- Have any questions?
- 02 9247 6000
- media@commsroom.co
- Have any questions?
- 02 9247 6000
- media@commsroom.co
Menu
Social media was abuzz with rumours of Friendster’s return after a website with the domain friendster.click went live on November 26 and briefly accepted sign-ups.
In the early 2000s, Friendster was the go-to social media site for millennials thanks to its unique features including flattering testimonials, curated music playlists and customisable, eye-catching layouts.
However, the website, which has accumulated 7,000 members as of writing, is yet to be recognised by Friendster itself.
Due to the influx of interested netizens, registration has been temporarily closed “until further notice” as the site claims to “update its system,” according to Philippine Star.
“We are upgrading and still beta testing our system. Expect slow page load time, and some errors,” said a pinned post by a bot ‘friendsterBOT.’
Although excitement surged from the rumoured return, many could not help but grow skeptical of the site which does not use a top-level domain.
The website is also slow to load and has a simplistic design, with only a few options for users to interact with each other (forums, groups, members, and so on).
Currently, the platform does not have an app, and could only be accessed through the web.
Others also expressed their disapproval of the reported return.
You may also want to read: Elon Musk recruits ‘frenemy’ hacker to fix Twitter search in 12 weeks (commsroom.co)
One Redditor said on a now deleted post about Friendster’s comeback, “What we need… another social network to spread more fake news and embarrassing photos/vids.”
This comment actually holds water as the so many platforms that we have today offer almost everything, good and bad.
Friendster has a high ceiling of expectations to break if it wants to stand out beyond being a nostalgia-induced site.
Friendster, which had become a gaming platform by 2011, was officially shut down in 2015.
Jaw de Guzman is the content producer for Comms Room, a knowledge platform and website aimed at assisting the communications industry and its professionals.
