History of Social Networking Websites - Essay Example

Users who join Social networking websites are required to make a profile of themselves by filling up a form. After performing this task, users are supposed to give out information about their personality attributes and personal appearances. Some social networking websites require photos but almost all of them will give details about one's age, preference, likes and dislikes. Some social networking websites like Facebook allow users to customize their profiles by adding multimedia content. (Geroimenko & Chen, 2007) The first hint of social networking websites was witnessed in the year 1997 through formation of a company called Sixdegrees.com. This company was the first of its kind; it allowed users to list their profiles, provide a list of friends and then contact them.

However, the Company did not do very well as it eventually closed three years later. The reason for this was that many people using the internet at that time had not formed many social networks hence there was little room for maneuver. It should be noted that there were also other elements that hinted at Social network websites prior to 1997. For instance, dating sites required users to give their profiles but they could not share other people's websites. Additionally, there were some websites that would link former school mates but the lists could not be shared with others.

(Cassidy, 2006) Thereafter, there was. They included things like diaries and friends' lists. Additionally, Ryze.com also established itself in the market. It was created with the purpose of linking business men within San Francisco. The Company was under the management of Friendster, there were also LinkedIn, Tribe.net and Ryze. The latter company was the least successful among all others. Tribe.net specialized in the business world and Friendster initially did well; this did not last for long.

(Story, 2008)The most significant companies in the history of social networking websites are as followsFacebookMySpaceFriendster The rest of the essay shall examine how these particular companies were formed.FriendsterFriendster began its operations in the year 2002. It was a brother company to Ryze but was designed to deal with the social aspect of their market. The company was like a dating service, although match making was not done in the typical way where strangers are introduced to one another.

Instead, friends would propose other friends they felt were most compatible with one another. At first, the Company grew exponentially. This was especially after introduction of a network for gay men and an increase in the number of bloggers. The latter would usually tell their friends about the advantages of social networking through Friendster and this led to further expansion. However, Friendster had established a market base in one small community. After their subscribers reached overwhelming numbers, the company could no longer cope with the demand.

There were numerous complaints about the way their servers were handled because subscribers would experience communication breakdowns. As if this was not enough, social networks in the real world were not