Classmates.com
|
Type of site
|
Social networking service |
|---|---|
| Owner | United Online |
| Created by | Randy Conrads |
| Website | classmates.com |
| Alexa rank |
 3,731 (April 2014[update]) |
| Commercial | Mixed |
| Launched | November 17, 1995 (as Classmates Online, Inc.) |
Classmates.com is a social networking service founded on November 17, 1995 by Randy Conrads as Classmates Online, Inc.
It originally sought to help users find classmates and colleagues from kindergarten, primary school, high school, college, workplaces, and the U.S. military. In 2010, CEO Mark Goldston described the transition of the website "to increasingly focus on nostalgic content" such as "high school yearbooks, movie trailers, music tracks, and photographic images". To this end, and to appeal more to older users, the website name was changed to Memory Lane, which included a website redesign.
United Online, Inc. (Nasdaq: UNTD) acquired Classmates Online in 2004 and continues to own and operate the company as part of its Classmates Media Corporation subsidiary.
Classmates Media operates online social networking and loyalty marketing services under the Classmates.com and MyPoints brands.
Classmates Media also operates the following international sites designed to enable users to connect with old friends:
Classmates Media Corporation's business model is based on user-generated content and revenue from paid subscriptions and advertising sales.
The only time Classmates appeared on Hitwise's top 10 list of social networking websites was June 2009, when it appeared tenth with 0.45% market share.
In early 2008, Nielsen Online had ranked Classmates as number three in unique monthly visitors (U.S. home, work) among social networking sites. As of June 30, 2008, Classmates Media had more than 50 million members, but only 3.8 million paying subscribers.
In 2006, television program The View mentioned Classmates.com as having more than 40 million members in the United States and Canada.
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