In 2016, it’s all about Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Linkedin and Google+, but it hasn’t always been this way. There have been numerous social media platforms that have been launched over the years that have been exceedingly successful but have then flopped and joined the social media graveyard.
The most successful platforms are those that adapt to the change in trends and consumer habits, but some don’t and this is when platforms come and go.
MSN 1999 – 2013
Microsoft Network, more commonly known as MSN was once the biggest instant messaging platform. I remember my young teenage self, spending hours every evening chatting to my friends on MSN, even after a full day at school being together anyway! We would send all sorts of emoticons, have the most embarrassing profile names that usually featured some sort of song lyrics and sent regular nudges to annoy each other.
Until the launch of Facebook Messenger and Skype, there weren’t many other competitors for the platform, but once Skype launched in 2003 and Facebook Messenger in 2011, it was time for MSN to move out of the way.
MySpace 2003 – 2009
MySpace if you don’t know it, wasn’t too different to Facebook. This social network platform allowed you to create your own profile, where you could then join groups, create blogs, share images, music and more. MySpace was incredibly successful for many years, particularly with youths. MySpace then began to try adding more and more aspects to the site, which then neglected it’s main use and was later overtaken in popularity by Facebook.
Bebo 2005 – 2013
Bebo simply stands for ‘Blog early, blog often’. This social platform was created to allow you to have your own profile that you could turn into your own mini blog. I remember having my own Bebo account, when believe it or not, I was a scene kid. Thank god the site doesn’t exist anymore, so no one can find out what I was like back then! R.I.P to the serious side fringe and love for black eyeliner.
After several successful years, in 2013 Bebo filed for bankruptcy and has more recently been bought out and turned into a site, offering their new smartphone app.
Google Buzz 2010-2011
Unfortunately, Google Buzz was only around for the one year. Back in 2010, Google launched this platform to be a socialising, microblogging and messaging tool. However, it was short-lived and later superseded by Google+ in 2011.
There was no major reason for this platform to close down, it is thought to have been simply re-branded and updated.
Vine 2013 – 2016
Earlier this year the owners of Vine announced that they were shutting down the 6-second video sharing platform Vine.
After 3 years of hilarious short clips, it was unfortunate that the company didn’t treat their creators in a way that made the want to continue making content on their app. Many creators moved over to continue their content on YouTube, where you aren’t limited to 6 seconds! We have a whole blog post about how Vine went about closing down, you can read it here.
I’m sure there have been plenty more social network sites and apps that have tried to become the next big thing and have failed, but these to me were some of the major ones. Let us know in the comments if you were a fan of any of these!