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I'm Not An Exhibitionist: The AmandaCAM Interview
by Heather Corinna

published 9/6/99

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Heather Corinna is the Editrix in Chief of Scarlet Letters and a contributing feminist to Ask A Feminist.



MOST RECENT YAK ABOUT THIS ARTICLE:

Subj: today
myspace.com/sherunsf ree

-- amanda
Apr 29, 2008 at 10:26AM

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Amanda, in a rare moment away from the Cams.
Editors' Note: Technology develops in a very schematic way: first the technology is conceived, then the technology is built, then someone figures out how to use the technology to sell sex to perverts, then the technology becomes popular.

WebCams have been around nearly as long as the Web itself. For years now, we've enjoyed peering into the lives of college girls, swingers, porn stars--there are dozens, if not hundreds of Cams to choose from. You've leered at these ladies, traded pictures of them, created screen savers in which they get ravished by Vikings . . . but have you ever really thought about what it's like to be them?

No, we haven't either, but when Heather Corinna, the sassy gal behind Scarlet Letters and all sorts of other on-line sex goodies including LS.n's own Ask A Feminist, approached us with an interview of Amanda, featured attraction of the California-based AmandaCAM WebCam site (that's www.amandacam.com), we started getting curious.

Their conversation follows:

Heather Corinna: Is Big Brother watching us?

Amanda: Yeah, sure! Every time I leave my house I feel Big Brother is watching and you should too. Walk into a department store and there are at least three cameras on you at any time. Walk into the bank, 7/11, same thing. The difference between being surveilled by Big Brother and the six cameras I have in my home is choice; my choice.

Heather: Why do you feel the desire to spend your life on camera?

Amanda: It's not really a desire to live my life on camera, it's more of a decision. My reasons for starting and continuing my site are constantly evolving. People often assume I must be an exhibitionist to let the world see every moment and every movement in my day-to-day living. I'm not an exhibitionist, I'm an exhibit.

"Not a still life." The Bedroom Cam, where you can watch Amanda sleep, masturbate (these are the PG versions), and make the bed every morning. The dog is Oliver.
Heather: An exhibit of what sort?

Amanda: Well, I'm definitely not a still life exhibit! I don't play to the camera or show off in any way, so that covers my non-exhibitionistic tendencies. When I say I'm an exhibit, I feel and mean that watching me is a study in human nature.

Heather: Like Wild Kingdom, except inside the zoo, I guess. How much of your life is on camera, and how aware of it are you?

Amanda: Due to the fact that I have 6 cameras in my home that are on twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and have been for well over a year now, well, you get the picture . . . As far as my being aware of the cameras, of course I know they are there. But if I had ever felt the least bit inhibited by them, I'd have turned them off long, long ago. When I'm here at home, I am one hundred percent me.

Heather: In the same way an actor would be, or is it different?

Amanda: The difference between me and an actor is I'm not performing anywhere. I'm not playing a part, using anyone else's words or being directed, in any way, by another person. I'm just being me.

Heather: A friend once made a joke about people paying to watch Cam girls process credit card orders on screen. How apt is it?

Amanda: I don't know what anyone else is doing on their site, but there is no pressure to join anything on my site. In fact, when you visit AmandaCAM.com initially, the experience is voyeuristic and not at all interactive. The interactive element only comes in to play when you initiate contact--whether by email, stopping by my chat room, or signing up for AmandaCAM One-List. The gist of my site is that you have a round-the-clock window into my world. You can check in whenever you like, for as long as you like, and see what I'm up to. Unlike other Web Cam sites, I don't take requests and I don't have a staged show from seven to eight every night. My site is twenty-four hours a day and always on, like Vegas.

Heather: So, were I to turn on the Cam for say, four hours, what might I see?

The Living Room Cam (#1). On the days we checked in Amanda usually slept till noon and spent most of the day watching TV. Which is not to say that if you tune in at the right time you won't get an erotic thrill, but sometimes waiting for titillation will require the patience of Garibaldi. (If you don't know who Garibaldi is, he's a statue in Washington Square Park. You know, he just stands there staring. We mean that kind of patience.)
Amanda: Anything. Everything. You might see me: Sleeping, making love, working at my desk, eating, playing with my dog, reading, cooking, dressing, undressing, working out, bathing--whatever anyone might do in her home.

Heather: So, how much of that time is spent with people watching you process orders? I'm not ragging you, there is simply an ironic existentialism about the whole thing I'm curious about, and if you really are on 24/7, it seems unavoidable.

Amanda: None. You will never see me process an order. When you decide to become a member, you're taken to a secure, discreet, encrypted page where the only people who know about your transaction are you and the people at your credit card company. Heather, you seem to be alluding to a group of Internet sites that I'm unrelated to. I'm aware of how those sites operate and charge. I've gone to great lengths to ensure that my site functions in a totally honorable way. A membership to my site is a one-time charge. There is no automatic rebilling and, if I happen to go out of town for a couple of days, I make sure your account is credited for the time I'm away. The last thing I want is a bad reputation. If my goal were to solely make money from my site, I would still be using the two little quick cams I started with fourteen months ago and never would have reinvested in the best cameras available, high-speed access, state-of-the-art servers, and the daily maintenance I put into keeping up and running my site.

The Desk Cam. If this is her processing credit card orders, we'd like to pay in installments! But seriously, we found Amanda to be scrupulously honest in her billing practices, which is extremely rare on the Internet. That's not us shilling for her--that's just the truth.
Heather: Hmm, okay (gets hint, moves on). Do you feel pressured to act differently than you do when you're off-camera?

Amanda: No, in fact, I believe there's more pressure to "act" when you're out in public. When I'm home, I'm in my natural habitat. I can relax and just be me.

Heather: More Wild Kingdom similarities. How about in terms of how salaciously you behave?

Amanda: I am not salacious. There's nothing gratuitous about the way I express myself sexually. I am, by nature, very comfortable with myself and my sexuality and I have never been embarrassed about expressing this side of me, whether alone, with a partner or, now, with the entire world watching.

Heather: Is there pressure for you to put more sex in the picture than you usually would?

