By May 31 this year, Friendster will temporarily close it site and erase all user’s data to give way for its new face which will be launched in the coming weeks. This was according to its email sent to every Friendster user last week. The message includes an advice to back up or export every user’s existing account profile, photos, messages, blogs as well as shoutouts or else these all will be left history.
In their sent email, Friendster provided a link to make it easier for users to export their profile. Photos can also be exported to Flickr and Multiply while blogs can be exported to WordPress and Blogger accounts.
The email also said that if a user doesn’t have anything needed to be back up, he doesn’t need to worry because he can still access his account after Friendster open up again using his login details. Every user’s basic information as well as wallet details will not be deleted.
As of now Friendster was owned by a Malaysian Company named Money Online (MOL). The site was purchased by the company from their original owners who were Americans.
Nikolai Galicia, Friendster and MOL country manager for the Philippines said that they can’t compete with Facebook. They really did a great job. Afterall, he said “it’s a facebook world.” However, he clarified to the public that Friendster will not totally shut down, instead it will step forward to make it more improved. He said it will still be offering social networking services. The only changes are its focus. “Friendster will complement Facebook,” he said.
Their targets are those Facebook users who don’t have any interests in games which was said to be 50% of them.
Galicia said that Friendster has been serving as a social networking site for already 9 nine years and there are already 20 million users in the Philippines. Philippines was recorded to have the most number of Friendster users worldwide.
Friendster was said to be the first social networking site to exist.