Owners of the somewhat idiosyncratic FaceParty, one of the UK’s oldest social networks, appear to have had an altercation – with almost their entire user-base. On Tuesday night the normal home page was replaced with a diatribe against users who had complained about a fancy dress competition the site was holding. The site was cut off for several hours, blocking all users from logging in.
In a message entitled “Fuck the haterz”, the owners said “Sowwy [sic.] dudes but some of you have pissed us off so much today that we’ve shut the whole site down and fucked off to the Zoo.” (London Zoo to be specific).
In the history of social networks and Web 2.0 startups, I have to say this is the first such incident I have come across. It’s either an elaborate marketing ploy (in fact, it is almost certainly this) or a genuine, heartfelt hatred of large sections of the user-base. It’s an interesting strategy, but according to the site’s description on Wikipedia, not the first time it’s had a run in with its users. However, the owners did apologise to “tha people who appreciate that we give our lives to make this good for you” – and invited them to come to the zoo as well.
As of now (just after midnight, Wednesday morning) the site had been restored. Perhaps we’ll find out what happened tomorrow…. Meantime, here is the statement the site was carrying until an hour or so ago.
> “an elaborate marketing ploy”
… and it worked.
The latest headline when i visited? – “My dad is a cunt”
It’s a way of using what is likely a minority to create a cult following – i’d just love to see one at microsoft.com !
Quite hilarious.
Ingenious if it is a marketing ploy, sadly I doubt that given FP’s track record.
maybe they read Purple Cow and got the wrong end of the stick
@David Langer – ROFL!
Oh Michael – a marketing ploy? Sounds utterly genuine to me and fair play to them. It’s all very old new media.
Hey, maybe all they wanted was a day off in the Zoo
Although maybe not all that professional, it’s good to realise that at the end of the day, there are faces behind these sites!! Good on them
Inspiring.
Marketing ploy?????
Load of f’in middle class Hoxton Shoreditch dicks who live in the world of ‘im fuckin cool and drink in The Dragon Bar’.
So what do you do when you have a few quid and work in shoreditch????? Find a Hoxton Banksy wanna be graphic designer to do a revamp, close the doors and create a ‘born in Hampshire in a 10 bedroom house but pretent I am from the East end and dress like a tramp network, then cunt the rest of us off!!!! Yet another attempt in their lives to rebelling against Daddy one thinks!
Good luck.
FYI for those of you unfamiliar with the genius that is ‘Nathan Barley’ – a fictional character who is a “Hoxton Banksy wanna be” created a few years ago – here are a few links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4mpJumHU-w
http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/N/nathanbarley/
http://www.trashbat.co.ck/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4mpJumHU-w
Didn’t Dave Bamforth show up on the Sunday Times rich list? Yep, 969=. Flamboyant he may be, but he’s not one to do something like this without planning the PR impact it will have.
Thats phenomenal! haha crazy website.. to think I used to be a member way back in the day. Maybe i was one of the 7 million they deleted? Peter where is this rich list you speak of!
LOFL @ Scott
I cannot believe you brought Nathan Barley into the discussion
pure genius or pure madness.
either way, pretty fkn funny
Nathan who?????
I must have been to busy living my own life the last 10 years not to know him! How silly of me. Never mind.
Considering I’d actually forgotten Faceparty ever existed, I’d say this PR stunt was overwhelmingly successful. I’ve seen this story written up on countless sites now, so they’ve certainly got some publicity over telling their userbase off like that.
Somehow my spidey sense is telling me this stunt will prove more successful than MySpace’s redesign
Amazing, although going to the Zoo? I could think of many things to do better to let of steam.
sent from: fav.or.it [FID288720]
Superb, whatever their reasoning.
The amount of times I’ve wanted to do something like that when running a web service… I would love to have felt the satisfaction they did when they put that up and then closed the door behind them. Rock on.
However, in my grown up and professional state (ahem, yes really I have one!) I wouldn’t have wanted to be them as the drunken “We did it! WOO HOO” turned into a hungover, “So how do we clear this mess up?”.
Still, thanks to Faceparty for living one of my daydreams.
Not a marketing ploy.
My firm used to represent the guys behind faceparty. They are really like that in person and would certainly shut the site to spite the users.
good to see it has had a positive effect though!
Totally agree with Babul – my ‘business’ experience with them in the past makes me think they have no idea what marketing actually is. Good luck to them.
Great stuff… every web 2.0 service starts to eventually look, feel and act the same. kudos to them for putting some character and life back into what could be just another social network.
