or Institutional Host
Organizations that hosted, sponsored, or maintained the forum
Land of Awes
Baud Rate
Unknown
Intended Audience
The forum's intended audience
Gay Men, Lesbians, Bisexual people
Primary Language
Primary language used by participants
American English
Exterior References
Attached ad for Land of Awes Phone Tree from <a href="https://history.okeq.org/items/show/458" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Parachute Vol 1, no. 7, Oct 1993</a>), as well as widely-circulated ECGM advertisement (retrieved from the <a href="http://www.qrd.org/qrd/electronic/1995/electronic.gay.community.magazine-01.29.95" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Queer Resources Directory</a>)<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/19981206234920/http://www.awes.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Land of Awes Information Service Homepage</a> (archived Dec 6, 1999)</li>
<li>Hosted Land of Awes Phone Tree (see attached ad)</li>
<li>Hosted <a href="http://awes.com/egcm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Electronic Gay Community Magazine</a> (first founded as print publication <em>Emerald City News)</em> from 1988 to 2007
<ul>
<li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/19990224221223/http://www.zzapp.org/awes/egcm/#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Archived EGCM site</a> (archived Feb 24, 1999)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Land of Awes
bbs
bisexual people
FidoNet
gay people
lesbian people
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Queer Digital Community Catalog
Language
A language of the resource
English
Description
An account of the resource
<p dir="ltr"><span>This catalog collects basic information and resources on LGBTQ-related online communities prior to 2010, particularly those from the so-called Web 1.0 period. Each catalog entry includes information on the group’s format, its approximate dates of activity, its audience and topical focus, and links to other materials discussing the group, such as editorial columns, personal essays, or archival materials.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>One of the driving impulses for the creation of this catalog was to offer a starting place for research into early LGBTQ life online. As I found in my own research, simply knowing the name of a place or person could, in some cases, be key to my archival research. Beyond just its research utility, however, this catalog is also meant to preserve the memory, if not the content, of communities and groups whose names might otherwise be lost or forgotten.<br /></span></p>
<h2>Why a Catalog?</h2>
<p dir="ltr">I’ve chosen to focus on a catalog, as opposed to an archive, for several reasons. Firstly, at its most basic level, an archive is focused on primary material—in this case, the content of posts. However, archiving for most online groups from the mid-1980s up to the late 1990s is often incomplete at best, so in many cases, there’s limited to no archival material available. Instead, what exists in many cases is secondary material, writing describing or reflecting on posters’ experiences with and in these spaces. The catalog, ideally, links these disparate materials together in order to give a slightly fuller picture of the online landscape at any given time.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Secondly, posters in early LGBTQ groups often wrote (sometimes in detail) about close and personal issues in their lives under the assumption that their posts would remain private within the group. Given this, I’ve designed the catalog to respect (to the best of my ability) posters’ initial expectation of privacy. Linked content has all been previously published in other venues, and any other detailed personal reflections submitted by users specifically for the catalog have been made public with their consent.</p>
<h2>What Qualifies A Community For Inclusion?</h2>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are no specific criteria determining inclusion in the QDCC. However, many of the communitites currently listed in the catalog have multiple references in contemporaneous periodicals, newsletters, web guides, or other LGBTQ-related informational websites. These sources are key for establishing not only the existence of a space, but its particular attributes.</span></p>
<h2 dir="ltr"><strong>On Audience Labels</strong></h2>
<p dir="ltr">All of the communities cataloged include descriptive metadata culled from various sources, including contemporaneous listings in print publications and online reference guides. However, the terminology used in archival sources does not always match current preferred terms. <a href="http://notchesblog.com/2017/11/28/troubling-terms-the-label-problem-in-transgender-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">As has been discussed elsewhere</a>, retroactively applying labels with which individuals or spaces might not have identified is a politically fraught act. In my metadata practices, then, I follow a policy similar to that of the <a href="https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/about/policies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Digital Transgender Archive</a>: whenever possible, I use terminology included in contemporaneous decriptions. If terminology is not used or a detailed description is not available, I categorize using terminology derived from the archival reference.</p>
<h2>Adding Communities to the Catalog</h2>
<p>This catalog is by no means complete, and I'm always looking for new groups to add, if additional information is available. Please feel free to suggest a community for inclusion using <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe9oGcXtpUNGXXhEBIYdZlb40HTj3EDzG_fk4xltxxcCck6AQ/viewform?usp=sf_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this form</a>, or email me directly at <a href="mailto:adame@winona.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adame@winona.edu</a>.</p>
BBS
Bulletin Board System
Name
Name of Forum
LAMBDA BOARD - EDINBURGH
Area Code
Area Code of BBS
0131
City and State/Province
Edinburgh, Scotland
Year Founded (approximate)
Unknown, first reference in 1994
Last Year Active (approximate)
2006
Baud Rate
2400
Intended Audience
The forum's intended audience
Women, Gay Men, Bisexuals, Transgender People
Primary Language
Primary language used by participants
Scottish English
Exterior References
<ul>
<li>Regular advertiser in <a href="http://www.scotsgay.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ScotsGay Magazine</a> from 1994 to 2006</li>
</ul>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
LAMBDA BOARD - EDINBURGH
bbs
bisexual people
gay people
lesbian people
transgender people
-
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/83bbecc899383dac48e8c5c19b3ca2a7.ZIP
1195b4731647f9125c9b4b5747fb424d
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Primary Documents Collection
Description
An account of the resource
This collection hold primary documents (listings, programs, applications, etc) related to LGBTQ life online pre-2010. When possible, files have been listed with their original date of publication and source. When mirrored from established sites, their original source is attributed and linked. If you have files you would like to submit for inclusion, please feel free to contact Avery Dame-Griff at <a href="mailto:admin@queerdigital.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admin@queerdigital.com</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
PrideNet! USA & Canada Info Pak
Subject
The topic of the resource
Information Packet for PrideNet! USA & Canada BBS Network
Description
An account of the resource
Includes:<br />
<ul>
<li>PRIDELST.071 - Nodelist (of member BBSes)</li>
<li>PRIDENET.ECH - List of Echos (forums)</li>
<li>PRIDENET.APP - An application for sysops to join PrideNet</li>
<li>PRIDEPOL - Rules for Echos:
<ul>
<li>Straight Talk</li>
<li>Desert Hearts (women-only)</li>
<li>Gainers</li>
<li>Gay Baths</li>
<li>Grassroots</li>
<li>Naturalist</li>
<li>Free-For-All Flames</li>
<li>PrideNet Chat</li>
<li>PrideNET System Operators Echo</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://bbs.retropc.se/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBS File Area</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Unknown
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Uploaded 3-07-1993
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
.zip archive
Language
A language of the resource
American English
bbs network
bisexual people
gay people
lesbian people
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Queer Digital Community Catalog
Language
A language of the resource
English
Description
An account of the resource
<p dir="ltr"><span>This catalog collects basic information and resources on LGBTQ-related online communities prior to 2010, particularly those from the so-called Web 1.0 period. Each catalog entry includes information on the group’s format, its approximate dates of activity, its audience and topical focus, and links to other materials discussing the group, such as editorial columns, personal essays, or archival materials.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>One of the driving impulses for the creation of this catalog was to offer a starting place for research into early LGBTQ life online. As I found in my own research, simply knowing the name of a place or person could, in some cases, be key to my archival research. Beyond just its research utility, however, this catalog is also meant to preserve the memory, if not the content, of communities and groups whose names might otherwise be lost or forgotten.<br /></span></p>
