How to Join a Social Network in 1998(ironicsans.com)
ironicsans.com
How to Join a Social Network in 1998
http://www.ironicsans.com/2019/01/how_to_join_a_social_network_i.html
28 comments
faceparty sounds like a fake social media site made up by a sitcom lol
It's a pretty awful name but it was around well before Facebook appeared or certainly became popular, I used it for a short while around 2002-2003. It wasn't a great place and I'm amazed it's still online.
>Faceparty
That sounds like some generic name a TV show or movie would use in place of Facebook
That sounds like some generic name a TV show or movie would use in place of Facebook
I spent most of my time in the mid 90s through early 2000s as an op in #HTML on Undernet. Good times. I actually got my first job through there.
I knew I had made it when I became a server op on EFnet.
#hack checking in
I spent way too much time on undernet during the same period of time, mostly on #asp. I got my first and second programming jobs through friends I made there.
Wasn't there a site ran by one of the #html ops, htmlcenter or something like that?
Wasn't there a site ran by one of the #html ops, htmlcenter or something like that?
There was! But I can't for the life of me remember who or what the site address was.
I remember getting that email from a friend (who's still my friend) and thinking nah. Same with friendster which existed pre-MySpace. Folks comparing this to MOOs and IRC are missing that this was one of those first anglings to do what MySpace and Facebook eventually did. IRC and other online environs weren't built to gather users and use their information as raw material for advertisers. Sixdegrees was, it just failed earlier and faster than most.
My 'social network' was LambdaMOO (well, earlier than 1998 I guess), and IRC.
In 1998 here in Sweden kids were joining the Skunk network, a very early social network. I guess it sort of exploded around that time so it's hard to backup a statement like "the first online social network".
We had StajlPleijs/Lunarstorm founded in 1996 https://www.internetmuseum.se/tidslinjen/lunarstorm/
With up to 600k memebers in a country of 9m at the time.
Lunarstorm was HUGE.
Lunarstorm was HUGE.
KjamiZ!11!!
I guess we're talking WWW or Web 2.0 or HTTP(S) or whatever (ie. bloat). Cu2 was a Dutch predecessor of Hyves which were both a very popular social network in The Netherlands before the existence of MySpace and Facebook. Eventually, "everyone" went to Facebook though.
Both were colorful (think: IRC on DALnet, or MySpace). It was awful.
The thing is, social networks existed before the term was ever coined. They were just called your "network". Getting to know people was called "networking". And most people get a job through their "network". It is nothing new. Something like Usenet or IRC or a MUD just as well fits.
Both were colorful (think: IRC on DALnet, or MySpace). It was awful.
The thing is, social networks existed before the term was ever coined. They were just called your "network". Getting to know people was called "networking". And most people get a job through their "network". It is nothing new. Something like Usenet or IRC or a MUD just as well fits.
Ah CU2, the memories. It's a while ago. One of the interesting things there is that it actually made people aware of technology. You had to learn some HTML (for horrible purposes though), you had to read urls.
Maybe it wasn't always for the good (eye bleeding color schemes for example). But I'm sure a lot of people learned the basics of HTMl through those types of websites.
Maybe it wasn't always for the good (eye bleeding color schemes for example). But I'm sure a lot of people learned the basics of HTMl through those types of websites.
Myspace served a similar purpose for later generations. It did for me, anyway.
There were still terrible color choices, and scrolling text, and flashing text, and glitter that followed your mouse cursor...
There were still terrible color choices, and scrolling text, and flashing text, and glitter that followed your mouse cursor...
A friend of mine knew the guy (one of the guys?) who was creating Cu2 at the time and we as nerds were laughing at it like: "You can't be serious, who would want to use this?!".
Same with startpagina.nl, a really basic portal that eventually was sold for a lot of money.
Or as Bill Hicks used to say: "Boy, do I NOT have my finger on the pulse of America."
Same with startpagina.nl, a really basic portal that eventually was sold for a lot of money.
Or as Bill Hicks used to say: "Boy, do I NOT have my finger on the pulse of America."
Finland we still have https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRC-Galleria and it was pretty popular.
Hm.. my "social network" was #coders on ircnet and efnet. NNTP, some ICQ contacts and a few forums.
Ah, it was a simpler time..
I've been running/involved in mailing-lists, the non-SPAM kind, for decades.
Whatever the tech you use, its the people.
Whatever the tech you use, its the people.
I (barely) recall chain letters being a very common thing back in those days. Probably the first form of "viral content" on the internet. Reading that email, it's easy to connect the dots of how sixdegrees probably had the idea of capturing that viral nature in a web app. Great example of clever and somewhat successful adaptation.
edit: internet != web
edit: internet != web
My network consisted of IRC, my huge list of ICQ contacts and a few web design or humor related local forums.
I recall sixdegrees. I was invited to it by the same person who got me to sign up classmates.com and Friendster.
As far as websites with useful social networking functionality that resembles what we have today, I would say the PHPbb/vBulletin style forums were there early on. Sometime around 1999, I joined a forum on ezboard.com(1) which ended up turning into a long running discussion and meeting site. It was moved to a private server after ezboard transitioned in some way and deleted everyone's content circa 2003. It was the most prominent online resource in our artist community until it was replaced by Facebook and then Instagram.
(1) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezboard
As far as websites with useful social networking functionality that resembles what we have today, I would say the PHPbb/vBulletin style forums were there early on. Sometime around 1999, I joined a forum on ezboard.com(1) which ended up turning into a long running discussion and meeting site. It was moved to a private server after ezboard transitioned in some way and deleted everyone's content circa 2003. It was the most prominent online resource in our artist community until it was replaced by Facebook and then Instagram.
(1) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezboard
Fakeplace.com (the example domain in the join and add metadata section).
I think I just found the working title for my screenplay of a sequel to The Social Network.
I think I just found the working title for my screenplay of a sequel to The Social Network.
There was another social media/networking site called Faceparty that was a little closer to Facebook and I used that for a short while before eventually going on to MySpace and then Facebook. And now I've dropped social media entirely - don't miss it in the slightest.