Executive Summary: Ask Jeeves, now called Ask.com, is a question-and-answer site as well as a search engine that allows users to browse the web for answers. Ask Jeeves was shut down because Ask.com, the company behind it, wanted to undergo a rebrand to further enhance its position in the search industry. What Is Ask Jeeves? … Read more
Executive Summary: Friends Reunited was a social media network that focused on helping users to get in touch with old friends and family members. Friends Reunited failed because it couldn’t keep up with the competition, due to an inappropriate business model, as well as missing crucial features. What Is Friends Reunited? Friends Reunited was a … Read more
Executive Summary: Hotmail is a free as well as paid service that allows users to send and receive emails over its web client. Hotmail was shut down in 2013 because Microsoft wanted to move users towards Outlook, which had a much better reputation and cleaner codebase. What Is Hotmail? Hotmail is a free as well … Read more
Executive Summary: AltaVista was a search engine as well as a web portal that allowed users to browse the world wide web as well as UseNet. AltaVista failed because of its alternating ownership, due to a failed shift towards becoming a portal, as well as its core search business was eventually overtaken by Google. What … Read more
Executive Summary: Justin.tv was an online video streaming platform that allowed anyone to broadcast live videos of themselves. Justin.tv was shut down because its parent company Twitch had been acquired by Amazon and overtook it in traffic. What Is Justin.tv? Justin.tv was an online video streaming platform that allowed anyone to broadcast live videos of … Read more
Executive Summary: Machinima was a former content creation and delivery network focused on publishing gaming-related videos. Machinima was shut down because AT&T as well as WarnerMedia wanted to consolidate some of its digital assets. What Is Machinima? Machinima, a combination of the words machine and cinema, was a former content creation network focused on publishing … Read more
Executive Summary: CollegeHumor is an online media company that produces and distributes comedic content across a variety of platforms. Its previous owner IAC sold off its majority stake in the company in January 2020 to long-time employee Sam Reich, who was forced current CEO Sam Reich to lay off most of its employees. What Is … Read more
Executive Summary: Second Life is an online virtual world in which players create avatars of themselves and interact with other users. Second Life failed to become a mass-market product because the game has an extremely high learning curve, it suffered from frequent platform meltdowns, due to consistent copyright infringements, and unrealistic expectations. What Is Second … Read more
Executive Summary: StumbleUpon was a discovery engine and social networking platform that allowed its users to discover and rate web content. StumbleUpon failed because of intense competition, leadership turnover, as well as due to a buggy product. What Is StumbleUpon? StumbleUpon was a discovery engine and social networking platform that allowed its users to discover … Read more
Executive Summary: SmallWorlds is a social network and virtual game that enabled players to engage with each other, enter quests, or decorate their surroundings. SmallWorlds shut down in April 2018 because the cost of running the game was outstripping the revenue that it was generating. What Is SmallWorlds? SmallWorlds is a social network and virtual … Read more