<h2>Why a Catalog?</h2>
<p dir="ltr">I’ve chosen to focus on a catalog, as opposed to an archive, for several reasons. Firstly, at its most basic level, an archive is focused on primary material—in this case, the content of posts. However, archiving for most online groups from the mid-1980s up to the late 1990s is often incomplete at best, so in many cases, there’s limited to no archival material available. Instead, what exists in many cases is secondary material, writing describing or reflecting on posters’ experiences with and in these spaces. The catalog, ideally, links these disparate materials together in order to give a slightly fuller picture of the online landscape at any given time.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Secondly, posters in early LGBTQ groups often wrote (sometimes in detail) about close and personal issues in their lives under the assumption that their posts would remain private within the group. Given this, I’ve designed the catalog to respect (to the best of my ability) posters’ initial expectation of privacy. Linked content has all been previously published in other venues, and any other detailed personal reflections submitted by users specifically for the catalog have been made public with their consent.</p>
<h2>What Qualifies A Community For Inclusion?</h2>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are no specific criteria determining inclusion in the QDCC. However, many of the communitites currently listed in the catalog have multiple references in contemporaneous periodicals, newsletters, web guides, or other LGBTQ-related informational websites. These sources are key for establishing not only the existence of a space, but its particular attributes.</span></p>
<h2 dir="ltr"><strong>On Audience Labels</strong></h2>
<p dir="ltr">All of the communities cataloged include descriptive metadata culled from various sources, including contemporaneous listings in print publications and online reference guides. However, the terminology used in archival sources does not always match current preferred terms. <a href="http://notchesblog.com/2017/11/28/troubling-terms-the-label-problem-in-transgender-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">As has been discussed elsewhere</a>, retroactively applying labels with which individuals or spaces might not have identified is a politically fraught act. In my metadata practices, then, I follow a policy similar to that of the <a href="https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/about/policies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Digital Transgender Archive</a>: whenever possible, I use terminology included in contemporaneous decriptions. If terminology is not used or a detailed description is not available, I categorize using terminology derived from the archival reference.</p>
<h2>Adding Communities to the Catalog</h2>
<p>This catalog is by no means complete, and I'm always looking for new groups to add, if additional information is available. Please feel free to suggest a community for inclusion using <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe9oGcXtpUNGXXhEBIYdZlb40HTj3EDzG_fk4xltxxcCck6AQ/viewform?usp=sf_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this form</a>, or email me directly at <a href="mailto:adame@winona.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adame@winona.edu</a>.</p>
Proprietary Forum
Forum on a proprietary platform (AOL, Livejournal, etc.)
Network/Platform
Networks or Platforms the forum participated in
ECHO NYC
Year Founded (approximate)
Unknown
Last Year Active (approximate)
Unknown
Intended Audience
The forum's intended audience
gay people, lesbian people, bisexual people, transgender people, queer people
Exterior References
<ul>
<li>"<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/27/business/sound-bytes-an-electronic-salon-in-ny.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sound Bytes: An Electronic Salon, in N.Y.</a>," <em>New York Times</em> (March 27, 1994) - An early interview with ECHO founder Stacy Horn on the ECHO NYC BBS</li>
<li><a href="https://www.echonyc.com/~lambda/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conference homepage</a> (last update date unknown)</li>
</ul>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Lambda Conference (ECHO)
bisexual people
ECHONYC
gay people
Lambda Conference
lesbian people
queer people
transgender people
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Queer Digital Community Catalog
Language
A language of the resource
English
Description
An account of the resource
<p dir="ltr"><span>This catalog collects basic information and resources on LGBTQ-related online communities prior to 2010, particularly those from the so-called Web 1.0 period. Each catalog entry includes information on the group’s format, its approximate dates of activity, its audience and topical focus, and links to other materials discussing the group, such as editorial columns, personal essays, or archival materials.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>One of the driving impulses for the creation of this catalog was to offer a starting place for research into early LGBTQ life online. As I found in my own research, simply knowing the name of a place or person could, in some cases, be key to my archival research. Beyond just its research utility, however, this catalog is also meant to preserve the memory, if not the content, of communities and groups whose names might otherwise be lost or forgotten.<br /></span></p>
<h2>Why a Catalog?</h2>
<p dir="ltr">I’ve chosen to focus on a catalog, as opposed to an archive, for several reasons. Firstly, at its most basic level, an archive is focused on primary material—in this case, the content of posts. However, archiving for most online groups from the mid-1980s up to the late 1990s is often incomplete at best, so in many cases, there’s limited to no archival material available. Instead, what exists in many cases is secondary material, writing describing or reflecting on posters’ experiences with and in these spaces. The catalog, ideally, links these disparate materials together in order to give a slightly fuller picture of the online landscape at any given time.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Secondly, posters in early LGBTQ groups often wrote (sometimes in detail) about close and personal issues in their lives under the assumption that their posts would remain private within the group. Given this, I’ve designed the catalog to respect (to the best of my ability) posters’ initial expectation of privacy. Linked content has all been previously published in other venues, and any other detailed personal reflections submitted by users specifically for the catalog have been made public with their consent.</p>
<h2>What Qualifies A Community For Inclusion?</h2>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are no specific criteria determining inclusion in the QDCC. However, many of the communitites currently listed in the catalog have multiple references in contemporaneous periodicals, newsletters, web guides, or other LGBTQ-related informational websites. These sources are key for establishing not only the existence of a space, but its particular attributes.</span></p>
<h2 dir="ltr"><strong>On Audience Labels</strong></h2>
<p dir="ltr">All of the communities cataloged include descriptive metadata culled from various sources, including contemporaneous listings in print publications and online reference guides. However, the terminology used in archival sources does not always match current preferred terms. <a href="http://notchesblog.com/2017/11/28/troubling-terms-the-label-problem-in-transgender-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">As has been discussed elsewhere</a>, retroactively applying labels with which individuals or spaces might not have identified is a politically fraught act. In my metadata practices, then, I follow a policy similar to that of the <a href="https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/about/policies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Digital Transgender Archive</a>: whenever possible, I use terminology included in contemporaneous decriptions. If terminology is not used or a detailed description is not available, I categorize using terminology derived from the archival reference.</p>
<h2>Adding Communities to the Catalog</h2>
<p>This catalog is by no means complete, and I'm always looking for new groups to add, if additional information is available. Please feel free to suggest a community for inclusion using <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe9oGcXtpUNGXXhEBIYdZlb40HTj3EDzG_fk4xltxxcCck6AQ/viewform?usp=sf_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this form</a>, or email me directly at <a href="mailto:adame@winona.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adame@winona.edu</a>.</p>
Website
A resource comprising of a web page or web pages and all related assets ( such as images, sound and video files, etc. ).
