Let’s have a two-minute silence: GeoCities is dead and has been finally laid to rest by its owner, Yahoo.
GeoCities was almost 15 years old. In Internet terms, it was born shortly after the big bang in the latter half of 1995. Its creators, David Bohnett and John Rezner, envisaged a virtual community with web pages hosted in cyber cities and neighborhoods. The system was a massive success and quickly attracted a huge following. At its peak, millions of pages were created and, in the early days of the web, every other site appeared to be hosted on GeoCities.
That is not to say GeoCities sites were good. Most were shockingly awful and the enforced backgrounds and advertising did not help. Despite this, popularity continued to grow and, during the height of the dotcom boom in 1999, Yahoo bought the company for $3.6 billion. That’s right: $3,600,000,000. At the time, GeoCities was hosting 3.5 million sites which made each one of them worth over $1,000! (We may laugh now, but do not forget the ludicrous valuations for Facebook and Twitter…)
GeoCities began showing signs of fatigue shortly afterwards. Intrusive advertising, poor development tools, and the introduction of inexpensive hosting plans made GeoCities a less attractive option. The rise of blogging platforms and social networks such as MySpace made it easier to create a web presence and receive user-generated content.
Even before GeoCities fell out of fashion, the company had never made a profit and Yahoo pulled the plug without making any attempt to sell the system. New account sign-ups have been stopped and the old sites will disappear by the end of the year. There are only a few months left to revel at some of the worst sites on the net.
Will you shed a tear for GeoCities? Is this the end of an internet era? Or should it have been killed off years ago?
Frequently Asked Questions about GeoCities
What was the significance of GeoCities in the early days of the internet?
GeoCities was a significant player in the early days of the internet. It was one of the first platforms that allowed users to create their own websites for free. This democratized the internet, allowing anyone with a computer and an internet connection to share their thoughts, ideas, and creations with the world. GeoCities was also unique in its community-oriented approach. Users were grouped into “neighborhoods” based on the content of their websites, fostering a sense of community and shared interest.
Why did GeoCities shut down?
GeoCities was shut down by Yahoo! in 2009, a decade after it was acquired. The exact reasons for the shutdown are not publicly known, but it’s speculated that it was due to a combination of factors including the rise of social media platforms, the decline in GeoCities’ user base, and the cost of maintaining the service.
What happened to the content on GeoCities after it was shut down?
When GeoCities was shut down, millions of websites were deleted. However, some of the content was preserved by a group of digital archivists who created a project called “Reocities” to save as much of the content as possible. Today, you can still access some of the saved GeoCities pages through the Reocities archive.
How did GeoCities influence the development of the internet?
GeoCities played a significant role in the development of the internet. It was one of the first platforms to democratize web publishing, allowing anyone to create a website. This laid the groundwork for the user-generated content that dominates the internet today, from blogs to social media posts.
What was the business model of GeoCities?
GeoCities offered free web hosting, but it monetized its service through advertising. Banner ads were displayed on user websites, generating revenue for the company. This business model was quite innovative at the time and has since been adopted by many other internet companies.
How did GeoCities’ “neighborhoods” work?
GeoCities grouped its users into “neighborhoods” based on the content of their websites. For example, websites about music might be placed in the “Hollywood” neighborhood, while those about technology might be in “SiliconValley”. This created a sense of community among users and made it easier for visitors to find content they were interested in.
What was the cultural impact of GeoCities?
GeoCities had a significant cultural impact. It allowed people to express themselves and share their interests in a way that was not possible before the internet. Many people got their start in web design and online publishing through GeoCities. It also fostered a sense of community among its users, with people forming connections based on shared interests.
How can I view old GeoCities websites today?
Some of the content from GeoCities has been preserved by the Reocities project. You can search the Reocities archive to view saved GeoCities pages. However, not all content was saved, so some websites may not be available.
Why was GeoCities popular?
GeoCities was popular because it made web publishing accessible to the average person. Before GeoCities, creating a website required technical knowledge and resources. GeoCities provided a platform where anyone could create a website for free, making it a popular choice for people looking to establish a presence on the internet.
What lessons can be learned from the rise and fall of GeoCities?
The story of GeoCities offers several lessons. One is the importance of adapting to changes in technology and user behavior. As social media platforms rose in popularity, GeoCities failed to adapt and its user base declined. Another lesson is the value of user-generated content. GeoCities was ahead of its time in recognizing the potential of user-generated content, a concept that is now central to many successful internet companies.
Craig is a freelance UK web consultant who built his first page for IE2.0 in 1995. Since that time he's been advocating standards, accessibility, and best-practice HTML5 techniques. He's created enterprise specifications, websites and online applications for companies and organisations including the UK Parliament, the European Parliament, the Department of Energy & Climate Change, Microsoft, and more. He's written more than 1,000 articles for SitePoint and you can find him @craigbuckler.
