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| Founder(s) | Gabriel Weinberg |
|---|---|
| Parent | Classmates.com |
| Launched | 2003 |
The Names Database was a social network, owned and operated by Classmates.com, a wholly owned subsidiary of United Online.[1] The site does not appear to be significantly updated since 2008, and has many broken links and display issues. Since 2007, United States and Canadian registrations do not work, and instead redirect to a Classmates.com sign up page.[2] At least half of its members are believed to be outside the United States.[3]
The primary purpose of the website is to reconnect with old friends and classmates, which is related to the site's tagline "Making the World a Smaller Place." After registration, the names of all people in the database are fully searchable. However, contact with these members is limited until the database is "unlocked" by obtaining a "blue membership".[4]
As of October 2006, blue memberships can be purchased for one- or three-year periods, or obtained for free by referring friends. However, as of July 2013, there does not appear to be any functioning way to upgrade and there is a permanent message saying "Please come back later" translated into seven languages in that part of the site.[5] A non-searchable static version of the database is nevertheless still available, which lists names and high school affiliations. This static version is freely available (without any registration needed).[6] However, the URL for that static version listed on the explanation page is incorrect and leads to a site with a permanent maintenance message.[7]
- ^ "About United Online". United Online. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
- ^ "Welcome to NamesDatabase". Internet Archive. Archived from the original on August 18, 2009. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
- ^ United Online Earnings Call, Q1, 2006. Transcript examined through LexisNexis, July 4, 2013.
- ^ "The Names Database Explanation Page". NamesDatabase. Archived from the original on 2007-01-16. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
- ^ "The Names Database Search Page". NamesDatabase. Archived from the original on 2013-10-24. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
- ^ "South Africa Schools at NamesDatabase". NamesDatabase. Archived from the original on 2013-06-30. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
- ^ "Namesdatabase: Maintenance". NamesDatabase. Archived from the original on 2013-10-24. Retrieved 2013-07-04.