Rubberzone's Big 15!

Even though many many other sites have feted Rubberzone's anniversary, I feel obligated to post a shout-out to them as well. :)
Celebrating 15 Years of Rubber

A Brief History of RubberZone

The origin of RubberZone can be traced to the spring of 1996.

RubberZone’s founder, Squirm, started an online directory called “The Rubber Lovers Contact List”, one of the first (perhaps the very first) web-based lists of Rubbermen-seeking-Rubbermen, rather than solely a picture site, at the domain LatexPajamas.com.

The list was inspired by the work of groups that had nurtured the fledgling (in the US, at least) rubber community for years before via print and mail, including the New World Rubbermen in Washington state, and the Rubber Rebel magazine (later incarnated as Vulcan Magazine) in California.

The site was actually an offshoot of a work project for converting material in databases, such as catalogs, to a navigable web format. What better use than a directory of latex pervs to keep one from being bored at the office?

Over the years, the web site evolved into its own fully interactive experience, at the domain RubberList.com.

In the late 90’s, another rubber site took the scene by storm, Rubbermen.com, founded by JimmyB and Tommy.

Seeing the how the content and features of both sites were complementary, the sites were eventually merged with combined operations. A new name was chosen to launch the new combination (also in part because an overseas profile site had started using "rubbermen" in their title without permission, leading to customer confusion) and RubberZone, “The Fusion of MEN and RUBBER” was formed.

Now an independent web site, RubberZone outdates many fetish web sites, and over that time we've been lucky to witness the birth of rubber events that are now thriving institutions. RubberZone added a production studio and now augments member-submitted content with original photo and video shoots.

This year, we’ve launched the new RubberZone Web Store, with the ability to sell more than just subscriptions. Now there are Video Downloads and DVDs, and we hope to have some gear offerings in the future.

The sheer number of people who are out and proud and making friends in the fetish world has grown tremendously, and the Internet has shaken up the fetish world, in many was positive, but has also transformed the bar scene in a way that makes people miss what once was. There is much more gear available to rubbermen and many online options. Who knows what the next 15 years will bring?

Congratulations Squirm and Stomper! Your work has brought rubber fetishism out of the closet and I think I can speak for many of us perverts when I say your work has been pivotal in developing many of us into what we are today; confident, kinky, empowered, sexy rubbermen. You have helped bring us out of the lonely shadows into the social digital age. Thank you!