Google+ and four other notable social networks that crumbled against Facebook
A trip down memory lane to the social network sites we used to use…
The announcement of the closure of Google+ this week may not come as a surprise to many given that it had already fallen into the shadows of the web.
Despite Google’s big name, it was unable to pull people away from the might of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and was ultimately killed off entirely after a data breach.
But who else has fallen at the heels of Facebook’s social networking power?
Myspace
Once the king of social media, music plug-ins and gif-heavy customised profile pages, Myspace is still alive and kicking but its former glory is a very distant memory.
Ownership of the site has passed through several hands – including Justin Timberlake, who tried to revive the service in 2011 as part of a joint purchase with Specific Media Group.
By April 2008, Facebook had overtaken Myspace in terms of the number of unique worldwide visitors it received, and it has been in slow decline ever since.
Bebo
Bebo wasn’t quite as lucky as Myspace and no longer exists – at least, not as a social network.
Born in 2005, Bebo was one of the successful opponents to Myspace and even managed to outdo it as the most used social network in the UK.
Alas, the company also succumbed to Facebook and filed for bankruptcy in 2013, before being bought by its original founders and relaunching.
The site now focuses on something completely different – a streaming app for Twitch Partners.
Friends Reunited
Friends Reunited was seen as the grown-up alternative to Myspace for finding long-lost friends.
In its heyday, you had to pay £7.50 to use the website but that obviously had to be scrapped once Facebook came along offering the same thing – and more – for free.
Google Buzz
Wait, who? Before Google+, Google had already taken a stab at social media with Google Buzz.
The site not only allowed users to share stuff with others, but also acted as a microblogging and messaging tool that partly integrated with Gmail.
Google superseded the service with Google+ in June 2011.
