Friends Reunited, one of the original social networking sites, is to close as one of the founding member Steve Pankhurst, said it is still used by some
but is “no longer used for the purpose it was built for”.
The site helped countless adults renew friendships and even rekindle old relationships long before Facebook arrived on the scene. But Friends Reunited, the social networking site is to close after failing to keep up with the rapidly changing online world.
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The site was launched in 2000 and at its peak it was bought by ITV for £175 million in 2005, reaching more than 10 million users globally. However, its popularity suffered due to the rise of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social networks. AS per one survey around 73% of Teens in USA use Facebook
Mr Pankhurst, who sold Friends Reunited to ITV in 2005 for £175 million had agreed to take on an attempt to revitalise the flagging site from its current owners DC Thompson. DC Thompson bought it from ITV for £25 million ($31 million) in 2009.
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According to Mr Pankhurst and business partner Jason Porter, the site had become just a “message board” for the few users. “And I also realised, that of the 10m+ users registered,…their contact details were out of date,” he said.
“So even if you were coming to the site to find someone and wanted to contact them, how frustrating it must be to see them listed there and try to contact and then get no response. “Therefore, whilst it’s sad, I believe it’s time to move on and put Friends Reunited to bed.”