Local URL
The URL of the local directory containing all assets of the website
http://www.queer.org.au/
Year Founded (approximate)
1995
Last Year Active (approximate)
2008
Intended Audience
The forum's intended audience
gay people, lesbian people, bisexual people, transgender people, queer people
Exterior References
<ul>
<li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/19961230081349/http://www.queer.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">queer.org.au</a> (Archived Dec 30, 1996)</li>
<li>Hosted and/or offered support to:
<ul>
<li>Australian Queer Resources Directory</li>
<li>Australian Student Christian Movement</li>
<li>FLOSS (the Fabulous Lesbians of Sydney Society)</li>
<li>GLOSS (Gay Lads of Sydney Uni)</li>
<li>#ozgay IRC channel</li>
<li>QNet IRC network</li>
<li>Net.Queer! Home Page</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
queer.org.au
Australia
bisexual people
gay people
lesbian people
New Zealand
queer people
transgender people
website
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Queer Digital Community Catalog
Language
A language of the resource
English
Description
An account of the resource
<p dir="ltr"><span>This catalog collects basic information and resources on LGBTQ-related online communities prior to 2010, particularly those from the so-called Web 1.0 period. Each catalog entry includes information on the group’s format, its approximate dates of activity, its audience and topical focus, and links to other materials discussing the group, such as editorial columns, personal essays, or archival materials.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>One of the driving impulses for the creation of this catalog was to offer a starting place for research into early LGBTQ life online. As I found in my own research, simply knowing the name of a place or person could, in some cases, be key to my archival research. Beyond just its research utility, however, this catalog is also meant to preserve the memory, if not the content, of communities and groups whose names might otherwise be lost or forgotten.<br /></span></p>
<h2>Why a Catalog?</h2>
<p dir="ltr">I’ve chosen to focus on a catalog, as opposed to an archive, for several reasons. Firstly, at its most basic level, an archive is focused on primary material—in this case, the content of posts. However, archiving for most online groups from the mid-1980s up to the late 1990s is often incomplete at best, so in many cases, there’s limited to no archival material available. Instead, what exists in many cases is secondary material, writing describing or reflecting on posters’ experiences with and in these spaces. The catalog, ideally, links these disparate materials together in order to give a slightly fuller picture of the online landscape at any given time.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Secondly, posters in early LGBTQ groups often wrote (sometimes in detail) about close and personal issues in their lives under the assumption that their posts would remain private within the group. Given this, I’ve designed the catalog to respect (to the best of my ability) posters’ initial expectation of privacy. Linked content has all been previously published in other venues, and any other detailed personal reflections submitted by users specifically for the catalog have been made public with their consent.</p>
<h2>What Qualifies A Community For Inclusion?</h2>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are no specific criteria determining inclusion in the QDCC. However, many of the communitites currently listed in the catalog have multiple references in contemporaneous periodicals, newsletters, web guides, or other LGBTQ-related informational websites. These sources are key for establishing not only the existence of a space, but its particular attributes.</span></p>
<h2 dir="ltr"><strong>On Audience Labels</strong></h2>
<p dir="ltr">All of the communities cataloged include descriptive metadata culled from various sources, including contemporaneous listings in print publications and online reference guides. However, the terminology used in archival sources does not always match current preferred terms. <a href="http://notchesblog.com/2017/11/28/troubling-terms-the-label-problem-in-transgender-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">As has been discussed elsewhere</a>, retroactively applying labels with which individuals or spaces might not have identified is a politically fraught act. In my metadata practices, then, I follow a policy similar to that of the <a href="https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/about/policies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Digital Transgender Archive</a>: whenever possible, I use terminology included in contemporaneous decriptions. If terminology is not used or a detailed description is not available, I categorize using terminology derived from the archival reference.</p>
<h2>Adding Communities to the Catalog</h2>
<p>This catalog is by no means complete, and I'm always looking for new groups to add, if additional information is available. Please feel free to suggest a community for inclusion using <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe9oGcXtpUNGXXhEBIYdZlb40HTj3EDzG_fk4xltxxcCck6AQ/viewform?usp=sf_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this form</a>, or email me directly at <a href="mailto:adame@winona.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adame@winona.edu</a>.</p>
Usenet Newsgroup
Individual Usenet Newsgroup
Year Founded (approximate)
1994
Exterior References
<ul>
<li><a href="https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/aus.culture.lesbigay" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aus.culture.lesbigay Google Groups archive</a></li>
<li><a href="https://groups.google.com/forum/#!search/aus.culture.lesbigay/aus.culture.lesbigay/JonTXOg5EfU/PWgtgMTuDfUJ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">aus.culture.lesbigay FAQ (posted May 19, 1996)</a></li>
<li>Listed in <a href="http://www.qrd.org/qrd/trans/1995/good.tranny.guide-03.01.95" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Good Tranny Guide</a>, a guide to trans resources specific to Australia and New Zealand (compiled March 1995)</li>
</ul>
Intended Audience
The forum's intended audience
Gay people, lesbian people, bisexual people, transgender people
Primary Language
Primary language used by participants
Australian English
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
aus.culture.lesbigay
Australia
bisexual people
gay people
lesbian people
New Zealand
transgender people
Usenet
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Queer Digital Community Catalog
Language
A language of the resource
English
Description
An account of the resource
<p dir="ltr"><span>This catalog collects basic information and resources on LGBTQ-related online communities prior to 2010, particularly those from the so-called Web 1.0 period. Each catalog entry includes information on the group’s format, its approximate dates of activity, its audience and topical focus, and links to other materials discussing the group, such as editorial columns, personal essays, or archival materials.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>One of the driving impulses for the creation of this catalog was to offer a starting place for research into early LGBTQ life online. As I found in my own research, simply knowing the name of a place or person could, in some cases, be key to my archival research. Beyond just its research utility, however, this catalog is also meant to preserve the memory, if not the content, of communities and groups whose names might otherwise be lost or forgotten.<br /></span></p>
<h2>Why a Catalog?</h2>
<p dir="ltr">I’ve chosen to focus on a catalog, as opposed to an archive, for several reasons. Firstly, at its most basic level, an archive is focused on primary material—in this case, the content of posts. However, archiving for most online groups from the mid-1980s up to the late 1990s is often incomplete at best, so in many cases, there’s limited to no archival material available. Instead, what exists in many cases is secondary material, writing describing or reflecting on posters’ experiences with and in these spaces. The catalog, ideally, links these disparate materials together in order to give a slightly fuller picture of the online landscape at any given time.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Secondly, posters in early LGBTQ groups often wrote (sometimes in detail) about close and personal issues in their lives under the assumption that their posts would remain private within the group. Given this, I’ve designed the catalog to respect (to the best of my ability) posters’ initial expectation of privacy. Linked content has all been previously published in other venues, and any other detailed personal reflections submitted by users specifically for the catalog have been made public with their consent.</p>
