“Embarassingly got this out of the blue… on my AOL account,” writes a friend of Betabeat, forwarding an email headlined “A Personal Message from Friendster’s CEO.” That would be Ganesh Kumar Bangah, founder of MOL, the Malaysian company that acquired Friendster last year and just re-launched the network as a gaming site.
And what an acquisition! “Friendster pioneered social networking and ignited the social media industry that has created billion dollar companies such as Facebook and Twitter, companies that may not have existed in their present form if not for Friendster’s early innovation,” he writes.
He writes of the moving power of Friendster:
…Many people have come up to me to tell me how Friendster has changed their lives. Many have told me that they have found their life partners over Friendster. Just last week, a successful Internet entrepreneur in Singapore told me that her success was triggered by promoting her business on Friendster.
“Today, as Friendster reinvents itself as a social gaming destination that enables its users to create multiple avatars, play games and enjoy rewards,” Mr. Bangah says. “I hope that all of you will wish us luck and continue to support us in our new reincarnation.”
Translation: Show some respect, ya little 2.0 twerps. And log in to the new Friendster using your existing username and password. We’re adding location awareness and badges soon, he promises.
