Friendster Is Dead: Encourages U.S. Users to Move On
Once-popular social network Friendster, an early forerunner to Facebook, MySpace and other online fraternization options, is now dead and will be deleting all user-created blogs, photos, comments and groups on May May 31st. But it will soon be resurrected as a social gaming and entertainment hub focused on Asia.
The site, which is still live in the interim, plans to keep all user accounts, friends lists, games details and basic profile information active. Users are encouraged at present, though, to use the Frienster Exporter app to download and export photos, messages, comments, blogs, profile information and other personal data to their hard drive for preservation. By June, however, the service will cease to exist as millions of fans formerly knew and loved it before it was supplemented by other, more popular online social networks.
The service plans to operate as a supplement to Facebook and its features going forward, as it plans to reposition itself as a social entertainment website focused on video games playing and music. Unfortunately for North American fans, Asian users will be Friendster’s primary target, making it another clear casualty of social network’s increasing consolidation under the familiar blue-and-white “f” banner.