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This week in tech history: Android Wear, Twitter and Friendster
At Engadget, we spend every day looking at how technology will shape the future. But it's also important to look back at how far we've come. That's what This Week in Tech History does. Join us every weekend for a recap of historical tech news, anniversaries and advances from the recent and not-so-recent past. This week, we're looking back at Android Wear, Twitter and Friendster (yep, that's a deep cut).
From Friendster to Facebook: Social networking do's and don'ts
Have you ever heard of Pownce? How about Jaiku? Maybe even something called Yahoo 360? If you haven't, don't worry. You're probably not alone. These are just a few of the many social networks that have come and gone, most of them vanishing either through acquisition or simply due to lack of audience adoption. That's surprising, when you think about the sheer volume of social networks that have come our way over the years and the few that remain. Let's face it: There are only a handful of social networks these days that people care about; namely, Facebook, Twitter and, to a certain extent, Google+, even as newcomers like Ello emerge. Some oldies like Myspace and Friendster are still hanging on, but as very different incarnations of themselves. Myspace, for example, is now almost entirely about music discovery, while Friendster currently describes itself as a social gaming site; a far cry from its heyday as one of the "original" social networks. So what does it take for a social network to resonate with the public? And what makes one succeed where others fail? Here, we examine lessons learned from social networks past and present to see if we can suss out what they should or should not do to prevail in the ever-changing winds of the fickle internet.
10 years of social media's biggest players and payouts by the numbers
Facebook launched ten years ago in February 2004. A month later, so did this site. Social media hasn't, doesn't and won't stay still. As Myspace rises, Friendster declines. The pattern's repeated itself a few times already, and even Google hasn't quite cracked the magic social network formula, at least not yet. The crown currently belongs to Facebook, a company that's made some big, big startup purchases on the way, although Twitter continues to pack (arguably) more influence. A whole lot has happened in the last decade, but we've tried to squeeze the more interesting parts into something a little more visual. Check out the full 'graphic, right after the break.
10 Years in Social Media
It's our birthday! And there's a good chance you found out via one of two social networks. However, back in 2004, when Engadget launched, Facebook was in its infancy and Twitter still hadn't hatched. While the former catered to Harvard's elite, Friendster and Myspace were still schooling us in the ways of social networking. Fast-forward 10 years, and Friendster is a social gaming platform, Myspace is a sounding board for musicians, Facebook and Twitter are both publicly traded companies and hashtags aren't just a thing, they're an epidemic. Every week in March, we'll bring you a new story that explores how the social landscape has changed since our inception. So grab a glass of bubbly, raise a toast and dig in. Here's to 10 Years in Social Media! Where are they now? Our first time By the numbers In Pictures . . . .
Drakensang Online lands in Southeast Asia
Players in Southeast Asia will now be able to leap into the world of browser-based dungeon-crawler Drakensang Online. Bigpoint announced the expansion of Drakensang's market today, noting that the release marks the first time a Western European developer has worked with Southest Asia's Friendster social gaming platform. Drakensang Online will be offered as part of the Friendster X-Clusive series, which puts Bigpoint directly in contact with 115 million registered users across the region. The game has already launched in over 200 countries and boasts 19 million registered users. Here's Bigpoint chief business officer Jeronimo Folgueira from the announcement: As a region with increasing internet use and online gamer penetration, Southeast Asia comes with one of the most significant free2play markets worldwide. As a game changer in the region's business, Friendster is the right partner to deliver high-quality games to a sophisticated gaming community. [Source: Bigpoint press release]
Friendster reborn as a gaming site, wishes Facebook cared
Friendster's as good as dead to the western world (it hasn't really crossed our radar since 2002), but Forbes reports that the site is still huge in Southeast Asia -- though not for the reasons you might think. It was the original social network when in launched in 2002, but its acquisition by e-payment provider MOL Global in 2009 led to its reincarnation as a top online gaming destination for countries such as India, Indonesia and Malaysia. The new Friendster just officially emerged from beta as a game-centric site, and the remaining vestiges of its social networking past -- you can still add friends, after all -- are gamified with reward points. Moreover, owner MOL Global has added e-payments to the mix, letting users buy Friendster Coins to purchase virtual goods. Given predictions that the Asian gaming community will exceed 1 billion by 2016, the site's future is looking rosier than ever. That might lessen the sting of being plum blown out of the social networking game by the big dogs.
Multiverse reveals a peek at their upcoming flash development platform
Imagine booting up your computer to play your favorite online game with your friend, except he's in an airport waiting for a flight and you're at home in your office chair. You see a glorious 3-D world from the comfort of your computer monitor, and he sees a two dimensional isometric view from his hunched view over his mobile phone. You use your mouse to click your action buttons and fight monsters, and he just taps the screen with his finger. You're questing together, winning battles together, except you see the world entirely in 3-D and he's seeing it in 2-D.If you're thinking that this scenario is entirely implausible, you would be wrong. MMO tools developer Multiverse has recently unveiled a sneak peek at their upcoming flash toolset by launching the flash based game Multiverse Battle.
