Google Kills Orkut To Focus On YouTube, Blogger and Google+ 71
An anonymous reader writes "Bad news for Brazillians. Google's first social network, Orkut, will be shut down at the end of September. A farewell message on the Orkut blog reads in part: "Ten years ago, Orkut was Google's first foray into social networking. Built as a '20 percent' project, Orkut communities started conversations, and forged connections, that had never existed before. Orkut helped shape life online before people really knew what "social networking" was. 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 bid Orkut farewell (or, tchau). We'll be focusing our energy and resources on making these other social platforms as amazing as possible for everyone who uses them."
Re:But I thought it was already dead? (Score:2, Insightful)
I think in general it's best to assume any Google service is dead: you're probably right, or else you will be in a few years (except possibly for mail, maps, and google.com).
Re: Google+ has taken off? (Score:4, Insightful)
Marketing a special social network for smart people is like marketing a special vanilla-creme filled chocolate cheesecake to health fanatics.
Which is to say, the moment they take the bait is the moment they demonstrate they're not whom you thought they were...