Amanda: No, I don't feel any pressure, sexually speaking or otherwise, on my site. Perhaps I'm frisky enough that people don't feel the need to ask for more.

Heather: Truthfully, I've heard complaints there isn't enough sex at your site. Now, don't get me wrong: as far as I'm concerned, you're not advertising that there is (right?), but the general public has, on some level, come to expect women's Cam sites to revolve around sex. That expectation may be totally ridiculous, and even insulting, but you have to admit there is a gargantuan market out there for that sort of thing. How do you deal with that?

"More erotic than a staged show?" The Bath Cam. She has a point. You have to work a little harder on Amanda, but (counterintuitively) it can be sometimes be sexier than some pole dancer shaking her tatas at you once an evening. Now if only she were a lesbian . . .
Amanda: You'd be shocked at the natural appeal of my site. I get five hundred letters a day and a good percentage of them are people writing in to thank me and to say how refreshing it is to see the sexuality of my site portrayed in a natural, unforced way. To many people, this is more erotic than to see Cam girl X performing a staged show every night at some appointed time.

Heather: What do you feel is the benefit of doing what you do, both for yourself and for viewers?

Amanda: For me, my site has been something of a declaration stating "I'm okay." I'm not perfect, I'm not a super model, I have flaws just like everyone else and "So what?" The experience has been therapeutic and liberating. I've also made friends from every corner of the globe--great, close friendships that never would have happened if we'd never met through AmandaCAM. I consider my viewers to be my extended family and we often joke that we are one big AmandaCAM family. I hope my viewers benefit by seeing that, though I may look different and live in a different part of the world, we all share a common bond; we're all human. We all have bills to pay, laundry to do, tears to cry, love to make, et cetera, et cetera.

Heather: How many times in say, a week, do you want to shut the damn thing off and tell everyone to go away?

Amanda: It hasn't happened yet! On the contrary, instead of shutting my cameras off, I keep adding more. I started, fourteen months ago, with two cameras. Now I have six cameras and I'm considering a seventh.

Heather: How do you feel when you're not on camera? Is something missing for you?

Amanda: Not at all. When you're not writing or conducting an interview, is something missing for you?

Heather: Well, yes, it is, but I think I was supposed to say no.

Amanda: I feel the same way when I am not on camera as I do when I am on camera. The cameras in my house do not affect, at all, how I behave.

Heather: Is there some sort of message you're trying to get out there, or is this merely a postmodern theater?

Amanda: The theme of my site is completely agenda-less. You want to see theater, go to Broadway. There's no message here except that everyone, everywhere is welcome and invited to get a sneak peek at a fully-realized, comfortable-with-herself girl who's happened upon a lifestyle she enjoys and is willing to share it with others.


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THE YAK SHACK


Name: amanda
Subject: today
-- Apr 29, 2008 at 10:26AM
myspace.com/sherunsf ree

Name: neilson
Subject: ola
-- May 12, 2007 at 1:46PM
oi gostei de suas ft e da ande vc estar me adiciona

Name: paco
Subject: cam
-- Apr 21, 2007 at 8:40AM
quisiera verte

Name: Jerome
Subject: I miss eecam
-- Apr 15, 2007 at 4:46PM
Elizabeth was my favorite for many years. Does any one know what happened to her?

Name: Matt
Subject: More Sites?
-- Apr 10, 2007 at 2:05AM
Does anyone know where I can find any sites like amandacam.com? I found really enjoyed amandacam and would like to know where I could see more of these sites. Thank you!

Name: larry
Subject: amanda
-- Jan 8, 2007 at 1:42AM
i thinks it greate with what your doing. keep up the good work.

Name: lance
Subject: amanda
-- Sep 25, 2006 at 1:08AM
You made me warm on cold nights amanda. I miss you!!!

Name: Trisha
Subject: Scraggs
-- May 9, 2006 at 8:08AM
well sweet heart leave thundering lizard alone he is my hubsand so maybe you souldnt be such a little lieing bitch and grow up so you sick sex fantasys can leave not only others husbands inocent but help you get off of your brothers cock as well

Name: cristian
Subject: contact
-- Mar 21, 2006 at 10:10AM
i want send my foto

Name: camdog
Subject: Amanda
-- Nov 2, 2005 at 9:14PM
well i have read some of the good and bad things written here about amanda to each their own. but i probally one of the longest members with her and bacame a good friend with her i do miss her alot and hope that she is doing well. K if you do talk to her soon tell her i send my best wishes and keeping my fingers crossed for her and hope to see her real soon. to all take care and talk at you real soon

Name: mrkeetin
Subject: damn i miss ya amanda
-- Oct 14, 2005 at 3:47AM
Damn Amanda, I miss ya....If you ever get back online let me know!!! Loyal viewer!!!!

Mrkeetin

Name: manaf
Subject: wawww
-- Sep 19, 2005 at 12:36PM
i want y love and i will give y my harte

Name: whatever
Subject: sad
-- Jun 21, 2005 at 5:33PM
get over it folks. she's someone the net. she is not friends with any of you people, no matter what you think. you paid to watch her. if you were really "friends" you'd have met in another way. get over it. she's gone.

Name: Joe
Subject: amandacam
-- Jun 21, 2005 at 4:22PM
Are there any recent Amanda internet sightings?

I thought she was an absolute goddess. When she started to loose weight I was afraid she may have gotten into drugs. Hopefully she is okay and doing alright.

Name: Jay
Subject: amandacam
-- Apr 29, 2005 at 7:26PM
So it is now the end of april has anyone got anymore recent news of where Amanda is and how she is doing? I wish she would come out here and contact us so we could here from her and if she will be back around for those of us out here who do care about her. I am be contacted at tddy2005@yahoo.com

Name: david
Subject: gone
-- Mar 13, 2005 at 10:02PM
I was a member of amandacam, so was not on for a long time. than . my coumpter went down. so do not know what happen. can you tell me what happen. thank you.

Name: carlos
Subject: peidos
-- Mar 1, 2005 at 10:57AM
a steph tasse a peidar

Name: Pete
Subject: address revised
-- Feb 19, 2005 at 9:19PM
archive.org/web/web. php

Name: Pete
Subject: back when the site was up
-- Feb 19, 2005 at 9:08PM
http://web.archive.o rg/web/*/amandacam.c om

Name: BDC
Subject: Amanda Sucked!
-- Feb 13, 2005 at 3:47AM
I was a regular at her site for awhile, even subscribed once. What a waste of my f*cking money! She hardly updated, and when she did, it was the exact same sh!t as before.