<h2>What Qualifies A Community For Inclusion?</h2>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are no specific criteria determining inclusion in the QDCC. However, many of the communitites currently listed in the catalog have multiple references in contemporaneous periodicals, newsletters, web guides, or other LGBTQ-related informational websites. These sources are key for establishing not only the existence of a space, but its particular attributes.</span></p>
<h2 dir="ltr"><strong>On Audience Labels</strong></h2>
<p dir="ltr">All of the communities cataloged include descriptive metadata culled from various sources, including contemporaneous listings in print publications and online reference guides. However, the terminology used in archival sources does not always match current preferred terms. <a href="http://notchesblog.com/2017/11/28/troubling-terms-the-label-problem-in-transgender-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">As has been discussed elsewhere</a>, retroactively applying labels with which individuals or spaces might not have identified is a politically fraught act. In my metadata practices, then, I follow a policy similar to that of the <a href="https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/about/policies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Digital Transgender Archive</a>: whenever possible, I use terminology included in contemporaneous decriptions. If terminology is not used or a detailed description is not available, I categorize using terminology derived from the archival reference.</p>
<h2>Adding Communities to the Catalog</h2>
<p>This catalog is by no means complete, and I'm always looking for new groups to add, if additional information is available. Please feel free to suggest a community for inclusion using <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe9oGcXtpUNGXXhEBIYdZlb40HTj3EDzG_fk4xltxxcCck6AQ/viewform?usp=sf_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this form</a>, or email me directly at <a href="mailto:adame@winona.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adame@winona.edu</a>.</p>
BBS
Bulletin Board System
Exterior References
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.gaycalgary.com/Magazine.aspx?id=158&article=5509" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Men For Men BBS – What Gay Geeks did in the early ’90s"</a> - Column by sysop Steve Polyak on the history of Men For Men</li>
<li><a href="http://www.gaycalgary.com/Magazine.aspx?id=156&article=5420" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"25th Anniversary of Men For Men/GayCalgary"</a> - Column by sysop Steve Polyak on the changes with Men for Men and GayCalgary </li>
</ul>
Name
Name of Forum
Men for Men BBS
Area Code
Area Code of BBS
403
City and State/Province
Calgary, Alberta
Year Founded (approximate)
1992
Last Year Active (approximate)
2006
Network/Platform
Networks or Platforms the forum participated in
FidoNet
Intended Audience
The forum's intended audience
Gay men, bisexual men
Primary Language
Primary language used by participants
Canadian English
Abbreviations/Alias
Any other names used to refer to this forum
MFM BBS
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Men for Men BBS
bbs
bisexual people
gay people
-
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/3ba5c9e2ba6bb0558293744c5d54c3ae.jpeg
7b29f86c045f50e2ed8baacef4c79798
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/5efed384a2d343c7f13b0dd91c330d39.jpg
cc2131cba9a309f59c887768bb86804b
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/4a2dda6ce9468bf8b441cbe890fe8492.jpg
d1e8a914595c7faf35c21de89d2e8fde
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/d571d57a7b2b268b86ade55929cb54da.jpg
5e20d728e422a627287c50fa2af9143f
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/cc528fa1f2f5f4f31678aaf825183a86.pdf
7123de8eb533c62c07275ae0a8567307
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/0a992094dba4c846916884e6a8d7515d.jpg
8fe13e199a975060de238ec292286060
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/a201fc329d8c4617baf286229a6789a7.jpg
250efe9d6dade55b696bbb7bdbbe6c66
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/2f93010ab9ccd357da5f599947af3295.jpg
82f57a14f0d469322acd3f097933dc2f
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/85e98cc625994bd4e61ee97295722644.jpg
3cdf45de066b1cc6e147bc49682f79d0
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/676f474549af0bdc2b66914ba2329228.jpg
cb8b78c79270af8005c8552bcf7e4f7e
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/67872b8b4c44c8615e07c4b8f1a124f1.jpg
226f928e86d2626bcc513e98c88fc792
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Queer Digital Community Catalog
Language
A language of the resource
English
Description
An account of the resource
<p dir="ltr"><span>This catalog collects basic information and resources on LGBTQ-related online communities prior to 2010, particularly those from the so-called Web 1.0 period. Each catalog entry includes information on the group’s format, its approximate dates of activity, its audience and topical focus, and links to other materials discussing the group, such as editorial columns, personal essays, or archival materials.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>One of the driving impulses for the creation of this catalog was to offer a starting place for research into early LGBTQ life online. As I found in my own research, simply knowing the name of a place or person could, in some cases, be key to my archival research. Beyond just its research utility, however, this catalog is also meant to preserve the memory, if not the content, of communities and groups whose names might otherwise be lost or forgotten.<br /></span></p>
<h2>Why a Catalog?</h2>
<p dir="ltr">I’ve chosen to focus on a catalog, as opposed to an archive, for several reasons. Firstly, at its most basic level, an archive is focused on primary material—in this case, the content of posts. However, archiving for most online groups from the mid-1980s up to the late 1990s is often incomplete at best, so in many cases, there’s limited to no archival material available. Instead, what exists in many cases is secondary material, writing describing or reflecting on posters’ experiences with and in these spaces. The catalog, ideally, links these disparate materials together in order to give a slightly fuller picture of the online landscape at any given time.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Secondly, posters in early LGBTQ groups often wrote (sometimes in detail) about close and personal issues in their lives under the assumption that their posts would remain private within the group. Given this, I’ve designed the catalog to respect (to the best of my ability) posters’ initial expectation of privacy. Linked content has all been previously published in other venues, and any other detailed personal reflections submitted by users specifically for the catalog have been made public with their consent.</p>
<h2>What Qualifies A Community For Inclusion?</h2>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are no specific criteria determining inclusion in the QDCC. However, many of the communitites currently listed in the catalog have multiple references in contemporaneous periodicals, newsletters, web guides, or other LGBTQ-related informational websites. These sources are key for establishing not only the existence of a space, but its particular attributes.</span></p>
<h2 dir="ltr"><strong>On Audience Labels</strong></h2>
<p dir="ltr">All of the communities cataloged include descriptive metadata culled from various sources, including contemporaneous listings in print publications and online reference guides. However, the terminology used in archival sources does not always match current preferred terms. <a href="http://notchesblog.com/2017/11/28/troubling-terms-the-label-problem-in-transgender-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">As has been discussed elsewhere</a>, retroactively applying labels with which individuals or spaces might not have identified is a politically fraught act. In my metadata practices, then, I follow a policy similar to that of the <a href="https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/about/policies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Digital Transgender Archive</a>: whenever possible, I use terminology included in contemporaneous decriptions. If terminology is not used or a detailed description is not available, I categorize using terminology derived from the archival reference.</p>
