Internet Adult Film Database
Encyclopedia
The Internet Adult Film Database (IAFD) is an online
database
of information pertaining to the American adult industry, covering actors, actresses, directors
and movies. It is similar to the Internet Movie Database
, in that it is open to the public and is searchable. Films produced by non-American porn industry are found on the database if a U.S. release is available and the film concerned is presented as bearing the information about the U.S. release, not the original one.
- and FTP
-accessible database of adult film actresses called Abserver that had been created by Dan Abend in 1993.
IAFD itself was started by Peter Van Aarle, who had collected data on adult movies since 1981, when he began keeping notes on index cards on adult movies he had seen or were reviewed in Adam Film World. In 1993, he began contributing to the Usenet
newsgroup
alt.sex.movies, where he met Dan Abend. The two exchanged databases and began work on a WWW-based database.
Van Aarle later collaborated on this Web database with Ron Wilhelm who went by the pseudonym of "Heretic". The first version of the IAFD was brought on-line in 1995 by the programming efforts of Heretic who used the project as a training ground for SGML programming which he was learning in college. After Heretic left the Internet to join the military, the site eventually fell victim to link rot
.
In the fall of 1998, Van Aarle was at a trade show with Jeff Vanzetti who asked if Van Aarle would be interested in resurrecting the IAFD -- this time under its own domain. Vanzetti was looking for a project on which to teach himself on-line database programming using SQL
Server, and this seemed like a natural fit, since they were both co-moderators of the newsgroup rec.arts.movies.erotica (RAME), and members of the newsgroup
would often lament about the passing of the original Internet Adult Film Database.
The beginning of 1999 brought the first baby steps of the IAFD. Initially search boxes only searched females and data was restricted to movies released post-1989.
Van Aarle said on this:
Van Aarle died on September 18, 2005 at the age of 42 from a heart attack
. In 2011 he was inducted into the XRCO Hall of Fame
.
On March 1, 2007, the IAFD rolled out information on over 18,000 gay titles and some 39,000 gay performers. Like the IMDB, forms are used for submitting data corrections, though the IAFD's form is considerably simpler than the IMDB's. However, neither IMDB or IAFD corrections are immediate; thus both correction services are fairly equal. According to the site, it contains entries on over 108,520 titles and 103,334 persons (both actors and directors).
According to Vanzetti, IAFD adds about 500 new titles a month and processes thousands of corrections -- corrections that anyone can submit.
IAFD is a former sponsor of the podcast Infected by Martin Sargent.
On October 1, 2007 an article about the Internet Adult Film Database appeared in the online equivalent of Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo
.
ONLINE
ONLINE is a magazine for information systems first published in 1977. The publisher Online, Inc. was founded the year before. In May 2002, Information Today, Inc. acquired the assets of Online Inc....
database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
of information pertaining to the American adult industry, covering actors, actresses, directors
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and movies. It is similar to the Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
, in that it is open to the public and is searchable. Films produced by non-American porn industry are found on the database if a U.S. release is available and the film concerned is presented as bearing the information about the U.S. release, not the original one.
History
The predecessor to IAFD was an emailEmail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
- and FTP
File Transfer Protocol
File Transfer Protocol is a standard network protocol used to transfer files from one host to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet. FTP is built on a client-server architecture and utilizes separate control and data connections between the client and server...
-accessible database of adult film actresses called Abserver that had been created by Dan Abend in 1993.
IAFD itself was started by Peter Van Aarle, who had collected data on adult movies since 1981, when he began keeping notes on index cards on adult movies he had seen or were reviewed in Adam Film World. In 1993, he began contributing to the Usenet
Usenet
Usenet is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It developed from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name.Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979 and it was established in 1980...
newsgroup
Newsgroup
A usenet newsgroup is a repository usually within the Usenet system, for messages posted from many users in different locations. The term may be confusing to some, because it is usually a discussion group. Newsgroups are technically distinct from, but functionally similar to, discussion forums on...
alt.sex.movies, where he met Dan Abend. The two exchanged databases and began work on a WWW-based database.
Van Aarle later collaborated on this Web database with Ron Wilhelm who went by the pseudonym of "Heretic". The first version of the IAFD was brought on-line in 1995 by the programming efforts of Heretic who used the project as a training ground for SGML programming which he was learning in college. After Heretic left the Internet to join the military, the site eventually fell victim to link rot
Link rot
Link rot , also known as link death or link breaking is an informal term for the process by which, either on individual websites or the Internet in general, increasing numbers of links point to web pages, servers or other resources that have become permanently unavailable...
.
In the fall of 1998, Van Aarle was at a trade show with Jeff Vanzetti who asked if Van Aarle would be interested in resurrecting the IAFD -- this time under its own domain. Vanzetti was looking for a project on which to teach himself on-line database programming using SQL
SQL
SQL is a programming language designed for managing data in relational database management systems ....
Server, and this seemed like a natural fit, since they were both co-moderators of the newsgroup rec.arts.movies.erotica (RAME), and members of the newsgroup
Newsgroup
A usenet newsgroup is a repository usually within the Usenet system, for messages posted from many users in different locations. The term may be confusing to some, because it is usually a discussion group. Newsgroups are technically distinct from, but functionally similar to, discussion forums on...
would often lament about the passing of the original Internet Adult Film Database.
The beginning of 1999 brought the first baby steps of the IAFD. Initially search boxes only searched females and data was restricted to movies released post-1989.
Van Aarle said on this:
"In those early days of the IAFD I had made one stipulation: I did not want the movie info on movies before 1989 to be available. The idea behind this was basically that if I would ever decide I wanted to do something commercially with my database it would be a good idea to keep the most valuable parts of it off limits. The data on older titles was clearly the most difficult to compile (and very few people I ever talked to had much info on the older stuff, with a few notable exceptions like Jim HollidayJim HollidayJim Holliday was an American pornographic film director, critic, and historian.He was a founder and the honorary historian of the X-Rated Critics Organization....
), and therefore the more valuable part of the data. The cut-off date of 1989 was a compromise to include at least the titles of Buttman, who was one of the most popular directors of the time."
Van Aarle died on September 18, 2005 at the age of 42 from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. In 2011 he was inducted into the XRCO Hall of Fame
XRCO Hall of Fame
XRCO Hall of Fame lists some of the most notable adult entertainment works and workers. The list is managed by X-Rated Critics Organization and inducted annually during the XRCO awards.-Actors:* 1985 John C...
.
On March 1, 2007, the IAFD rolled out information on over 18,000 gay titles and some 39,000 gay performers. Like the IMDB, forms are used for submitting data corrections, though the IAFD's form is considerably simpler than the IMDB's. However, neither IMDB or IAFD corrections are immediate; thus both correction services are fairly equal. According to the site, it contains entries on over 108,520 titles and 103,334 persons (both actors and directors).
According to Vanzetti, IAFD adds about 500 new titles a month and processes thousands of corrections -- corrections that anyone can submit.
IAFD is a former sponsor of the podcast Infected by Martin Sargent.
On October 1, 2007 an article about the Internet Adult Film Database appeared in the online equivalent of Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo
Folha de S. Paulo
Folha de S. Paulo, known simply as Folha , is a Brazilian daily newspaper founded and continuously published in São Paulo since 19 February 1921. Owned by the Frias de Oliveira family since 1962, it has Brazil's largest circulation since 1986. Alongside O Globo and O Estado de S...
.
External links
- IAFD
- "Remembering Peter Van Aarle", IAFD.com, September 21, 2005.