Top 10 Websites That Don't Exist Anymore

Before everyone had smartphones with internet access, you often had to wait until you got to your home computer or to a library to research your burning questions. ChaCha provided a pretty ingenious solution, allowing users to call or text a number with questions and receive answers from human researchers, known as guides. There was also a desktop version, which was useful if you weren’t getting a straight answer from Google. But, while ChaCha might’ve been useful in 2006, when it was first launched, it became less relevant as time went on. Eventually, the company started losing money and shedding employees until finally closing for good in December of 2016.

The term “social media'' wasn't widespread until the 2000s, but SixDegrees.com showed the power of this concept back in 1997. This site was based on the idea of growing your personal network via the internet, a forecast of just how blurred the line between "real life" and "internet life" would eventually become. Based on the concept of all people being connected by six degrees of separation, the site invited users to list everyone they knew and foster those same connections online. Its features were mainly limited to messaging and bulletin boards, and just three years after its launch, it shut shown. Still, SixDegrees was still an important precursor to some of today’s biggest social media platforms. So, what’s the verdict? Do we think Kevin Bacon ever joined?

With social media, it feels like we know far more about people and their personal lives than we ever wanted to. But, in the 90s, the idea of getting to know a complete stranger was an intriguing novelty. Enter JenniCam, a website run by Jennifer Ringley, who started this “lifecast” when she was a 19-year-old college student. Millions tuned into Ringley's broadcasts, which included some explicit material, and she became something of a celebrity, appearing on talk shows like the "Late Show with David Letterman." A change in PayPal policy ultimately caused Ridgley to shut down JenniCam at the end of 2003. She's since avoided the public eye, which includes no social media profiles. But, she kept working with computers, and would later became a programmer.

If you watched TV in the late 90s, you undoubtedly saw commercials for Pets.com with their sock puppet mascot. While this enterprised specialized in pet supplies, their management quickly went to the dogs. Pets.com's revenue lagged far behind their spending, and they became one of the biggest cautionary tales of the dot-com bubble. The company was liquidated in November 2000, just two years after its launch. Or, in dog years, 14 years after its launch. Chewy.com would later demonstrate that pet supply sites like this can be profitable and long-lasting. They just need to be properly managed.

Before Spotify, Apple Music, and other services showed the profitability of music streaming, there was Grooveshark. This was a website that allowed users to upload and listen to their favorite songs. There was just one, massive issue: songs were being uploaded without the consent of their owners, meaning Grooveshark was named in numerous copyright infringement lawsuits. Apple, Android, and Facebook all removed the Grooveshark app in response, and it soon became apparent that Grooveshark would eventually have to stop swimming. A legal settlement in 2015 forced the site to close down for good. After just over nine years, the grooves were sadly over.

The primary function of Google is to provide answers. So, it seems a little redundant to have another site where users submit questions. But, search engine technology wasn't quite as sophisticated as it is now back when Google Answers first launched in 2002. Contractors, known as "Google Answers Researchers" or GARs for short, would answer questions, and they didn't necessarily come cheap. Some answers could cost as much as $200, which is a high price to pay for information. The answers tended to be extensive, but the site’s lifespan wasn’t. The knowledge market shut down in 2006, but you can still comb through its archives.

A website dedicated to uploading and sharing files is a great idea. But it’s one that can easily fall into iffy copyright territory. That’s what happened with Megaupload, a file hosting service founded by entrepreneur Kim Dotcom. For just under seven years, Megaupload let users share all types of files and became one of the web's most popular sites, even inspiring a song. While the site claimed to take action against copyright infringement, it was ultimately a haven for digital piracy. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice shut it all down, and Dotcom and other Megaupload executives were arrested. Talk about a Mega problem.

It might be lost to the sands of internet history, but there was a time when Friendster was the top social media site around. Granted, there wasn’t a lot of competition when it started, but credit where credit is due. The site drew more than 115 million registered users after its 2003 launch, and, realizing the potential in social media, Google offered to buy the site for $30 million. Friendster’s owners turned this down, which was viewed as a colossal miscalculation. As Facebook grew in popularity, Friendster found itself in a bind, switching its status to "social gaming site." The site went defunct in 2015, and the company ended for good three years later. Friends forever, but not “Friendster forever.”

If you used the internet in the 90s, you probably visited at least one GeoCities site. Heck, you probably made one yourself. GeoCities was web hosting for people who didn't know a thing about coding but who wanted to make sites of their own. Webpages were categorized based on "cities," such as Hollywood and SiliconValley, which were dedicated to movies and acting. They didn't look great, and certainly not by today’s standards, but they gave users a way to express themselves, as well as practice web design. In 1999, Yahoo! took ownership, and brought about some unpopular changes. GeoCities’s end came about in 2009, which many blamed on Yahoo!'s management.

It might sound like a social spot for flightless birds, but Club Penguin was actually one of the most popular internet communities around. A massively multiplayer online game, or MMO, Club Penguin gave users and their penguin avatars a world of games and other activities to enjoy. The site proved so popular, Disney purchased it for $350 million in 2007. However, it wasn't without its critics. While the site was geared towards children, there were numerous complaints that not enough was done to keep its young users protected. Interest gradually declined, with many users getting their gaming fixes on smartphones. A Club Penguin app was released in 2013, but it wasn't enough and, in 2017, we waved a very sad flipper goodbye to the virtual world.