Xanga
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Social networking service, Blogging |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founder | John Hiler, Marc Ginsburg, Dan Huddle |
| Defunct | 2013 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
| Products | Blogging platform, Social networking features (friends lists, nudges, forums), Photoblog, Videoblog, Audioblog, Pulse mini-blog |
Xanga () was a platform for blogging and social networking, managed by Xanga.com, Inc., which was based in New York City.
History
Founded in 1999 by John Hiler, Marc Ginsburg, and Dan Huddle, Xanga originally concentrated on reviews of books and music. The site went public in 2000 through a focused email invitation campaign. Over time, the service underwent several redesigns, launching Premium and Classic viewing options in 2002 to broaden its product range. By 2006, Xanga had incorporated various social networking features such as friends lists, "nudges," discussion forums, and multimedia uploads including video and audio, positioning itself within the expanding social media market.
In 2013, encountering financial difficulties, Xanga attempted to raise $60,000 to develop "Xanga 2.0" but did not reach this target. As a result, the website discontinued its services later that year, concluding its digital operations.
Core features
Users on Xanga were provided with a "Xanga Site," which merged a weblog, photoblog, videoblog, audioblog, "Pulse" mini-blog, and a social networking profile into one platform. Additionally, members could form or participate in blogrings (community groups).
Weblog
The weblog feature debuted on November 5, 2000. Shortly afterwards, comment functionality and "eProps" (user endorsements) were added. Subscriptions enabled followers to keep track of other Xanga Sites without visiting each individually. Email subscription support launched on November 30, 2000, followed by RSS feed integration in January 2001.
Due to privacy concerns, anonymous subscriptions were eliminated in July 2003. To address this change, Xanga introduced Trial Subscriptions and options to conceal specific subscriptions from public view. Initially, subscriptions were referred to as "Sites I Read" (SIR).
Photoblog
Photo uploading became available on May 1, 2001; this feature was initially exclusive to premium users with a storage limit of 20 MB. In April 2005, Xanga enhanced its photo system for better image quality and increased capacity. A beta version of the Photo Manager was released in August 2005 to facilitate photo editing and browsing.
By August 2005, premium members received 1 GB of photo storage space; this was expanded to 2 GB in September 2005. At that time, all Classic members were also granted 1 GB of free storage. Additional improvements included batch uploading via web interface and support for moblogging.
In April 2006, Xanga introduced a dedicated photoblog service with commenting features added later that month and batch publishing tools implemented in May.
Videoblog
Videoblogs were introduced on August 9, 2007, with the first video showcasing employee Chris Choi's dog named Gromit.
Audioblog
Audio blogging was launched on September 29, 2006, following a month-long beta testing phase.
Pulse
On February 22, 2007, Xanga rolled out "Pulse," described as a simple miniblog allowing users to post updates through their mobile phones.
Profile
Since its initial release in 2000, Xanga profiles underwent substantial development. A significant update on February 1, 2004 improved profile details and enhanced email security measures. By April 30 of the same year, image upload quality saw improvements. On July 27, 2004, users gained the ability to upload multiple profile pictures—Classic members could add up to three images while Premium members had permission for up to ninety-nine—with options to designate default images and select pictures per post. By November 19, 2004, assigning different profile pictures as comment avatars became possible.
In April 2006, profiles integrated conventional social networking tools such as friend connections and profile search capabilities. Navigation was optimized on June 6, 2006 by adding direct links to user profiles and photo galleries at the top of each Xanga page.
Additional elements like Memories, Nudge notifications, and Chatboard features were introduced to foster greater user interaction and community engagement.
Premium subscriptions
Xanga provided two levels of premium membership: Premium and Premium Plus, each offering upgraded capabilities such as expanded photo storage and higher monthly upload allowances. The Premium subscription granted 2 GB of photo storage alongside a 100 MB monthly upload limit, whereas Premium Plus featured unlimited photo storage and permitted up to 1 GB of uploads per month. Subscribers to both plans could personalize their sites with custom skins, submit posts via email, download their archives, and eliminate web advertisements. Other perks included increased limits on profile pictures, personalized sidebars, and exclusive skin options.
The Premium service was introduced on May 1, 2001, initially providing 20 MB for photo hosting. Shortly afterward, the ability to download archives was added, followed by the launch of customizable skins in early 2002. Payment methods were broadened from solely credit cards to include checks and PayPal by mid-2002, with gifting features becoming available in late 2001. The Premium Plus subscription was launched in November 2005. Subsequently, storage limits were raised to 10 GB.
Advertising
Advertising constituted Xanga’s main revenue channel, primarily through banner advertisements displayed on the majority of its pages. These ads first appeared on May 30, 2001, and by September 2005 had transitioned to larger leaderboard formats aimed at boosting both visibility and revenue generation.
COPPA violations and fine
On September 7, 2006, the Federal Trade Commission imposed a $1 million penalty on Xanga for breaching the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. Although the Terms of Service prohibited users under the age of 13 from registering, the platform permitted account creation with birthdates indicating users younger than 13. At that point in time, approximately 1.7 million accounts were registered to individuals under the age limit.