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Dial-Up Bulletin Board System
Essentially a computer server that users can connect to and leave messages, and post news to. These early systems were very basic, relying on acoustic telephone signals. -
Geocities Launches
Centred around the idea of online 'cities', users were able to create their own website with ease. The site would eventually become the 3rd most visited on the internet. -
Blogger Launched
Web-logging (soon to become simply 'blogging') service, Blogger launched, making available to web-users the ability to arrange a simple website for the purposes of socially sharing their life. -
Friendster
Based on a connecting a circle of friends, Friendster became the first social networking site with over 1 million followers. -
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MySpace and Facebook open doors
What would become the two behemoths of social networking launch their services. Myspace quickly became the industry leader, utilimately being purchased by News Corp in 2005 for $580 million, before losing a great deal of its userbase. Facebook, originally open to only Harvard University students, it opens for anyone after September 2006, and has since become the almost the default social networking website. -
Twitter
Short, 140-character text based social networking service Twitter is launched. Users post "Tweets", short text bursts. Soon picked up by musicians and entertainers after abandoing Myspace. -
Instagram launches
Photo sharing app, existing almost entirely on mobile devices, it allows users to submit photos, but nothing else. The program was immediately successful, and was purchased by Facebook in 2012 for $1 billion. -
Snapchat
A photo and video sharing social network that creates timelimits on viewing images. Initially had a frosty reception from users, but has since become - in terms of raw content shared - the biggest social networking program.