[phenoms]

Before Social Media or Web Forums, there was Usenet. Monochrome screens, dumb terminals, and college libraries were the gateways to these first Internet discussion mediums from decades past.

I was recently reminded of it in my quest to get my original FA account back and tried to find any access points still on the web… well free access points.

Google Groups is largely defunct at this point but still there. https://groups.google.com/g/alt.amazon-women.admirers

I was able to get 30 results searching my username. I know there were far more than 30, but considering these posts are 20+ years old, that’s a decent return. https://groups.google.com/g/alt.amazon-women.admirers/search?q=phenoms

If you have a proper NNTP News Reader that might be the way to go. NNTP is Network News Transfer Protocol.

There’s ibiblio.org, a long time online public library with freely available software and information, for topics such as music, literature, art, history, science, politics, and cultural studies. https://www.ibiblio.org/usenet-i/groups-html/alt.amazon-women.admirers.html

Anyone else here still remember any of it? There was direct interaction with top FBB photographers of the time like Bill Dobbins, and Paul B. Goode. Jabber, Tre’, and the resident troll Dr Arm? Fond memories for the most part… well except for Dr Arm.

My Deviant Art Page (old stuff):
phenoms.deviantart.com

My Booru Gallery (new stuff):
phenoms.booru.org

Also
www.thevalkyrie.com/picthumb/p/phenoms/index00.htm
www.thevalkyrie.com/picthumb/p/phenom_fett/index00.htm

[AlexG]

Yeah, I remember it quite well – that and alt.binaries.fitness-centerfolds

Besides the newsgroups, there was also IRC chat – one of the rooms, **I think** it was #FemaleBodybuilding (on IRC Superchat?),
but Mike Bogan (of WPW magazine), AL (of DtV), CP (of CP’s World of Muscle) and a number of others that were well known back in the late 90s/early 2000s would hang out.

“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)

[phenoms]

I used IRC back then, earlier than that even, but never for femuscle dedicated chat. I met a former gym bunnie and we became an item for several years. She’d dated a gym nut and took it up when she was with him. She still had some pretty good delts and thighs when we were together.

I remember CP was a regular on AAWA. I rarely used any of the binaries groups.

Did you go by AlexG back then, or by another name? I’ve been Phenoms from day one no matter what corner of the Internet I’m visiting. 25+ years as Phenoms.

My Deviant Art Page (old stuff):
phenoms.deviantart.com

My Booru Gallery (new stuff):
phenoms.booru.org

Also
www.thevalkyrie.com/picthumb/p/phenoms/index00.htm
www.thevalkyrie.com/picthumb/p/phenom_fett/index00.htm

[AlexG]

One that I recall well for his “plain-spoken” posts / long running debates in AAWA was Belasco (reputedly the significant other of Amelia Hernandez).

Oh, and the infamous Stanley Steamer – the bane of fandom gallery websites.

And besides IRC, there was also Java chat, which was in use by some of the bodybuilding sites.

Later I came across the GTS Grows message board run by ZZZ – opened up an area that I hadn’t even known existed.

Been using the same on-line nom de guerre for over twenty plus yrs.

“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)

[Author]

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