<h2>Adding Communities to the Catalog</h2>
<p>This catalog is by no means complete, and I'm always looking for new groups to add, if additional information is available. Please feel free to suggest a community for inclusion using <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe9oGcXtpUNGXXhEBIYdZlb40HTj3EDzG_fk4xltxxcCck6AQ/viewform?usp=sf_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this form</a>, or email me directly at <a href="mailto:adame@winona.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adame@winona.edu</a>.</p>
BBS
Bulletin Board System
Name
Name of Forum
Multicom-4
Area Code
Area Code of BBS
716 Area Code
City and State/Province
Rochester, NY
Abbreviations/Alias
Any other names used to refer to this forum
MC4
Year Founded (approximate)
1979
Last Year Active (approximate)
1999
Intended Audience
The forum's intended audience
gay people; lesbian people; bisexual people
Primary Language
Primary language used by participants
American English
Exterior References
Attached images courtsey of board sysop.<br /><br /><strong>Location of Public Terminals:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>Bachelor Forum, Rochester NY</li>
<li>Rochester Spa & Body Club, Rochester NY</li>
<li>Rochester Custom Leathers, Rochester NY</li>
<li>Muther’s Bar, Rochester NY</li>
<li>Buddie’s Bar, Buffalo NY</li>
</ul>
<strong><strong>Attached Images (donated by board sysop Chaz Antonelli):<br /></strong></strong>
<ul>
<li>Business card for CACTUS-800, Multicom's predecessor (1979)</li>
<li>Advertisment for Multicom-3, ran in <em><a href="https://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rochester City Newspaper</a>, </em>Rochester, NY (1988)</li>
<li>Advertisement for Rochester Custom Leathers and Multicom-4, one of several that ran in <a href="https://outalliance.org/empty-closet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>The Empty Closet</em></a>, Rochester, NY (Septermber 1989 to January 1999)</li>
<li>Informational Brochure on Multicom-4 (1993)</li>
<li>Logon screens for Multicom-4 (1996-1997)</li>
<li>Web logo for Multicom-4</li>
</ul>
<strong>External Links:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://mc4bbs.livejournal.com/246094.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">History of Multicom-4</a>, as recounted by sysop</li>
<li><a href="http://www.lib.rochester.edu/IN/RBSCP/Databases/Attachments/Closet/1991/1991_MAY.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Article on Multicom-4, <em>The Empty Closet</em> (Rochester, NY), May 1991 (p.17)</a></li>
<li>Ranked #26 in 1992 edition of the <a href="ftp://ftp.altexxanet.org/textfiles.com/inbox/FOC/bw100.txt">Boardwatch 100</a></li>
<li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/19961111160108/http://www.multicom.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Multicom website</a> (initally archived Nov 11, 1996)</li>
<li><a href="https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Multicom4/info" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yahoo! Group for former users (Restricted Group)</a>
<ul>
<li>Former member meetup also held in Rochester, NY through 2000s</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Multicom-4
bbs
bisexual people
gay people
lesbian people
-
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/d7b02ee5b86c002e15c88d7f66aca657.gif
347b280010c7ff43e3f34a64b8eea673
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Queer Digital Community Catalog
Language
A language of the resource
English
Description
An account of the resource
<p dir="ltr"><span>This catalog collects basic information and resources on LGBTQ-related online communities prior to 2010, particularly those from the so-called Web 1.0 period. Each catalog entry includes information on the group’s format, its approximate dates of activity, its audience and topical focus, and links to other materials discussing the group, such as editorial columns, personal essays, or archival materials.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>One of the driving impulses for the creation of this catalog was to offer a starting place for research into early LGBTQ life online. As I found in my own research, simply knowing the name of a place or person could, in some cases, be key to my archival research. Beyond just its research utility, however, this catalog is also meant to preserve the memory, if not the content, of communities and groups whose names might otherwise be lost or forgotten.<br /></span></p>
<h2>Why a Catalog?</h2>
<p dir="ltr">I’ve chosen to focus on a catalog, as opposed to an archive, for several reasons. Firstly, at its most basic level, an archive is focused on primary material—in this case, the content of posts. However, archiving for most online groups from the mid-1980s up to the late 1990s is often incomplete at best, so in many cases, there’s limited to no archival material available. Instead, what exists in many cases is secondary material, writing describing or reflecting on posters’ experiences with and in these spaces. The catalog, ideally, links these disparate materials together in order to give a slightly fuller picture of the online landscape at any given time.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Secondly, posters in early LGBTQ groups often wrote (sometimes in detail) about close and personal issues in their lives under the assumption that their posts would remain private within the group. Given this, I’ve designed the catalog to respect (to the best of my ability) posters’ initial expectation of privacy. Linked content has all been previously published in other venues, and any other detailed personal reflections submitted by users specifically for the catalog have been made public with their consent.</p>
<h2>What Qualifies A Community For Inclusion?</h2>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are no specific criteria determining inclusion in the QDCC. However, many of the communitites currently listed in the catalog have multiple references in contemporaneous periodicals, newsletters, web guides, or other LGBTQ-related informational websites. These sources are key for establishing not only the existence of a space, but its particular attributes.</span></p>
<h2 dir="ltr"><strong>On Audience Labels</strong></h2>
<p dir="ltr">All of the communities cataloged include descriptive metadata culled from various sources, including contemporaneous listings in print publications and online reference guides. However, the terminology used in archival sources does not always match current preferred terms. <a href="http://notchesblog.com/2017/11/28/troubling-terms-the-label-problem-in-transgender-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">As has been discussed elsewhere</a>, retroactively applying labels with which individuals or spaces might not have identified is a politically fraught act. In my metadata practices, then, I follow a policy similar to that of the <a href="https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/about/policies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Digital Transgender Archive</a>: whenever possible, I use terminology included in contemporaneous decriptions. If terminology is not used or a detailed description is not available, I categorize using terminology derived from the archival reference.</p>
<h2>Adding Communities to the Catalog</h2>
<p>This catalog is by no means complete, and I'm always looking for new groups to add, if additional information is available. Please feel free to suggest a community for inclusion using <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe9oGcXtpUNGXXhEBIYdZlb40HTj3EDzG_fk4xltxxcCck6AQ/viewform?usp=sf_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this form</a>, or email me directly at <a href="mailto:adame@winona.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adame@winona.edu</a>.</p>
Website
A resource comprising of a web page or web pages and all related assets ( such as images, sound and video files, etc. ).