She's just like another webcam "babe" who went up in flames...anyone remember Jennicam? Both Jenni and Amanda can rot in hell. All they cared about was themselves and the money......not their fans. They didn't give a sh!t about us.

Name: robert
Subject: amanda
-- Feb 2, 2005 at 7:37PM
She was a total bitch to me when I told her I was quitting after thanking her. She told me she had expenses and told me I was a jerk and made me feel wierd. She was a wierdo and called me a bunch of names. I thought she was really a rough person who had done othere things.
I could care less about her.

Name: Deaconblue
Subject: Amandacam
-- Jan 29, 2005 at 4:03PM
I was an off and on subscriber of Amandacam in the past and was also surprised when I tried to check in late in '04. I did a little snooping around on the net and found a link with some interesting info about Amanda, aka Tiffany, Abby and Uma. She was the "star" of a porn site called "Abby and Uma the good ole days". Her real name is supposed to be Tiffany and she had good girl/bad girl personas as Abby and Uma on the site. The existence of this site came to light and she lost a lot of support from the fan base. (ie. money) I suppose she couldn't pay her bills and she had a lot of expenses with the website. I imagine when people found out about the "real" person behind the good girl image they felt betrayed and either quit subscribing or demanded refunds. I never fell in love with her like a lot of the others who posted here (and I might add seemed to have gone silent in her defense) For those who were her "protectors&quo t; while she was doing Amandacam I remeber many times when they said she wasn't a "performer" ; and wouldn't do requests, you must be red faced now. She obviously is/was an exhibitionist of the first order. The abby/uma personalities did pictures of peeing in the street, bondage, and even tampons! (not that there is anything wrong with that;-) She did a pretty good job of controlling her image for a while and what the heck, she got to live in California and lay around most of the time! I don't know about an illness but she did lose a lot of weight from the abby/uma days- perhaps an eating disorder? I actually prefer some of her older stuff when she wasn't as skinny. I have a lot of pix from Amandacam, about 180mb, including over 100 abby/uma pix, that I would consider trading for similar "content". My email address is dconblu69@hotmail.co m. To Tiffany- "We hardly knew you"

Name: jim
Subject: amandacam
-- Jan 17, 2005 at 9:33AM
is there anyone out there who has any up to date news on amanda? does anyone know of any similar sites like amandacam? would appreciate any info. thanks

Name: jim
Subject: amandacam
-- Jan 17, 2005 at 9:29AM
you could of at least left your archives up for us who were members.anyway i hope you are doing better. any chance you will be back?

Name: stoli
Subject: amanda
-- Dec 14, 2004 at 10:39PM
this is for B and K ok first my best to amanda i too have been looking for her site on and off and i just found this one as to date can we get an update on amanda i hope i can speak for most of the members and friends that we are all concerned and wish for nothing but the best for her she was their for us and i am sure we will be their for her if either oone of you k- or b want to e-mail me that is fine just looking to get an update

Name: B
Subject: PB3X
-- Dec 2, 2004 at 9:18AM
uh, no they don't

Name: Pandora's Box
Subject: Amanda from AmandaCam
-- Oct 31, 2004 at 1:05AM
Pandora's Box has AmandaCam

http://www.PB3X. com

Name: keith
Subject: you
-- Aug 23, 2004 at 3:58PM
Im a student at uncc in north carolina are you near by if so can we meet up??

Name: ag
Subject: adamndacam
-- Jul 14, 2004 at 12:13PM
Shame she is gone, look forward to her oneday getting back, did enjoy the site, and I wish her good luck and hope oliver gets a pat on the head. I wish her well. Would love to know how she is doing.

Name: Member
Subject: Aussie House Mates
-- Jun 13, 2004 at 8:59PM
Check out this site for real aussie live cam chicks much better quality than this amanda cam real aussie chicks in one house
www.aussiehousem ates.com

Name: yobi
Subject: any news?
-- May 20, 2004 at 2:49PM
anybody heard any news on amanda? just curious.

Name: B
Subject: Amanda
-- Apr 26, 2004 at 10:42AM
I'm a friend of Amanda's as well (Hi K), and I've spoken with her in the last month as well. She's slowly getting herself back on her feet after losing the site. As K mentioned many factors beyond her control acted in concert to defeat her last June, when the site went "offline".

Her desire is to be back in business, but the reality is that it will take alot of time before she can attempt it again. She has always been concerned for the fans out there who have wondered about her. She never meant to leave.
It seems hard for alot of people to believe that, but it's the truth.

Name: K
Subject: Amandacam
-- Apr 20, 2004 at 3:07AM
Amanda was fine a few months ago when she phoned me, I was a regular guest in Amanda World and took all of those ravishing cover shots of her. All I can say at this moment is that there is no serouisly awful illness, yet there is an illness. It is not anything like cancer or liver issues, not even kidneys, but she has been dealing with health problems. Many thingas in her life snowballed all at the same time, and one of the companies supporting AmandaCam withdrew their association and she lost it all. It was not fair, and I feel for her situation. Normally I would not post, though I felt I should set some people's minds at ease.

Name: SMan
Subject: AmandaCam
-- Apr 20, 2004 at 1:14AM
Has anyone heard anything? I have been a fan of Amanda's for a long time, and have been out of the country. . .only to find that she has mysteriously unplugged.

Does anyone know ANYTHING about her. . . where she is? Is She OKAY? ? ?

Post here if there is a place I can find out.

Amanda. . . We miss you!

Name: Eduard
Subject: Amandacam
-- Apr 9, 2004 at 4:17AM
still have her old phonenumber but I'm afraid to call... What if she's really very sick?

