Google finally kills its social network (no, not that one - say goodbye to Orkut)

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox

Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

Google has announced that it’s finally killing off Orkut, its first attempt at building a social network more than 10 years ago.

The reaction for most users will probably not be shock – but that it took Google so long. The internet giant has long since moved on to Google+, its ambitious take on the social networking, integrating the service aggresively into many of the its products.

Writing in a blog post announcing the news, Orkut’s Engineering Director Paulo Golgher said that the growth of other Google communities including YouTube, Blogger and Google+ had “outpaced” Orkut.

“We’ve decided to bid Orkut farewell (or, tchau),” said Golgher. “We'll be focusing our energy and resources on making these other social platforms as amazing as possible for everyone who uses them.”

Users will be able to log in to the site until 30 September to export their profile data, community posts and photos, with the site’s administrators preserving an “archive of all public communities” – a record that users can opt out of.

Orkut was first launched in 2004 as one of Google’s ’20 per cent’ projects – the free working time it gives to employees to work on their own ideas. Google said the site “helped shape life online before people really knew what 'social networking' was.”

"It's been a great 10 years, and we apologise to those still actively using the service. We hope people will find other online communities to spark more conversations and build even more connections for the next decade and beyond," said the company before coughing heavily and pointing at the door.