Local URL
The URL of the local directory containing all assets of the website
http://www.qrd.org/qrd/
Year Founded (approximate)
1991
Last Year Active (approximate)
Currently active
Intended Audience
The forum's intended audience
Gay people; Lesbian people; Bisexual people; Transgender people; Queer people
Exterior References
<ul>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Buckmire" target="_blank">Ron Buckmire (Wikipedia)</a> - Wikipedia page on QRD founder Ron Buckmire</li>
</ul>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Queer Resources Directory
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Website
bisexual people
gay people
lesbian people
queer people
transgender people
website
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Queer Digital Community Catalog
Language
A language of the resource
English
Description
An account of the resource
<p dir="ltr"><span>This catalog collects basic information and resources on LGBTQ-related online communities prior to 2010, particularly those from the so-called Web 1.0 period. Each catalog entry includes information on the group’s format, its approximate dates of activity, its audience and topical focus, and links to other materials discussing the group, such as editorial columns, personal essays, or archival materials.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>One of the driving impulses for the creation of this catalog was to offer a starting place for research into early LGBTQ life online. As I found in my own research, simply knowing the name of a place or person could, in some cases, be key to my archival research. Beyond just its research utility, however, this catalog is also meant to preserve the memory, if not the content, of communities and groups whose names might otherwise be lost or forgotten.<br /></span></p>
<h2>Why a Catalog?</h2>
<p dir="ltr">I’ve chosen to focus on a catalog, as opposed to an archive, for several reasons. Firstly, at its most basic level, an archive is focused on primary material—in this case, the content of posts. However, archiving for most online groups from the mid-1980s up to the late 1990s is often incomplete at best, so in many cases, there’s limited to no archival material available. Instead, what exists in many cases is secondary material, writing describing or reflecting on posters’ experiences with and in these spaces. The catalog, ideally, links these disparate materials together in order to give a slightly fuller picture of the online landscape at any given time.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Secondly, posters in early LGBTQ groups often wrote (sometimes in detail) about close and personal issues in their lives under the assumption that their posts would remain private within the group. Given this, I’ve designed the catalog to respect (to the best of my ability) posters’ initial expectation of privacy. Linked content has all been previously published in other venues, and any other detailed personal reflections submitted by users specifically for the catalog have been made public with their consent.</p>
<h2>What Qualifies A Community For Inclusion?</h2>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are no specific criteria determining inclusion in the QDCC. However, many of the communitites currently listed in the catalog have multiple references in contemporaneous periodicals, newsletters, web guides, or other LGBTQ-related informational websites. These sources are key for establishing not only the existence of a space, but its particular attributes.</span></p>
<h2 dir="ltr"><strong>On Audience Labels</strong></h2>
<p dir="ltr">All of the communities cataloged include descriptive metadata culled from various sources, including contemporaneous listings in print publications and online reference guides. However, the terminology used in archival sources does not always match current preferred terms. <a href="http://notchesblog.com/2017/11/28/troubling-terms-the-label-problem-in-transgender-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">As has been discussed elsewhere</a>, retroactively applying labels with which individuals or spaces might not have identified is a politically fraught act. In my metadata practices, then, I follow a policy similar to that of the <a href="https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/about/policies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Digital Transgender Archive</a>: whenever possible, I use terminology included in contemporaneous decriptions. If terminology is not used or a detailed description is not available, I categorize using terminology derived from the archival reference.</p>
<h2>Adding Communities to the Catalog</h2>
<p>This catalog is by no means complete, and I'm always looking for new groups to add, if additional information is available. Please feel free to suggest a community for inclusion using <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe9oGcXtpUNGXXhEBIYdZlb40HTj3EDzG_fk4xltxxcCck6AQ/viewform?usp=sf_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this form</a>, or email me directly at <a href="mailto:adame@winona.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adame@winona.edu</a>.</p>
Usenet Newsgroup
Individual Usenet Newsgroup
Year Founded (approximate)
1991
Intended Audience
The forum's intended audience
bisexual people
Primary Language
Primary language used by participants
American English
Exterior References
<ul>
<li><a href="http://serf.org/jon/soc.bi/" target="_blank">soc.bi homepage</a> - includes FAQ, articles, and some usage statistics</li>
<li><a href="https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/soc.bi" target="_blank">Google Groups Archive for soc.bi</a></li>
</ul>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
soc.bi
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Usenet Newsgroup
bisexual people
soc.bi
Usenet
-
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/48f3efc8c7de9c6da1db7ded36e3adc1.zip
eb93078584fe59a9677fddc0cc8a2e1e
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Primary Documents Collection
Description
An account of the resource
This collection hold primary documents (listings, programs, applications, etc) related to LGBTQ life online pre-2010. When possible, files have been listed with their original date of publication and source. When mirrored from established sites, their original source is attributed and linked. If you have files you would like to submit for inclusion, please feel free to contact Avery Dame-Griff at <a href="mailto:admin@queerdigital.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admin@queerdigital.com</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Global Gaynet network file
Subject
The topic of the resource
BBS network
Description
An account of the resource
Information on joining national BBS network Global Gaynet. Contains description, network rules, conference list, and application.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<span>Retrieved from </span><a href="http://cd.textfiles.com/swextrav4">Shareware Extravagana 4</a><a href="http://cd.textfiles.com/swextrav4/" target="_blank">.</a><span> </span><span>Original copy </span><a href="http://cd.textfiles.com/swextrav4/swextrav4-1/bbsnet/ggo.zip" target="_blank">here</a><span>.</span>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1994
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
.zip file
Language
A language of the resource
American English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
BBS network information packet
bbs network
bisexual people
gay people
Global Gaynet
lesbian people
transvestites
-
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/a3fd13951a284e77de022041d20a7c4e.zip
0ec3ca5c0265d8380c52bea06c21fcde
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Primary Documents Collection
Description
An account of the resource
This collection hold primary documents (listings, programs, applications, etc) related to LGBTQ life online pre-2010. When possible, files have been listed with their original date of publication and source. When mirrored from established sites, their original source is attributed and linked. If you have files you would like to submit for inclusion, please feel free to contact Avery Dame-Griff at <a href="mailto:admin@queerdigital.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admin@queerdigital.com</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
International GayLink network file
Subject
The topic of the resource
BBS network
Description
An account of the resource
Information on joining national BBS network International GayLink. Contains description, network rules, conference list, and application.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<span>Retrieved from </span><a href="http://cd.textfiles.com/swextrav4">Shareware Extravagana 4</a><a href="http://cd.textfiles.com/swextrav4/" target="_blank">.</a> <span>Original copy </span><a href="http://cd.textfiles.com/swextrav4/swextrav4-1/bbsnet/gaylink.zip" target="_blank">here</a><span>.</span>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1994
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
.zip file
Language
A language of the resource
American English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
BBS network information packet
bbs network
bisexual people
gay people
International Gaylink
lesbian people
transvestites
-
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/35a72fc5dead6d8955519ced1e3de8d7.txt
2320e5d5609ae2320290e85736c27924
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Primary Documents Collection
Description
An account of the resource
This collection hold primary documents (listings, programs, applications, etc) related to LGBTQ life online pre-2010. When possible, files have been listed with their original date of publication and source. When mirrored from established sites, their original source is attributed and linked. If you have files you would like to submit for inclusion, please feel free to contact Avery Dame-Griff at <a href="mailto:admin@queerdigital.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admin@queerdigital.com</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
PCBL Gay Echo List
Subject
The topic of the resource
List of Echo-Mail Conferences
Description
An account of the resource
Listing of LGBT-related Echo-Mail Conferences
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
PC Bear
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Retrieved from <a href="http://www.textfiles.com/bbs/FIDONET/JENNINGS/GENERAL/" target="_blank">textfiles.com's Tom Jennings Collection</a>, which holds files related to Tom Jennings, the creator of FidoNet. Original copy <a href="http://www.textfiles.com/bbs/FIDONET/JENNINGS/GENERAL/echoes.txt" target="_blank">here</a>.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Undated
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Plain Text File
Language
A language of the resource
American English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Echo-Mail Listing
bisexual people
echo-mail
FidoNet
gay people
lesbian people
listing
transgender people
-
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/b9c901be0194188e96a66d44c04134d0.zip
7d89b7349f3892b56167524724bea59c
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Primary Documents Collection
Description
An account of the resource
This collection hold primary documents (listings, programs, applications, etc) related to LGBTQ life online pre-2010. When possible, files have been listed with their original date of publication and source. When mirrored from established sites, their original source is attributed and linked. If you have files you would like to submit for inclusion, please feel free to contact Avery Dame-Griff at <a href="mailto:admin@queerdigital.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admin@queerdigital.com</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
THE GAY & LESBIAN BBS LIST Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Gay & Lesbian BBSs
Description
An account of the resource
This .zip holds copies of THE GAY & LESBIAN BBS LIST, a monthly listing of active Gay & Lesbian BBSes. The list was maintained by Risqilly, sysop of Risqilly BBS and S-Tek BBS in Montreal, from 1985 to August 1999 (when the final edition was published). Though many of the BBSes listed are based in North America, the list did include at various points in its existence a varied list of BBSes housed outside North America.