Name: Info
Subject: Amandcam
-- Feb 6, 2004 at 7:14PM
There is a rude site with several threads of info on Amandacam if you click on the older messages. Be warned it is a bit nasty.
http://forums.pe epingmoe.com/list.ph p?f=1

Name: MM
Subject: Amandacam
-- Feb 5, 2004 at 4:58PM
By reading the yak, it seems like whether or not she is sick. Her webmaster jon doesn't seem to care about her customers

Name: Dita
Subject: Help... anyone???
-- Feb 2, 2004 at 2:35PM
Anyone have ANY information on Amandacam, where it's gone or where we can find any info on it? It seems very strange that the site just disappeared and I haven't been able to find ANYTHING about it.

Name: Rivermyst
Subject: AmandaCam
-- Feb 2, 2004 at 5:50AM
I think Amanda was very ill. I have been a member for a long time and her weight loss bothered me. The loss was very sudden and quick which is not good. I have no idea what happened to her but my prayers are cetainly with her.

Name: Dandrew
Subject: Amandacam
-- Jan 2, 2004 at 12:14PM
I can surmise two things which would seem obvious:
1) She grew tired of it and just pulled the plug;
2) She either is or was seriously ill and unable to continue. You may draw your own conclusions.

Either way, its a loss to many of her loyal viewers.

Name: Dr. Zobbia
Subject: Amanda of AmandaCam.com
-- Dec 18, 2003 at 7:04PM
I see alot of comments asking what happened to Amanda but I don't see any answers. Anyone know what happened to Amanda??? I was a long time viewer and visitor and then all of a sudden, "POOF", she's gone without a trace. Someone has got to know something about her. Please post some information.

Name: Dandrew
Subject: Amanda of Amandacam
-- Dec 15, 2003 at 10:03AM
If you remember several years ago, when was hospitalized for an undisclosed illness, we presumed it was cancer. From what I piece together, I assume it has returned. We certainly shouldnt harrass her for money back, just think of what she has provided. The webcam is the least of her problems.

Name: RandomNY
Subject: Amandacam
-- Nov 16, 2003 at 12:34AM
I was an on again off again member of the site. I searched Amandacam on google and found a thread in a forum that said she had to take down the site due to illness. It seems she was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago.

Who knows if this is true or not. I cant find the thread anymore so it probably isn't.

Name: jack
Subject: AmandaCam
-- Nov 8, 2003 at 8:57AM
Has her site gone away, or it there a temporary technical problem?

Name: Rod
Subject: Amanda
-- Oct 17, 2003 at 3:01PM
yeah hers my emial address. She was apparently broke and out of it at the end and bailed on her loyal fans after tring to get money out of them to krrp it running. I sugested she get a real job and she told me to F--K OFF.

Name: Rod
Subject: Amanda
-- Oct 17, 2003 at 2:59PM
For us paying customers - where is Amanda. She owes me money back

Name: Jay
Subject: Where's Amanda
-- Oct 6, 2003 at 10:49PM
Does anyone know what happened to Amanda and amandacam I have not been able to find it or conmtact her for some time. Email me if you know what happened at tddy2005@hotmail.com

Thanks
Jay

Name: Alex Pita
Subject: Is Amanda O.K.?
-- Sep 23, 2003 at 11:47PM
I was performing an net-art studio about this girl,and suddenly she svanished,I´m concerned about her,is she O.K.?Someone knows what happened???
Thanks folks!

Name: Charlie
Subject: Where is Amanda?
-- Sep 18, 2003 at 3:23PM
I too am wondering if this gal is okay. I used to be a member of her site... wanted to visit and rejoin and her site is no where to be found. If anyone knows what's up I would appreciate some info.

Name: Ken
Subject: Amandacam
-- Sep 13, 2003 at 10:56PM
Okay gang, does anyone know what happened to Amanda. Not from a Perv way but from a "Is she okay?" way. Just poof gone. If anyone gets wind email me at an81dodger@hotmail.c om. We had talked and she is a normal girl from LA. (NO not lower Alabama)

Name: felix
Subject: what happened to amanda?
-- Aug 29, 2003 at 12:15AM
does anyone know what happened to amanda?
e-mail me flaco68@flash.net

Name: Kirk
Subject: Amandacam
-- Aug 11, 2003 at 1:54PM
Forgot to add E-mail,so let's try this again.Havn't been able to get into her site.Is she still around and okay?

Name: Ted
Subject: AmandaCam
-- Aug 8, 2003 at 11:16AM
I'm wondering if Amanda's okay. Did she just decide to call it a day?

Name: Brian
Subject: AmandaCam
-- Jul 22, 2003 at 11:43PM
I was wondering the other day what happened. I haven't seen site in a while and now she's gone. Any word on what happened?

Name: Tom
Subject: Amandacam
-- Jul 11, 2003 at 1:44PM
Seems like an honest interview. I have just one question. Where is she? The site just disappeared. If she was such an honest person there would at least be an explanation sent to her subscribers.

Name: Josh
Subject: amandacam
-- Jun 28, 2002 at 2:25AM
She seems to be satisfied with her webcam!

Name: MARIA
Subject: AMANDACAM
-- Jun 25, 2002 at 9:54PM
AMANDA SEEMS TO BE SO SATISFIED WITH HER WEBCAM, THAT IT GOT ME INTERESTED IN DOING IT MYSELF.CAN YOU PLEASE E-MAIL ME SOME INFORMATION ON HOW SHE GOT INTO THIS BUSINESS.
THANKS

Name: smari
Subject: Anthropology
-- Dec 11, 2000 at 10:53AM
I like watching webcams for the reason of anthropological studies. Watching people live is great fun. I can't count how often I've gone to coffie houses just to sit and watch people. I admit the fact that there is a certain perverted sickness to it, but hey.. If I can watch normal people do normal things without leaving my semi-abnormal home, great!
I work as a computer programmer, but all sciences facinate me. Specially the ones that I don't fully understand.
The only problem about this webcam (and most others) is that they aren't accessable unless you want to pay.. and I don't.
Anthropology (and socialogy) is a hobby of mine that I can't afford to pay a great sum of money for.
More free webcams (not of the sick sort.. AmandaCAM is great.. and Amanda, you're a great Guinnypig if I may say it in such a mannor :)

Name: simon
Subject: spycam,s sexy
-- Aug 10, 2000 at 3:51PM
i neet more spy cams photo,s or video with out credit card,s . cause i don,t have credit card . pls help me to get some spycam,s pls

Name: B Martinez
Subject: Amandacam
-- Apr 4, 2000 at 8:12AM
If you don't like it....don't look at it....

