Google shutting down Orkut social network

Google says it is shutting down Orkut, its "first foray into social networking," to focus on other, more popular servi
Google says it is shutting down Orkut, its "first foray into social networking," to focus on other, more popular services

Google on Monday said it is shutting down Orkut, its "first foray into social networking," to focus on YouTube, Blogger, and Google+ services that have proven more popular.

The California technology titan will pull the plug on 10-year-old Orkut at the end of September.

"Over the past decade, YouTube, Blogger and Google+ have taken off," Google engineering director Paul Golgher said in a blog post.

"Because the growth of these communities has outpaced Orkut's growth, we've decided to bid Orkut farewell."

Orkut was the result of a "20 percent project" in which Google workers got to spend a fifth of their time on ideas not necessarily related to their job responsibilities.

Orkut proved particularly popular in Brazil, where two years ago it was eclipsed by powerhouse Facebook.

Google launched its Google+ social network in 2011 and has been slowly weaving it into other services.

© 2014 AFP

Citation: Google shutting down Orkut social network (2014, June 30) retrieved 19 March 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2014-06-google-orkut-social-network.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Facebook clinches top spot in India: research

2 shares

Feedback to editors