Currently, the .ZIP archive holds 8 years of the list, from August 1992 to August 1999. However, there are significant gaps in some years, and this file may be updated to include new copies when they become available.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Risqilly
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<span><span>All lists, except for those noted below, were r</span></span>etrieved from the copy of the alt.bbs.lists newsgroup archive, held within Archive.org's <a href="https://archive.org/details/usenethistorical"><span class="s2">Usenet Historical Collection</span></a>.<br />
<ul>
<li>November 1994 retrieved from the Queer Resources Directory's <a href="http://qrd.org/qrd/misc/text/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miscellanious Lists</a> collection.</li>
<li>July 1995 retrieved from <a href="http://cd.textfil.es/nightowl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cd.textfiles.com's Night Owl BBS Collection</a>, which holds copies of shareware discs from Night Owl Publishing. Original copy available on Disc #18 (1995).</li>
</ul>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
August 1992 to August 1999
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
.ZIP archive containing Plain Text Files
Language
A language of the resource
American English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
BBS Listing
bbs listing
bisexual people
Gay & Lesbian BBS List
gay people
lesbian people
transgender people
-
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/ae7a941dd7bed32a4f675c5f6b0c419c.txt
611ff35072d1e3813995204fb653ed03
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Primary Documents Collection
Description
An account of the resource
This collection hold primary documents (listings, programs, applications, etc) related to LGBTQ life online pre-2010. When possible, files have been listed with their original date of publication and source. When mirrored from established sites, their original source is attributed and linked. If you have files you would like to submit for inclusion, please feel free to contact Avery Dame-Griff at <a href="mailto:admin@queerdigital.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admin@queerdigital.com</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
GAY & LESBIAN BBS LIST - Undated
Subject
The topic of the resource
Gay & Lesbian BBSs
Description
An account of the resource
Listing of active Gay & Lesbian BBSs. Published monthly.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Risquilly
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<span>Retrieved from </span><a href="http://textfiles.com/sex/EROTICA/G/" target="_blank">textfiles.com's Erotica/G section</a><span>. Original copy available </span><a href="http://textfiles.com/sex/EROTICA/G/gaybbs.txt" target="_blank">here</a><span>.</span>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Undated
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Plain Text File
Language
A language of the resource
American English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
BBS Listing
bbs listing
bisexual people
Gay & Lesbian BBS List
gay people
lesbian people
transgender people
-
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/84a04f52bf716dbbe112e22b4c1d4762.txt
39f02ff9deb1068795280810a5ee8000
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Primary Documents Collection
Description
An account of the resource
This collection hold primary documents (listings, programs, applications, etc) related to LGBTQ life online pre-2010. When possible, files have been listed with their original date of publication and source. When mirrored from established sites, their original source is attributed and linked. If you have files you would like to submit for inclusion, please feel free to contact Avery Dame-Griff at <a href="mailto:admin@queerdigital.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admin@queerdigital.com</a>.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Puss N Boots Restricted Section Application
Description
An account of the resource
Application to access the "Restricted" sections of the Puss N Boots BBS, including "GAY/BI" and "TransGender" section.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Retrieved from <a href="https://textfiles.com/bbs/" target="_blank">textfiles.com's BBS section</a>. Original copy available <a href="https://textfiles.com/bbs/pnbreg.frm" target="_blank">here</a>.
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Application Form
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Plain Text File
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Aaron Davis
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Unknown
Language
A language of the resource
American English
bbs
bisexual people
gay people
lesbian people
Puss N Boots
transgender people
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Queer Digital Community Catalog
Language
A language of the resource
English
Description
An account of the resource
<p dir="ltr"><span>This catalog collects basic information and resources on LGBTQ-related online communities prior to 2010, particularly those from the so-called Web 1.0 period. Each catalog entry includes information on the group’s format, its approximate dates of activity, its audience and topical focus, and links to other materials discussing the group, such as editorial columns, personal essays, or archival materials.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>One of the driving impulses for the creation of this catalog was to offer a starting place for research into early LGBTQ life online. As I found in my own research, simply knowing the name of a place or person could, in some cases, be key to my archival research. Beyond just its research utility, however, this catalog is also meant to preserve the memory, if not the content, of communities and groups whose names might otherwise be lost or forgotten.<br /></span></p>
<h2>Why a Catalog?</h2>
<p dir="ltr">I’ve chosen to focus on a catalog, as opposed to an archive, for several reasons. Firstly, at its most basic level, an archive is focused on primary material—in this case, the content of posts. However, archiving for most online groups from the mid-1980s up to the late 1990s is often incomplete at best, so in many cases, there’s limited to no archival material available. Instead, what exists in many cases is secondary material, writing describing or reflecting on posters’ experiences with and in these spaces. The catalog, ideally, links these disparate materials together in order to give a slightly fuller picture of the online landscape at any given time.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Secondly, posters in early LGBTQ groups often wrote (sometimes in detail) about close and personal issues in their lives under the assumption that their posts would remain private within the group. Given this, I’ve designed the catalog to respect (to the best of my ability) posters’ initial expectation of privacy. Linked content has all been previously published in other venues, and any other detailed personal reflections submitted by users specifically for the catalog have been made public with their consent.</p>
<h2>What Qualifies A Community For Inclusion?</h2>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are no specific criteria determining inclusion in the QDCC. However, many of the communitites currently listed in the catalog have multiple references in contemporaneous periodicals, newsletters, web guides, or other LGBTQ-related informational websites. These sources are key for establishing not only the existence of a space, but its particular attributes.</span></p>
<h2 dir="ltr"><strong>On Audience Labels</strong></h2>
<p dir="ltr">All of the communities cataloged include descriptive metadata culled from various sources, including contemporaneous listings in print publications and online reference guides. However, the terminology used in archival sources does not always match current preferred terms. <a href="http://notchesblog.com/2017/11/28/troubling-terms-the-label-problem-in-transgender-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">As has been discussed elsewhere</a>, retroactively applying labels with which individuals or spaces might not have identified is a politically fraught act. In my metadata practices, then, I follow a policy similar to that of the <a href="https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/about/policies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Digital Transgender Archive</a>: whenever possible, I use terminology included in contemporaneous decriptions. If terminology is not used or a detailed description is not available, I categorize using terminology derived from the archival reference.</p>
<h2>Adding Communities to the Catalog</h2>
<p>This catalog is by no means complete, and I'm always looking for new groups to add, if additional information is available. Please feel free to suggest a community for inclusion using <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe9oGcXtpUNGXXhEBIYdZlb40HTj3EDzG_fk4xltxxcCck6AQ/viewform?usp=sf_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this form</a>, or email me directly at <a href="mailto:adame@winona.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adame@winona.edu</a>.</p>
Usenet Newsgroup
Individual Usenet Newsgroup
Abbreviations/Alias
Any other names used to refer to this forum
Often shortened to motss; Initially categorized on Usenet as net.motss.