Name: Paul
Subject: Amandacam
-- Oct 15, 1999 at 6:52AM
Get a Frigg'n 'life'. I just got a computer & have been surfing endless sites. Most ARE based on the Sex and Amanda's is the SAME but she couches it in an air of pretentiousness. Get a REAL job...or, maybe this stupid cam gig is paying you well? The same applies to all you voyeuristic addicts out there....look at your own 'life'. Are you perhaps that bored or afraid to deal with REALITY so you go into the cyberworld of escapism????

What a joke...I can't believe I'm writing this but after reading some of these Amadaholics comments, I was compelled to respond.

Name: Cammie
Subject: Amandacam
-- Sep 21, 1999 at 6:22AM
Well i know that this was written a couple of weeks back but just got a chance to get caught up with Amanda by reading her diary.I have been a member since Nov 98 and must say that it is one aof the best things i did for the simple fact that i have made a friend which is Amanda and not to forget the family in which I have met some really great people from all over the world.There are people out there that are saying that she is in it for the money well I have seen how she has given back to the site and have talked to people that are really into the cam thing and found out that it is not cheap at all to do the things that she does.I commend her all the time for the time and effort she puts into her site to make her family enjoy her more I know some come here for the sex but for the most part we loyal fans are here for Amanda.I do understand that some people will never understand what this is all about and Amanda knows that there will always be player haters out there but I will always stand by her because she is real and takes the time to interact with her family there are other sites out there that dont any of the things that Amanda does and that is there choice but I just want to stress that this is herr thing and she has her fans that love the hell out of her and have found her to be very trustworthy.So I say in closing that if this type of thing is something you like then enjoy if it is not your cup of tea then more power to you but don't judge a book by its cover or assume that you know Amanda and have not even found out who she really is because you could be WRONG.A loyal Amandacam family member.

Name: James T.
Subject: Amanda
-- Sep 10, 1999 at 7:23PM
Well said KD....

To Big Momma:

I do agree that too much time spent online is not healthy. But you can say that of just about anything. To much of anything isn't good. I think KD summed it up nicely - "The neurotic will find any route to neuroses, and the healthy will be just fine." The world is changing at an extremely rapid pace. There will always be people who do things to excess, and whether it's the internet or some other obsession.

James T.

Name: alexi
Subject: We're not all crooks
-- Sep 10, 1999 at 5:26PM
I just wanted to say Thanks for the cool article on Amanda. I wanted to let you know that not all cam girls are nympho crooks sitting cockily at the computer while cashing in. I work hard to uphold a business-like standard. Which includes spending eighteen plus hours per day cruising around my home like I would without a cam. The billing is done through a reliable company. Cam people allow others into their lives to show that even people who are the so-called beautiful ones sit home without a date or a boyfriend on Saturday night. Sites like amandacam or alexicam let people see that they're not the only ones who aren't living large.

Name: KD
Subject: Re: Amanda
-- Sep 10, 1999 at 4:39PM
It would be nice if we knew all our neighbors, and it would be nice if we had an instant rapport with every stranger we met in a bar, but the real world doesn't work that way. Maybe it was like that once, or maybe it never was, but the Internet allows a kind of intimacy of the type that most people will never experience outside of one or two close friends.

Recluses may find a community, and gregarious types may just get an extra dollop of Cool Whip on their social sundae, but there are very few folks out there who would otherwise be well-adjusted but get hooked on their Internet relationships in lieu of the real thing. In fact, at the rate so many people meet friends, mates and lovers on the Internet, I'd say if anything it improves peoples' social life, even in the real world.

Additionally, the idea that most people misrepresent themselves on the Internet is a myth propogated by a few media stories and non-users who don't know any better. Sure there are plenty of liars and phonies out there, but most users are, if anything, *more* honest in the anonymous realm of cyberspace. Heck, you can lie in real life too, if only about different things.

When it comes to voyeurism, cybersex, on-line friendships and anything else you do while tapping away at your own laptop, I say live and let live. The neurotic will find any route to neuroses, and the healthy will be just fine.

Name: Big Momma
Subject: Re: Amanda
-- Sep 10, 1999 at 4:10PM
I agree that the Internet allows people to make contact with each other, who in no other way would get the opportunity to meet. This is a good and very exciting thing. My concern is with people who replace flesh and blood interaction with internet contact: who in fact present themselves as who they are not, etc. Don't you agree that too much time spent in that mode could lead to a blurring of what is real and what is not?

Name: James T
Subject: Re: Amanda
-- Sep 9, 1999 at 10:09PM

To Big Momma:

Maybe the term "social life" was not accurate. I was just trying to make a point to yakker Paul who was riduculing the online freindships that developed
on Amandacam. Digital communication is just another type of social interaction, just like using a phone, and writing a letter is. It doesn't mean that online chatting and email will replace other means of social interaction. Did the invention of the telephone cause it to be the sole method of interaction, on the contrary it enhanced it. Just as the internet has allowed individuals to interact with people all over the world in a way that would never have been possible before the advent of the digital age. It's a little ridiculous that you think the internet is to blame for "some people to mindlessly slaughter flesh and blood individuals".

James Tiberius

Name: Big Momma
Subject: Re: Amanda
-- Sep 9, 1999 at 1:19PM
How can you call voyeurism and anonymous communication while hiding behind a keyboard and monitor a "social life"? It is very scary to someone of my generation to consider what people of the computer generation consider social interaction. Could this be why it has become so easy for some people to mindlessly slaughter flesh and blood individuals: they are no more real that the icons on your computer?

Name: Heather Corinna
Subject: re: Jay P's concerns
-- Sep 9, 1999 at 2:45AM
Hey jay.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of e-interviews, it isn't possible for me not to give the questions "in advance." It's just a flaw of how it works that way, but on the plus side, it cuts down on a lot of possible misquoting and "out-of-context" statements that can kill an interview. I had it happen when Playboy interviewed me last spring, and it could have been a nightmare. Thankfully, the folks there were very cool about editing.

