With so many social media platforms to choose from nowadays it is strange to think that the first website of its type Friends Reunited - which aimed to bring friends together - first came online 22 years ago and had the simple aim of bringing old pals back together. Since then there have been quite a few different social media sites which aim to do the same, or bring together people with like-minded hobbies and interests.
Of course, many people started their social media lives on a few sites that have now been gone for many years, while others have stuck to what they know and refuse to leave.
The rise and success of the people who are making a living over various social media platforms shows that nothing ever stays still and the world of socials is constantly changing and adapting to whatever the current climate is. Can you imagine an 'influencer' trying to influence you into trying a new make-up via Bebo? Didn't think so.
So without further ado, here are some of the much-missed social platforms and features that a lot of people miss - and some that we are glad are no more.
Friends Reunited
For those of a certain age and more or less from Generation X, Friends Reunited would be one of the first social media sites that they would have come across or used, especially in the UK.
Launching in 2000, the site aimed to connect people who had a school, college, or workplace, in common.
There were a few spin-off sites as well, with Genes Reunited along with separate dating and jobs sites.
Having been sold by ITV in 2009, the site would later be relaunched in 2012 but to no avail as it closed for good in 2016.
Bebo
For the early Millennials, Bebo would have been their first look at social media along with MSN Messenger.
Starting in the middle of the social media boom of 2005, Bebo was one of the first sites to hit over 10 million unique users and overtook MySpace in 2007.
One of the more unique aspects of Bebo was the ability to choose a skin design template to personalise your profile even more.
The Bebo bubble burst in 2013 when it couldn't keep up with the likes of Facebook, due to many of its users moving over to the new platforms.
MSN Messenger
MSN Messenger, along with Bebo, was a lot of people's introduction to the online world of social media.
The difference between MSN Messenger and what was to come was that it was very basic and pretty much only allowed you to send plain text messages.
MSN Messenger was also one of the earliest platforms, starting in 1999 and continuing until 2006 when it was rebranded Windows Live. It unfortunately closed for good in 2013.
MySpace
Those of us who were a part of the MySpace generation, and therefore also programmers to a degree, will always look back fondly at our mutual first friend - the iconic 'Tom'.
Tom Anderson was everyone's first friend on MySpace and also the co-founder and president of MySpace from 2003 until 2009, which let's be honest, were the site's best years and saw the birth of MySpace records. It was also thanks to MySpace that many of today's popstars gained recognition including the likes of Lily Allen, Nicki Minaj and the Arctic Monkeys, and the platform was seen as a launchpad for quite a few musical artists.
The accolade of being among someone's top friends was one of the best features of the platform, along with embedding your favourite music videos, thanks to a little programming knowledge.
Many will have made lifelong friends via MySpace and, for that reason alone, it will always have a place in our hearts.
Google Plus/Google+ & Wave/Buzz
Google Plus/Google+ was the search engine giant's attempt to make waves with its own social media platform though it was not the first time the internet giant had tried its hand at social media. Over the years, Google has tried and failed with the other platforms including Wave (2009-2010) and Buzz (2010-2011).
G+ followed Buzz and lasted the longest (from 2011 until 2019). The most distinguishing feature that G+ had was that it was based on separate 'circles' of family, friends, and work colleagues.
These may be gone but you can still 'Poke'!
To be honest, we all thought that Facebook's Poke function had long gone, but no, even in 2022, you are still able to poke people on Facebook.
For many, our main memories of 'poking' when it first came about were the ongoing poke battles between friends.
So, yes, it is true - all you need to do is go HERE to see who last poked you and it is also where you can poke other people.
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