I hope they partied hard at the zoo.
hahaha awesome – yeah from what I hear about those guys I think this is for real – although do they really need to speak all LOL like that – I mean maybe they have a youthful audience but seriously – talking all kewl like that is surely gonna get old soon.
Well Weapon
@ Thayer Driver
Really understand that.
Spent the last 12 years working in a net company dealing with stupid and rude customers who don’t want to pay for anything, but expect everything in return.
I think they should setup a “beg to join” section or form, where they instantly ban the most annoying and rude users and then publicly make them beg to get their account back.
You could have “groveling git of the day/week/month/year”
Now that would be a great read and very entertaining.
Mr P
It gets worse… Is now calling every member c*nts in gossip section…. I repeat the site hasn’t been hacked…
Fantastic, just sent email to Corp web team to get http://uk.sun.com/startups changed to Stewart is having a lie in and then off to buy some new shirts.
sent from: fav.or.it [FID299924]
great customer relations!
sent from: fav.or.it [FID301390]
it is a marketing ploy.
Anyway they do owe their members something, they produce the content for the site. W
Faceparty has had some stupid dickhead rebranding, its trying to be all fucking ghetto and txt speak.
One thing I’ve noticed about faceparty is their pathetic attitude, the Admin (probably some middle aged paedo) tries to act like he’s all hip.
They are aiming their user base at chav’s which to be honest will be their down fall.
They need to be bought out by a professional company and the site needs completely ripping from the net and the hard drives smashed on the server.
Good luck to them….. no doubt they will need it.
Wankers
im well pissed off they deleted mine for no reason at all BASTARTDS!!
bn trying to find passwords to join again . . . no luck!!
leave faceparty alone u bunch of losers! this is all codswallup lol x!
@cas23 – maybe its cos you are ‘fat, ugly and miserable?’
http://www.faceparty.com/gossip/thread.aspx?topic=34832
faceparty brought that on themselves, they created a website for idiots (like themselves) then wonder why the idiots give them shit. you dont launch a competition without considering your audience and making sure you have all corners covered, free or not. this simply demonstrates immaturity and lack of understanding. its screams “we have the mind and life experience of chav 15 yr olds, innit”
The admin section contains some gems, a fine example they set! This particular idiot admin thinks it’s ok to say :
“…The way we get our pics validated is by sponsoring underpriviledged people in 3rd world countries, so they can go to university – we contribute towards their university fees in exchange for them checking ur pics.
…please don’t expect too much from the 3rd world. They’ve probably got “beri beri”, several missing limbs, leprosy and won’t have a clue what they are doing a lot of the time…”
See: http://www.faceparty.com/gossip/thread.aspx?topic=62429
Anyone know which offshore company they use to validate the pics?
The guys from faceparty have always reminded me a bit of the blokes from withnail and I , who wander pissed around the countryside without a clue what going on lol.
…please don’t expect too much from the 3rd world. They’ve probably got “beri beri”, several missing limbs, leprosy and won’t have a clue what they are doing a lot of the time…”
WTF is that comment on third world??!!
I really hate this.
Look, if you dont know anything about something…shut the hell up!
you ignorant SOB! What happens in the 3rd world country happens to any other country. There’s beri2, leprosy, people wit missing limbs, poverty everywhere. So just because u came from a well off family and you don’t see everything around you because well, you just dont care, doesnt mean you can say things like that….jerk!
new faceparty is fruboparty
this is a new social site from the 13th november it was made to give the old members a new place this site is only takeing member who are over 18, also not want any negitive messages to members.its made for being a friendly site for all . its a good one and will be good once its around a while Visit fruboparty it is constanly being worked on and it also gives some faceparty like cool tools free it is not for profit no payments needed on this site
hello
gutted none of you understand what faceparty is about…
april 11th secret location
fuck you
i’ll see you at the secret location
f**k this lot
APRIL 11TH SECRET LOCATION
HAVE MY INVITE
DO YOU HAVE YOUR’S?
CAN’T FUCKING WAIT!
<3<3<3<3<3 ADMIN is AWESOME
100% genuine, great honest amusing communication, a great site, run by a genius, any negative comments are incorrect and non factual. but any press is good press so feel free to continue.
What the hell is up with you lot,trying to be part of a cool kids…club crowd?…bloody hell you must all feel so cold not being allowed into their warm arms.
I have never tried to join their little”club”.
On 1st inspection of their app form…No thanks!
And “i,m going to the zoo..because you lot ain’t playing ball?”. HAHAHAHAHA that was fucking funny!…(NOT)..GROW UP FUCK PARTY!