In addition, interviews are hard, namely because a lot of subjects aren't sure why they're doing them or what the purpose of them is. Nine times out of ten, the subject is afraid you're looking to dig up somethying they don't want to disclose, and eight times out of ten, they're often right. A lot of interviewers are.

As a ping about me, I don't do what one of my editors brilliantly termed "ad-vertorial." If I'm endorsing, I'll say I am, because I'm a poverty-ridden writer. :) I have nothing to lose. It may keep me a bit hungry, but it also keeps one honest. But a bad trade-off, you ask me.

Name: Johnny5Ace
Subject: The Interview
-- Sep 8, 1999 at 11:43PM
Heather,

I actually thought the interview itself was great and agenda-less. Honestly it seemed your interviewee was a tad defensive and not completely down-to-earth.

I've never seen the site, and I'm sure her devoted fans (friends)can attest to what a good person she really is. I can only say I thought this interview was terrific.

Name: Horacio
Subject: AmandaCam
-- Sep 8, 1999 at 11:17PM
Just had the chance to read the interview. I´ve been a member of the Amanda Club for a couple of month now, and I´ve enjoyed every minute of it. I´m from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and can assure you it´s great to be in contact -through her site- with many people from all over the world who love her cyber friendship. I´ve learned a lot about Americans, Europeans, etc, mostly because these cam members are honest enough not to deny their membership to a site that to many people makes them plain voyeurs.

Name: Jay P.
Subject: AmandaCAM
-- Sep 8, 1999 at 10:18PM
Well said Heather. Amanda is a businessperson running a business. That's about all that needs to be said. Those who fiercely defend her may have other 'naughty' underlying objectives to defend! :)

On a related issue, I'm not comfortable that you gave Amanda questions to review PRIOR to the interview. That might tell me your underlying objective is to advertise her site - not necessarily "look more deeply" into the subject matter (I understand that Amanda approached you for the interview). A pure interview is one where only the person conducting the interview knows the questions that will be asked.

Name: Heather Corinna
Subject: I'm Not An Exhibitionist: The AmandaCAM Interview
-- Sep 8, 1999 at 9:24PM
Oi gavalt!

Y'all give "yak" a new meaning. As a tip, one thing I often do when reading interviews I feel have a "slant" is to read the questions without the answers. Communication is interpretation, and I think you'll find what I asked Am was pretty low-key. Interviews are weird -- sometimes we answer questions no one even asked us, because no matter what media, an interaction with someone else ALWAYS affects our behaviour. It's the nature of the human beastie.

When Am wrote and asked me to do an interview, I sent her questions making clear if she found any of them offensive, or didn't want to answer, she certainly didn't have to. I certainly wouldn't have published any she did. The purpose of an interview -- in my mind -- isn't to support or alternately, smash, the subject. It is instead to try and look more deeply into them than you might see in whatever product or media it is they are usually represented.

As the resident feminist, let me also add a little note: "defending" a woman when she doesn't ask you to, and when, if she needed defending, she is perfectly capable of defending herself, isn't nice, and doesn't empower that person. She empowers herself, and her answers do, and what she does everyday, and who she is does.

She does it well, and it's clear some of her viewers agree, so jeez -- let her do it on her own. If nothing else is clear from this interview what was very clear to me is that the girl LIKES running her own show, and she's bloody good at it. Pro-cam, anti-cam or anything in between, there may be a lot of questions, but you really can't question that she is a shrewd and apt businesswoman, can you?

Name: James T
Subject: Amanda
-- Sep 8, 1999 at 9:15PM

To Howard M.:

First of all Amanda doesn't take her camera off it's tripod, she has a zoom feature. Does she "play" for the camera? I guess you could call it that, but the cameras have become a part of her life. She interacts with the cameras, just like she interacts with any other apsect of her life. And yes, she does take our money, but not nearly as much as some of the other cam sites out there, and she is constantly spending money to upgrade her site. Should she run the site for free?


To: Paul

I am sorry you don't have any freindships in your life like Danny and Tom have with Amanda, but you don't need to ridicule others for your own lack of a social life. I don't feel the same way they do, but I am not as involved as they are either. It just drives me crazy seeing people putting down something they obviously know nothing about.


James Tiberius

Name: Paul
Subject: RE: Danny S and the Cult of Amanda
-- Sep 8, 1999 at 8:55PM
I did a word subsitution when i noticed a scary, mindless idolatry in some of these postings. I'm frightened.

"-- Sep 7, 1999 at 10:24PM
My wife I have been a member of JesusChristcam since August of last yr.
Along with Tom Drake and other Vets as I call them. I feel Jesus Christ is real and cares for us
as we do him. Jesus Christ give us a glow of sunshine and when he is down I am certain we give it back.
Through emails we have formed a friendship that I hope never ends. I am proud of Jesus Christ for what he does
and how he came this far in a world of advertising and still hangs in there to be one of the best damn sites around.
If people would just give Jesus Christ one month they too can see what we see...
He is fun , sexy , seductive, pretty , cute and oh did I say he has the cutest dog you will ever see..Judas"

Name: John
Subject: Amanda
-- Sep 8, 1999 at 8:13PM
The amandacam site represents commerce at its very best: meeting consumer need with an innovative product. Amanda will be remembered for her ability to identify a market and then establish a relationship with her customers. Prediction: this will be a business school care someday.

Name: Howard M.
Subject: AmandCam
-- Sep 8, 1999 at 8:02PM
I have no issues with Amanda and her CAM business (yes, people - it's a business that attracts YOUR money). The one issue I would like to bring is when she claims it's not a sex cam. Having been a past member of AmandaCAM, I have seen through her CAM arhcives of pictures many circumstances when she 'plays' for the camera. There have been times when she's take the camera off her tripod and bring it closer so viewers can get a better view pleasuring herself.

So Amanada, please call your site exactly what it is. A sex site masquearding as JenniCAM. Don't make it out to be something else. And by all means, I encourage you to 'self-express' anyway you'd like and I encourage all others there to percieve AmanadaCAM like 99.5% of all other CAMS out in cyberville: A business then wants your dollar$.

