Friendster’s Facelift

Before Facebook and Twitter, there was Friendster. At its peak, the site had over 100 million users, but in recent years the site has seen a steady decline in new registrants, especially as a flurry of younger and more nimble social start-ups entered the market. But the “ghost town,” over at Friendster’s offices, as the New York Times puts it, is poised for change. The Times reports that Friendster’s management plans to strip older material from the site’s archives, including photos, early messages and posts, in an effort to freshen up the interface. Deleting a user’s history, especially when that content contains personal—and emotional—material, can be a sore subject for some. “The mass deletion of so much evidence of embarrassing wardrobe choices and unrequited crushes might come as a relief to some, especially in an era when it seems that everything uploaded to Facebook can haunt people forever,” the article notes. “But some say Friendster has unexpectedly turned into a time capsule with snapshots of who they once were.” Aww. Read more from The New York Times.