Malaysian company MOL buys Friendster. In other news, Friendster still exists.

Filed under: Business, Web services, Social Software

Don't check your calendar, it is actually 2009, and we have some news about ... Friendster? Founded way, way back in 2001 (before Facebook was even a twinkle in Mark Zuckerberg's eye), Friendster was one of the original social networks. It was outpaced by competitors like MySpace and Facebook, though, and didn't show up in the public consciousness as anything but a punchline for years. Well, now Friendster has revamped, resuscitated its brand, and sold to Malaysian payments company MOL for a rumored $100 mil.

Why would anyone buy Friendster with actual money? Well, Friendster's gotten big in Asia while Americans have been busy booking faces and my-ing spaces. Specifically, it's 75 million users big in the region. On top of that, MOL had already partnered with Friendster on the site's payment system, Friendster Wallet. Equipped with Friendster's newly-revamped website, MOL is going after the Asian teen market. This old social network might have plenty of life left in it after all.
[via TechCrunch]

Malaysian company MOL buys Friendster. In other news, Friendster still exists. originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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