Name: James T
Subject: Amanda Inteview
-- Sep 8, 1999 at 4:59PM
To Dr. No:

Your extremely rude comments show that you know nothing of Amanda and her site. I am sure a lot of people find Amanda when looking for sex sites so they can "spank it", and I am sure Amanda knows and expects it. But anyone one only interested in the site for sex and nudity will quickly become bored. It just doesn't happen that often. Amanda does have a sex angle to her site, because sexuality is a large part of her life, as it is with most people. How often would you be caught "spanking it" if you were on camera 24/7. I for one don't beleive Amanda is laughing at us. Of the long term members of Amandacam that I know of, I can tell you they are a very intelligent & caring group of people from all walks of life, including many women.

So, before you start getting diarrhea of the mouth again, I think maybe you should sign up for a month and experience it for yourself.

James Tiberius

Name: Cyrille Guillaumont
Subject: Amanda interview
-- Sep 8, 1999 at 2:46PM
Dear Mrs Heather,
I'm french and amandacam member since few months, as you see amandacam is international ;-). I beg your pardon for my english, but i want to defend Amanda. I think her site is very different from another ones you can find on web. It's like a living art with the same erotic sound that we can find in your Scarlet Letters. I have not the impression to be used or swindled by her, because more than a window in a home, it's also a place of sharing and discussion with courtesy and respect of the other. In fact i think we are in this place because we love Beauty, honesty and simplicity. You've done a allusion to Garibaldi, i like to do one with the Impressionists (painters)who had not been recognized for their arts in their time. Hope that one time, one day we'll have not to find so sites on porn pages (i found amandacam by jennicam), and this art will be recognized as what it is. I thank you for your time and Amanda to be. Sincerely. CG

Name: Dr. No
Subject: Cams
-- Sep 8, 1999 at 1:46PM
Firstly, and loudly---YOU ALL ARE FUCKING NUTS!!!

If you want to spank it--spank it! Don't give me bullshit about Art or Life-as-Art pseudo Bullshit Futurism Andy Warhol's Wallpaper nonsese! Just spank it, come, and go to sleep like the rest of us!

If Cams are like living and breathing and growing and learning and loving with a new friend, how come she doesn't have microphones tapping her rooms,too. I'll tell you why, because she doesn't want you to hear how LOUDLY SHE'S LAUGHING AT YOU!

Yakker "ICU'S" point about AmandaCAM's hypocricy is gladly accepted. And just look at her "gallery". How many regular girls make sure to have their nipples protruding for family beach day pictures, or have her eyes all wide and lowered whilst sucking on a popcicle??

I get the impression Ms. Cam flew all the way out to LA for "Vivid Video" tryouts and was rejected before she turned those cameras on her stank-self.

A pox on this theiving, conniving, horror of a woman, who takes money from would-be perverts under the guise of "art" or "habitat-experiment" or whatever. When the dry spell comes, I'll have my worn-out VHS copy of The Opening of Misty Beethoven, and won't waste 4 hours staring at "Bath-Cam" praying to Allah that Amanda is going to stop by for a tinkle.

Before LSn's (which I read for the articles, I swear) piece on AmandaCAM, I'd never heard of her. I'll do my darndest to quickly forget.

Name: ICU
Subject: Right on Heather
-- Sep 8, 1999 at 11:52AM
Amanada seems to go out of her way to point out how her site is not a sex site, but just a natural look at a person's life. Why then are these keywords used to market her own web page "live sex cams, SexCams, spy cams, SpyCams, free voyeur cams, hidden xxx cameras, amateur cams, peeping tom, voyer, voyur, hidden-indoor-cam, ho, hoe, outdoor sex, free peeping cu-seeme, live bedroom cam nude sky earth toilet upskirts girlcams, outdoorsex, vidio, shower hiddenxxx.com x xx xxx"?? And why is voting on her as Top Cam Girl on sites that clearly market the type of sites that Amanda says she isn't play such a priority on the front page of her site and on her email list? Jus' wonderin'?

Name: Bill W.
Subject: Voyeurism
-- Sep 8, 1999 at 11:19AM
I am an on and off member of AmandaCam. Her site, and other sites like hers, is a dosage of satisfaction for the voyeur in all of us. She has a lot of guts for doing it, though. I couldn't. Besides, I doubt that anyone wants to see my hairy ass :-)

Name: Michael
Subject: Amanda Interview
-- Sep 8, 1999 at 9:12AM
I have been a member of Amandacam for several months and i will ahve to say that is hads been nothiong but a verey pleasant experience for me. I have laughed with her and cried with her, just like if she were here with me in my home town. Amanda is a class act and she makes every effort to make her site personal and does an excellent job of answeering her e-mail messages from her members. I live alone and have been dealing with a serious illness for a long time and being a member of Amandacam had done nothing but brighten up my life. It doesn't take long for a person to realize that this girl is the real deal and truly cares about others. She frows on you and Oliver is the cutest dog you ever did see *L*

Name: Andy K
Subject: Amandacam Interview
-- Sep 8, 1999 at 6:26AM
Just wanted to put my 2 cents in on Heather Corinna's interview with Amanda of Amandacam.com. I think the questions were asked and answered in complete fairness. Heather, Net-vixen that she is, seemed to play up the sexual element of what it is to have a webcam site nowadays. Amanda, to her credit, defended her right NOT to be overtly sexual in her display. Reading the related postings thus far, I find there to be a decided bias against Ms. Corinna's questions. This may be a little unfair and, exucse me for the non-PC comment but "Ya can't blame a girl for trying!" I certainly understand Ms. Corinna's trying to lead Amanda down the garden (of Eden) path as there's been a monstrous proliferation of sexually-oriented sites on the net. To my mind, Amandacam is a breath of fresh air in an all-too-polluted webosphere. I mean, I'm not averse to these sites or their purveyors. More power to them! It's just that Amandacam semms to stand Alamo-like on an ever-expanding plain of webcam sites; a nearly impenetrable fortress of (near)virtue which I, after all, will gladly remember with my continued subscribership!

