Blogging site <a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fposterous.com%2Fbye.html" target="_blank" target="_blank">Posterous</a> announced it would be shutting down in April 2013. This screenshot shows how the site appeared just before it closed. The site was founded in May 2008 and closed roughly a year after its March 2012 acquisition by Twitter. This is definitely not the first time a Web property has had to call it quits. Click through the gallery to see some other sites that have met their demise throughout the years, ordered with the most recently closed pages first. Images were captured with the <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fweb%2Fweb.php" target="_blank" target="_blank">Internet Archive Wayback Machine</a>.
Websites that are no longer with us —
Blogging site Posterous announced it would be shutting down in April 2013. This screenshot shows how the site appeared just before it closed. The site was founded in May 2008 and closed roughly a year after its March 2012 acquisition by Twitter. This is definitely not the first time a Web property has had to call it quits. Click through the gallery to see some other sites that have met their demise throughout the years, ordered with the most recently closed pages first. Images were captured with the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.
From Internet Archive Wayback Machine
<a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Feveryblock.com%2F" target="_blank" target="_blank">EveryBlock</a>, shown in August 2011, was a hyperlocal portal for information on neighborhoods and city blocks. It was available in several cities. Launched in 2008 in Chicago by Adrian Holovaty, EveryBlock started as an exciting experiment with a two-year $1.1 million grant from the Knight Foundation. The company was acquired by MSNBC.com a year later, and in 2012 NBC News bought MSNBC.com. <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2013%2F02%2F07%2Ftech%2Finnovation%2Feveryblock-closed">The site closed</a> on February 7, 2013.
Websites that are no longer with us —
EveryBlock, shown in August 2011, was a hyperlocal portal for information on neighborhoods and city blocks. It was available in several cities. Launched in 2008 in Chicago by Adrian Holovaty, EveryBlock started as an exciting experiment with a two-year $1.1 million grant from the Knight Foundation. The company was acquired by MSNBC.com a year later, and in 2012 NBC News bought MSNBC.com. The site closed on February 7, 2013.
From Internet Archive Wayback Machine
Ping.fm opened in May 2008 and was bought by Seesmic in 2010. The site shut down in July 2012, and Seesmic itself was bought by Hootsuite in September 2012. This screenshot was taken in June 2009.
Websites that are no longer with us —
Ping.fm opened in May 2008 and was bought by Seesmic in 2010. The site shut down in July 2012, and Seesmic itself was bought by Hootsuite in September 2012. This screenshot was taken in June 2009.
Internet Archive Wayback Machine
This is a screenshot of messaging site Google Wave as captured in June 2009. The new Google tool opened in May 2009 with <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2010%2FTECH%2Fweb%2F06%2F11%2Fars.google.wave%2Findex.html">high expectations</a> and hype, as potential users eagerly snapped up the gradually trickling invites to try the service. But over time, users also voiced many mixed reviews. Wave failed to gain traction, and <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2010%2FTECH%2Fweb%2F08%2F04%2Fgoogle.wave.end%2Findex.html">Google decided to shutter it</a>. The site went read-only in January 2012 before the world waved goodbye in April 2012.
Websites that are no longer with us —
This is a screenshot of messaging site Google Wave as captured in June 2009. The new Google tool opened in May 2009 with high expectations and hype, as potential users eagerly snapped up the gradually trickling invites to try the service. But over time, users also voiced many mixed reviews. Wave failed to gain traction, and Google decided to shutter it. The site went read-only in January 2012 before the world waved goodbye in April 2012.
From Internet Archive Wayback Machine
Gowalla, a location-based social network, closed down in March 2012, just three months after being acquired by Facebook. It was founded in 2007 in Austin, Texas. This screenshot was taken in May 2011.
Websites that are no longer with us —
Gowalla, a location-based social network, closed down in March 2012, just three months after being acquired by Facebook. It was founded in 2007 in Austin, Texas. This screenshot was taken in May 2011.
Brightkite, another location-oriented social site, is shown here as it looked in May 2010. It was founded in 2007 and closed in December 2011.
Websites that are no longer with us —
Brightkite, another location-oriented social site, is shown here as it looked in May 2010. It was founded in 2007 and closed in December 2011.
12seconds.tv, which started as a sort of video answer to Twitter, got its name for allowing users only 12 seconds to share their footage or thoughts. It was founded in January 2008 and shut down in October 2010. This screenshot shows the site as it looked in August 2009.
Websites that are no longer with us —
12seconds.tv, which started as a sort of video answer to Twitter, got its name for allowing users only 12 seconds to share their footage or thoughts. It was founded in January 2008 and shut down in October 2010. This screenshot shows the site as it looked in August 2009.
From Internet Archive Wayback Machine
Back when the homepage was king, GeoCities had the online neighborhood for you. It was founded in 1994 and closed down in 2009. This screenshot shows the site as it looked back in February 1999, just a few weeks after Yahoo announced it was going to purchase the site.
Websites that are no longer with us —
Back when the homepage was king, GeoCities had the online neighborhood for you. It was founded in 1994 and closed down in 2009. This screenshot shows the site as it looked back in February 1999, just a few weeks after Yahoo announced it was going to purchase the site.
From Internet Archive Wayback Machine
Untangle the Web! The Prodigy Internet website was calling itself "the next generation online service" when compared to its origins in Prodigy Classic. The site is shown as it appeared in October 1996. IBM, CBS and Sears jointly founded the Internet portal service that would later be known as Prodigy in 1984, predating the World Wide Web. SBC completely bought Prodigy in 2001, and the brand floundered in the years afterward.
Websites that are no longer with us —
Untangle the Web! The Prodigy Internet website was calling itself "the next generation online service" when compared to its origins in Prodigy Classic. The site is shown as it appeared in October 1996. IBM, CBS and Sears jointly founded the Internet portal service that would later be known as Prodigy in 1984, predating the World Wide Web. SBC completely bought Prodigy in 2001, and the brand floundered in the years afterward.
From Internet Archive Wayback Machine
Pets.com was most famous for its <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmoney.cnn.com%2Fgalleries%2F2010%2Ftechnology%2F1003%2Fgallery.dot_com_busts%2Findex.html">sock-puppet mascot</a> and for falling victim to the dot-com bubble. It opened in August 1998 and closed in November 2000. This screenshot shows the site as it appeared in November 1999.
Websites that are no longer with us —
Pets.com was most famous for its sock-puppet mascot and for falling victim to the dot-com bubble. It opened in August 1998 and closed in November 2000. This screenshot shows the site as it appeared in November 1999.
Internet Archive Wayback Machine