End of an era: The Jennicam is toast

SteveDallas · 12-10-2003, 09:28 AM

The first webcam devoted to showing a female person (as opposed to a coffee pot), or at least the first one to become famous, Jennifer Ringley's Jennicam, will shut down on December 31.

The Cnet story speculates, in the absence of comment from Ringley herself, that it's due to Paypal shutting down her account for violating Paypal policies on adult content. I say that's a crock--there are only 6 or 7 dozen other payment processors who would be happy to have her business if she really wants to continue.

vsp · 12-11-2003, 12:03 PM

Yeah, she's (in)famous and she did it first, so she gets some props for groundbreaking.

But when you come right down to it, I suspect that her subscription base is dwindling beyond the cost of maintaining bandwidth. Her subscription base had two primary components:

* those who paid to take a regular peek into an exhibitionist young woman's life, sharing her experiences vicariously in a Truman Show-esque manner, and

* those who paid to see booty.

From what I've read, she turned off many of the former group when she "stole" a friend's boyfriend and began a long-term on-camera relationship with him; I don't know the full story or any of the participants personally, so I won't make moral judgements, but I remember hearing about a significant anti-Jenni backlash from many of her former fans and subscribers.

As for the latter group, she's not only no longer unique, she's positively victorian compared to what's out there now. There are hordes of cams out there now that offer nudity-on-demand, sexual-acts-on-demand and one-on-one conferencing with direct feedback. Nobody looking for that will pay to sit and watch Jenni's webcam window for hours, hoping that they MIGHT see a little skin.

So, basically, she could either convert to a straight-up "adult cam" and "perform" regularly or close up shop. Is there a functional difference between getting naked and/or having sex on camera on a regular basis (but on your own whims and terms), and doing so on a schedule or whenever someone swipes their credit card? You tell me.

12-10-2003, 09:28 AM	#1
SteveDallas Your Bartender Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Philly Burbs, PA Posts: 7,651	End of an era: The Jennicam is toast The first webcam devoted to showing a female person (as opposed to a coffee pot), or at least the first one to become famous, Jennifer Ringley's Jennicam, will shut down on December 31. The Cnet story speculates, in the absence of comment from Ringley herself, that it's due to Paypal shutting down her account for violating Paypal policies on adult content. I say that's a crock--there are only 6 or 7 dozen other payment processors who would be happy to have her business if she really wants to continue.

12-11-2003, 12:03 PM	#2
vsp Syndrome of a Down Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: West Chester Posts: 1,367	Yeah, she's (in)famous and she did it first, so she gets some props for groundbreaking. But when you come right down to it, I suspect that her subscription base is dwindling beyond the cost of maintaining bandwidth. Her subscription base had two primary components: * those who paid to take a regular peek into an exhibitionist young woman's life, sharing her experiences vicariously in a Truman Show-esque manner, and * those who paid to see booty. From what I've read, she turned off many of the former group when she "stole" a friend's boyfriend and began a long-term on-camera relationship with him; I don't know the full story or any of the participants personally, so I won't make moral judgements, but I remember hearing about a significant anti-Jenni backlash from many of her former fans and subscribers. As for the latter group, she's not only no longer unique, she's positively victorian compared to what's out there now. There are hordes of cams out there now that offer nudity-on-demand, sexual-acts-on-demand and one-on-one conferencing with direct feedback. Nobody looking for that will pay to sit and watch Jenni's webcam window for hours, hoping that they MIGHT see a little skin. So, basically, she could either convert to a straight-up "adult cam" and "perform" regularly or close up shop. Is there a functional difference between getting naked and/or having sex on camera on a regular basis (but on your own whims and terms), and doing so on a schedule or whenever someone swipes their credit card? You tell me.

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