Here's an article that deals with the surprising underworld (usually without underwear) on Microsoft's NetMeeting.
Microsoft.orgy
salonmagazine.com
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In essence, the company is hosting a set of virtual singles bars -- mix-and-match points for people with cams who want to learn how to use them. Microsoft has imposed no rules at these "Internet Locator Servers." And the hands-off, laissez-faire approach has led to a hands on, anything goes atmosphere.
Or, as one amazed NetMeeting experimenter discovered, "a 24-hour international sex orgy is being hosted by Microsoft." If you're looking for a cybersex "show," Microsoft is where you want to go today.
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"It is a problem," concedes [NetMeeting product manager Tom] Laemmel. "We're not comfortable with it, and we're not happy with it."
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"The challenge we are facing is that many of the most enthusiastic early adopters of this type of technology are primarily interested in sexual content," says Tim Dorcey, one of the original creators of Cu-SeeMe, the Internet's first publicly available videoconferencing software program.
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Microsoft has addressed the server load issue by setting up directories for people to find each other, rather than actually hosting the video stream itself. ... The load is on your computer, not Microsoft's.
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Microsoft's unintended support for the Internet's
bizarre mating rituals is widely appreciated, particularly by the online gay community. As Michael Stewart observes, "Microsoft's contribution to queer cyberspace is already enormously popular in Europe, and a few hours online can garner you friends from all sorts of exotic places."
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So why doesn't Microsoft try to rope off separate directories? Microsoft observers suggest that doing so would put Microsoft in the potentially uncomfortable legal and moral position of appearing to "condone" the behavior that occurs on X-rated servers.
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But ultimately, Microsoft would rather not host servers at all, says Laemmel. "Microsoft is not in the business of trying to host servers and directories," says Laemmel. "It's not what we want to do, and it's not what we want to do well."
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But ultimately, Microsoft would rather not host servers at all, says Laemmel. "Microsoft is not in the business of trying to host servers and directories," says Laemmel. "It's not what we want to do, and it's not what we want to do well."
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