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SixDegrees.com

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SixDegrees.com
Type of site
Social network service
Owner
  • MacroView (1997–1999)
  • YouthStream Media Networks (1999–2001)
Created byAndrew Weinreich
URLsixdegrees.com at the Wayback Machine (archived 2000-05-11)
RegistrationRequired
Launched1997; 28 years ago (1997)
Current statusDefunct

SixDegrees.com was a social network service web site that initially lasted from 1997[1] to 2000[2][3] and was based on the Web of Contacts model of social networking. It was named after the concept of six degrees of separation[4] and allowed users to list friends, family members and acquaintances whether registered on the site or not. External contacts were invited to join. People who confirmed a relationship with an existing user but did not go on to register with the site continued to receive occasional email updates and solicitations. Users could send messages and post bulletin board items to people in their first, second, and third degrees, and see their connection to any other user on the site.

SixDegrees was one of the first social networking sites that later became highly popular. It was followed by more successful sites based on the "social-circles network model" such as Friendster, MySpace, LinkedIn, XING, and Facebook.

MacroView (later renamed to SixDegrees Inc.), the company that developed the site, was founded by CEO Andrew Weinreich in May 1996[5] and was based in New York City. At its height, SixDegrees had around 100 employees, and the site had around 3,500,000 fully registered members.[6] The site was bought by YouthStream Media Networks in December 1999 for $125 million.[7][8] SixDegrees shut down one year later on December 30, 2000,[3] then brought back up a few years later.[2]

Andrew Weinreich

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Andrew Weinreich
Born1972 or 1973
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Pennsylvania
Fordham University

Andrew Weinreich (/ˈwaɪnrɪtʃ/ WYNE-ritch) is an American businessman primarily known for launching SixDegrees in 1997.[9]

In 2001, Weinreich founded Joltage, an infrastructure services business devoted to building out a global network of Wi-Fi hotspots.[10] Joltage was forced to shut down in 2003 when the company ran out of funding.[11]

In 2003, Weinreich started I Stand For, Inc. He sold the company in February 2006.[12]

In February 2006, Weinreich co-founded MeetMoi with Jeremy Levy.[13][12][14] In 2008, Weinreich and Jeremy Levy spun off the persistent tracking technologies of MeetMoi into a separate company called Xtify.[12] Xtify was acquired by IBM on October 3, 2013.[15][16][17]

References

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  1. ^ boyd, danah m; Ellison, Nicole B. (2007). "Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship". Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. 13 (1): 210–230. doi:10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x. S2CID 52810295.
  2. ^ a b Barker, Melissa (2012). "10". Social Media Marketing: A Strategic Approach (1st ed.). Cengage Learning.
  3. ^ a b "sixdegrees sitedown message". 2001-03-02. Archived from the original on 2001-03-02. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  4. ^ "TECHNOLOGY & MEDIA: PATENTS; Idea for Online Networking Brings Two Entrepreneurs Together - New York Times". The New York Times. 2010-11-02. Archived from the original on 2010-11-02. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  5. ^ "Then and now: a history of social networking sites". 2014-02-04. Archived from the original on 2018-07-23. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  6. ^ Kirkpatrick, David (2010). The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company That Is Connecting the World. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1439102121.
  7. ^ Angwin, Julia (2009). Stealing MySpace: The Battle to Control the Most Popular Website in America. Random House. p. 52.
  8. ^ Jones, Dow (16 December 1999). "COMPANY NEWS; YOUTHSTREAM TO ACQUIRE SIXDEGREES FOR $125 MILLION". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2018-07-22. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  9. ^ Goble, Gordon (2012-09-06). "The History of Social Networking".
  10. ^ Metz, Cade (April 8, 2002). "Would You Like Wireless Access with That?". PC Magazine.
  11. ^ Shim, Richard (28 February 2003). "Start-up Joltage unplugs Wi-Fi service".
  12. ^ a b c Boyd Myers, Courtney (July 11, 2011). "Where are they now? New York City's Dot Com Entrepreneurs". Archived from the original on March 6, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  13. ^ Smith, Kevin (24 October 2012). "Check Out MeetMoi, The Dating App That Has Quietly Reached 3 Million Users". Business Insider.
  14. ^ Tsotsis, Alexia (3 August 2010). "Push Notifications Meet Dating: meetMoi NOW Alerts You When Matches Are Nearby".
  15. ^ Jackson, Joab (3 October 2013). "IBM buys e-commerce tool maker Xtify". Computerworld.
  16. ^ "Patent Issued for Location-Based Services Platform". Telecommunications Weekly. 5 June 2013. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013.
  17. ^ "U.S. Patents Awarded to Inventors in New York". 23 May 2013.
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Further reading

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