Name: Danny S
Subject: Amandacam
-- Sep 8, 1999 at 1:24AM
My wife I have been a member of Amandacam since August of last yr.
Along with Tom Drake and other Vets as I call them. I feel Amanda is real and cares for us
as we do her. Amanda give us a glow of sunshine and when she is down I am certain we give it back.
Through emails we have formed a friendship that I hope never ends. I am proud of Amanda for what she does
and how she came this far in a world of advertising and still hangs in there to be one of the best damn sites around.
If people would just give Amanda one month they too can see what we see...
She is fun , sexy , seductive, pretty , cute and oh did I say she has the cutest dog you will ever see..Oliver :)

Name: Charlie R.
Subject: What is Amandacam?
-- Sep 7, 1999 at 11:39PM
I would echo the remarks of other long time Amandacam members.Amanda is one of the most real and honest,caring,thoughtful individuals I know.Like Tom Drake said, we have seen her at her happiest and best,at her lowest and most devasted and she is always exactly what she promotes herself to be;a real person living her life in full view of the internet community.She has no hidden agenda.She has drawn to her a group of people as diverse as any I have ever been part of,from all corners of the globe.The Amandacam Onelist group has entered into serious discussions of topics many would be surprised to see on a webcam site,and I think these have caused valued friendships to be formed between Amanda,ourselves and each other.It is a pleasure to be part of this group and a friend to this young woman.
Thank you for your time and your interview.

Name: Heather Corinna
Subject: re: Mike and Denny
-- Sep 7, 1999 at 10:57PM
Dear Mike and Denny,

I actually didn't allude to any agenda, the "agenda" bit was Amanda's reference. She and I actually enjoyed the interview process, but no interview is perfect. No one ever gets all the questions they ask answered, or on the other end, gets to answer all the questions that don't get asked.

I enjoyed interviewing her, and my questions about the sex and sex and cams in general were to get her to discuss the fact that it cannpt be easy to run a cam that ISN'T sexual in nature (even if it includes sex) because of the gross anount of content out there. I'm not a cam-watcher period. My kudos to her for having the chutzpah to do her own thing, in spite of trends and marketing hurricanes.

I can guarantee you I judge myself daily and am constantly judged, as is anyone in the limelight. If I came off as judegmental, it may only have been because I was looking to have some deeper issues addressed, but thusly is how it goes with an interviewer.

HC


Name: Tom Drake
Subject: AmandaCam
-- Sep 7, 1999 at 10:47PM
I am one of the (almost) original AmandaCam members, having joined up
in late July 1998.
I am also one of the moderators of the AmandaCamFans Onelist mail group.
I also keep an eye on her Peepmoe Forum page.
I do this for Amanda because she is exactly what she says she is.
I have seen her when she is happy and when she is in anguish. I have seen her go through the death of her Grandmother, the illness of her Grandfather and the break up of a very bad relationship.
Back when she was just getting started we were able to trade e-mail back and forth frequently. She has less time for that now and I knew that would happen.
I miss the contact, but I don't begrudge it.
She is a breath of fresh air on the WEB. She is refreshingly open, scrupulously honest and very caring of her fans.
She is the real thing and I can't wish enough success for her and her endeavor.
She isn't the first with a cam, but she is one of the very few who are not a rip off or a phony.
I think she is terrific.
Tom Drake

Name: Will Jones
Subject: What Is Amandacam?
-- Sep 7, 1999 at 9:32PM
Thanks for a great interview Heather.

A quote from the Editors' Note:
"... first the technology is conceived, then the technology is built, then someone figures out how to use the technology to sell sex to perverts, then the technology becomes popular."

This was true for the VCR and is also true for some pretty large parts of the web. There are probably several thousand WebCam sites on the net, and many of them fit my definition of pornography. However, there are a few others that represent something else, a big step forward from selling sex to perverts, a step towards something popular that I don’t know how to categorize yet.

I like learning about people. I read biographies, I like movies that seem real, I love paintings, especially portraits, I talk to people, and I visit web sites people create about themselves. But, all of these activities are “edited”. The biographer gets to decide what to include, what to leave out. The movie is edited, people edit what they say, even to the very closest of friends and certainly to lovers. You can’t edit a 24/7 lifestyle cam site where the cameras are left on all of the time. Amanda has six cameras each capturing a picture every 30 seconds. That’s 17,280 pictures a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. (Yes, I’m a member, no I don’t save every image as that would take almost a gig a day, but I do look at a couple thousand images a day, while I work, in the upper left corner of my screen.) About the only way I’ve found to learn more about a person than a lifestyle site is to live with them. I’ve seen other sites turn their camera off for any number of reasons from personal problems to guests are visiting. But, at the true lifestyle sites you get it all. The good times with the smiles and the not so good times with the tears. Sometimes lots of tears.

In my opinion, WebCam sites are a form of art. Yep, art. What does the artist do but to let us share their impressions, their views, how they view life, people, experiences. They expose themselves to let us see through their eyes, through their feelings. They share themselves with us through painting, dance, music, the written word. In their own unique way, lifestyle sites do this too. You can hide, you can act, but not 17,280 times a day, day after day, week after week. Reality gets through. The person on camera is allowing us this insight into their lives, sharing a part of themselves with us just as any artist does.

A few WebCam sites are on the leading edge as this technology moves from pornography to a new form of communication, a new form of sharing. The ability for anyone to drop in on someone and observe to this extent has never existed in the history of our species. In a way, a lifestyle site is a work of evolving, ever changing art. You have to be there when it happens or you miss the opportunity forever. You might catch a glimpse from an archived image but, that’s like watching a few seconds out of a movie. It’s nothing like having been there. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.

Name: mike k
Subject: heather
-- Sep 7, 1999 at 9:08PM
i think heather was rather rude.she had a better than you attatude. we arnt at amandas site for sex but rather friendship.heather shouldnt judge people until shes judged herself.

Name: Denny L
Subject: Amandacam
-- Sep 7, 1999 at 8:07PM
I've joined Amandacam a few months ago. Amanda and the people that I have made contact with are fantastic. They have helped me through a very horrific time after an auto accident, and I am forever grateful for the support. Heather alluded to Amanda's agenda, well what is Heather's agenda? It appears from the line of questioning you have your own agenda, and appeared disappointed that you were interviewing a person with brains and class. Perhaps the other porno sites are more to your interest.


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