about.me
 | |
Type of site | Social directory |
|---|---|
| Created by | Tony Conrad Ryan Freitas Tim Young |
| URL | about |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Yes |
| Current status | Active |
about.me is a personal web hosting service co-founded by Ryan Freitas, Tony Conrad and Tim Young[1][2][3] in October 2009.[4] The site offers registered users a simple platform from which to link multiple online identities, relevant external sites, and popular social networking websites such as Facebook, Flickr, and Google+. AOL acquired the site in December 2010.[5] The company remained at AOL for a little over twenty-five months.
On February 5, 2013, it was announced that Conrad had bought back majority control of About.me from AOL; although no specifics were revealed on the purchase price, Conrad did say that it was a fraction of the price AOL paid to originally buy it.[6] Conrad believed that there were no advantages in being owned by AOL, and that the site did not fit with AOL's current business model (which has emphasized online content rather than social networking services). The site returned to becoming a startup, and began another funding round following the announcement.[7]
On February 21, 2019, About.me was acquired by Broadly.[8]
References
- ^ "About.me finally embraces Android, but only with its new 'Intro' business card app". VentureBeat. April 30, 2015. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ Sawers, Paul (October 30, 2014). "About.me Launches 'Intro' App to 'Reinvent the Business Card'". The Next Web. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ Lagorio-Chafkin, Christine (April 16, 2014). "How This Entrepreneur Bought His Company Back From AOL". Inc.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ "About.Me Launches with Ultimate Personal Domain Brand". Business Wire. December 9, 2010. Archived from the original on March 6, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
- ^ Arrington, Michael (December 20, 2010). "AOL Acquires Personal Profile Startup About.Me". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ Dickey, Megan Rose. "Ever Since Tony Conrad Bought Back About.Me From AOL, He's Been Stealthily Creating An Engaging, Professional Network For Cool People". Business Insider. Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
- ^ "About.me Buys Itself Back from AOL". Bits. The New York Times. February 5, 2013. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ "About.me acquired by mobile-first small business startup Broadly". TechCrunch. February 21, 2019. Archived from the original on April 5, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2019.