PDA

View Full Version : Google Finally Shuts Down Orkut After 10 Years



Harold Mansfield
07-07-2014, 10:34 AM
I think I created a profile on there a few years back and never logged in again.

Google is finally calling it quits and shutting down Orkut after a 10 year run.

From the Orkut Blog:


After ten years of sparking conversations and forging connections, we have decided it's time for us to start saying goodbye to Orkut (http://en.blog.orkut.com/). Over the past decade, YouTube, Blogger and Google+ have taken off, with communities springing up in every corner of the world. Because the growth of these communities has outpaced Orkut's growth, we've decided to focus our energy and resources on making these other social platforms as amazing as possible for everyone who uses them.

We will shut down Orkut on September 30, 2014. Until then, there will be no impact on you, so you may have time to manage the transition. You can export your profile data, community posts and photos using Google Takeout (https://support.google.com/orkut/answer/3220186)(available until September 2016). We are preserving an archive of all public communities, which will be available online starting September 30, 2014. If you don't want your posts or name to be included in the community archive, you can remove Orkut permanently from your Google account. Please visit our Help Center (https://support.google.com/orkut/?p=orkut) for any further details.

It's been a great 10 years, and we apologize to those of you still actively using the service. We hope you will find other online communities to spark more conversations and build even more connections for the next decade and beyond.


Anyone here ever use it?

KristineS
07-07-2014, 10:46 AM
Don't even think I've heard of Orkut, or if I have it was only vaguely. I'm guessing I won't miss it.

Harold Mansfield
07-07-2014, 10:53 AM
I guess it was pretty popular in Brazil and India. I used to get friendship requests from it all of the time. I think after while I just blocked the emails from it.

Some of the Mid East countries that it was popular in started blocking it. Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and some others.

It also had many problems over the years with a proliferation of hate group profiles, racism, privacy issues...images were open to everyone and people were just stealing profile images and created fake profiles with them all across the web. There was a lot of junk on it.

You might say it went through legal and privacy issues that set the standard for G+.

vangogh
07-09-2014, 10:28 PM
Never used it, but saw the news. The people of Brazil will be sad. I think that's the only place it every gained any traction. I wasn't aware it was popular in India, but I suppose it could have been. I'm kind of surprised it's existed as long as it has. I guess Google finds one social network enough to manage.

I had no idea about all the issues you brought up. Sounds pretty bad.

Brian Altenhofel
07-10-2014, 10:25 AM
I'd never even heard of it.