Primary Language
Primary language used by participants
American English
Exterior References
<h3><strong>Archival Resources:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/net.motss" target="_blank">net.motss Google Groups Archive</a></li>
<li><a href="https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/soc.motss" target="_blank">soc.motss Google Groups Archive</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.soc-motss.org/" target="_blank">soc-motss.org</a> - Homepage of soc.motss group (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20010402060619/http://www.soc-motss.org:80/" target="_blank">Archived version</a>.)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.qrd.org/qrd/electronic/usenet/" target="_blank">soc.motss FAQ and account of group's creation post</a>: Hosted by Queer Resources Directory.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Popular Press:</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/bitwise/2014/08/online_gay_culture_and_soc_motss_how_a_usenet_group_anticipated_how_we_use.html" target="_blank">The First Gay Space on the Internet</a> - Recounting of soc.motss's history and impact</li>
</ul>
<h3>motss.con: Annual convention of soc.motss members</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://kenru.net/motss/" target="_blank">Motss.con Picture Pages</a> - Pictures from motss.con and documentary on the convention's history</li>
</ul>
Year Founded (approximate)
1983
Intended Audience
The forum's intended audience
gay people; lesbian people; bisexual people
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
soc.motss
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Usenet newsgroup
bisexual people
gay people
lesbian people
net.motss
soc.motss
Usenet
-
http://queerdigital.com/files/original/8143d2eb2546c90394750971fc74b515.png
111b1beff353e89f4e6231d96bb1419d
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Queer Digital Community Catalog
Language
A language of the resource
English
Description
An account of the resource
<p dir="ltr"><span>This catalog collects basic information and resources on LGBTQ-related online communities prior to 2010, particularly those from the so-called Web 1.0 period. Each catalog entry includes information on the group’s format, its approximate dates of activity, its audience and topical focus, and links to other materials discussing the group, such as editorial columns, personal essays, or archival materials.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>One of the driving impulses for the creation of this catalog was to offer a starting place for research into early LGBTQ life online. As I found in my own research, simply knowing the name of a place or person could, in some cases, be key to my archival research. Beyond just its research utility, however, this catalog is also meant to preserve the memory, if not the content, of communities and groups whose names might otherwise be lost or forgotten.<br /></span></p>
<h2>Why a Catalog?</h2>
<p dir="ltr">I’ve chosen to focus on a catalog, as opposed to an archive, for several reasons. Firstly, at its most basic level, an archive is focused on primary material—in this case, the content of posts. However, archiving for most online groups from the mid-1980s up to the late 1990s is often incomplete at best, so in many cases, there’s limited to no archival material available. Instead, what exists in many cases is secondary material, writing describing or reflecting on posters’ experiences with and in these spaces. The catalog, ideally, links these disparate materials together in order to give a slightly fuller picture of the online landscape at any given time.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Secondly, posters in early LGBTQ groups often wrote (sometimes in detail) about close and personal issues in their lives under the assumption that their posts would remain private within the group. Given this, I’ve designed the catalog to respect (to the best of my ability) posters’ initial expectation of privacy. Linked content has all been previously published in other venues, and any other detailed personal reflections submitted by users specifically for the catalog have been made public with their consent.</p>
<h2>What Qualifies A Community For Inclusion?</h2>
<p dir="ltr"><span>There are no specific criteria determining inclusion in the QDCC. However, many of the communitites currently listed in the catalog have multiple references in contemporaneous periodicals, newsletters, web guides, or other LGBTQ-related informational websites. These sources are key for establishing not only the existence of a space, but its particular attributes.</span></p>
<h2 dir="ltr"><strong>On Audience Labels</strong></h2>
<p dir="ltr">All of the communities cataloged include descriptive metadata culled from various sources, including contemporaneous listings in print publications and online reference guides. However, the terminology used in archival sources does not always match current preferred terms. <a href="http://notchesblog.com/2017/11/28/troubling-terms-the-label-problem-in-transgender-history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">As has been discussed elsewhere</a>, retroactively applying labels with which individuals or spaces might not have identified is a politically fraught act. In my metadata practices, then, I follow a policy similar to that of the <a href="https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/about/policies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Digital Transgender Archive</a>: whenever possible, I use terminology included in contemporaneous decriptions. If terminology is not used or a detailed description is not available, I categorize using terminology derived from the archival reference.</p>
<h2>Adding Communities to the Catalog</h2>
<p>This catalog is by no means complete, and I'm always looking for new groups to add, if additional information is available. Please feel free to suggest a community for inclusion using <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe9oGcXtpUNGXXhEBIYdZlb40HTj3EDzG_fk4xltxxcCck6AQ/viewform?usp=sf_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this form</a>, or email me directly at <a href="mailto:adame@winona.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adame@winona.edu</a>.</p>
BBS
Bulletin Board System
Area Code
Area Code of BBS
214 area code
Year Founded (approximate)
Unknown
Last Year Active (approximate)
Unknown
Network/Platform
Networks or Platforms the forum participated in
Fidonet (Node Address: 1:124/3103)
City and State/Province
Richardson, TX; Grand Prarie, TX
Baud Rate
1200-28800 Baud
Intended Audience
The forum's intended audience
Alternate Lifestyles; Transsexual people; Transgender people; Gay people; Lesbian people; Bisexual People
Primary Language
Primary language used by participants
American English
Exterior References
<ul>
<li>Attached advertisement from <em>The TV-TS Tapestry Journal,</em> Issue 66 (Winter, 1993-1994)</li>
<li><a href="http://textfiles.com/bbs/pnbreg.frm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Puss N Boots Registration Form</a> - Submitted to gain access to "restricted" Adult/LGBTQ areas</li>
<li><a href="http://www.qrd.org/qrd/aids/1994/aids.bbs.list" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HIV/AIDS BBS Listing (1994)</a> - Puss N Boots included in listing</li>
<li><a href="https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/r207tp43x" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cross-Talk: The Gender Community's News & Information Monthly, No. 60 (1994)</a> - Extended discussion of Puss N Boots's services.</li>
<li><a href="http://karenannetaylor.orgfree.com/bbs.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">KAT's TAIL: BBS Listing</a> - Included in listing of transgender-related BBS systems</li>
<li>Appeared in <a href="https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/catalog?f%5Bcollection_name_ssim%5D%5B%5D=Transgender+Tapestry&sort=dta_sortable_date_dtsi+asc%2C+title_primary_ssort+asc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TS-TV Tapestry's BBS listings</a> from 1991-1995</li>
</ul>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Puss N Boots
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
BBS
AEGIS Network
bbs
bisexual people
FidoNet
gay people
lesbian people
Puss N Boots
transgender people
transsexual people