March 8, 2023, 7:22 am | Read time: 4 minutes
In the mid-2000s, users could search for friends and acquaintances online through wer-kennt-wen.de. The platform quickly became a mega-success. But today, it has disappeared into obscurity. So why?
While studying computer visualization at the University of Koblenz-Landau, students Fabian Jager and Patrick Ohler faced a problem. They had a large network of friends and acquaintances, but maintaining contact with everyone was challenging. This was the birth of “Wer kennt wen.”
Overview
In October 2006, the platform went online, quickly gaining attention. Initially, it was mostly acquaintances from the regions of Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland. After just over a year, the German social media platform had one million registered members. And that was just the beginning.
At that time, being online meant sitting at a PC and spending time surfing the internet, mostly alone. There were chats and early messengers, but nothing compared to today’s interaction possibilities. Meeting a friend or acquaintance online required prior arrangement. A social network like “Wer kennt wen” opened up entirely new ways to communicate, even if the interaction was usually delayed.
“Wer kennt wen” makes social media known in Germany
In its early phase, “Wer kennt wen” attracted mainly older people due to its simple structure. However, as it grew, younger people also became interested in this new social media. What about Facebook at this time? After all, Mark Zuckerberg’s social network had been online since 2004. In 2009, “Wer kennt wen” had 5.5 million users, while Facebook had just two million registered members in Germany.
“Wer kennt wen” offered everything many people still love about social media. Members could create profiles and connect based on specific criteria. Popular connections included other people, schools, clubs, or groups. The integrated search function also allowed users to find people with similar interests. There was a group function, an easy way to share one’s status, active commenting, and, of course, the ability to upload and share photos with the community.
Each member had a guestbook on their profile, a crucial feature in the early days of the internet. After all, the world needed to know who visited your page or, in this case, your profile. Back then, no one could have imagined where the journey with smartphones would lead.
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Meteoric Rise
The rise of “Wer kennt wen” was meteoric for a long time. Fabian Jager and Patrick Ohler, the founders, had already handed over the reins to a team. This team managed the platform and regularly integrated new features.
In 2009, “Wer kennt wen” had nearly 200 million monthly visits. By then, it was one of the most successful social networks in Germany, alongside StudiVZ. This success caught the attention of RTL Interactive, the internet arm of the TV broadcaster. RTL already owned 49 percent of “Wer kennt wen” and acquired the remaining 51 percent in 2009. The acquisition marked a turning point, but not in the direction RTL had hoped.
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Decline Begins After the Sale
From then on, the numbers steadily declined. Did the founders foresee this? In any case, Fabian Jager and Patrick Ohler left the platform to focus on new projects.
RTL Interactive tried everything to reverse the trend and put “Wer kennt wen” back on a promising path. But the competition from the U.S. had become much more attractive. Facebook benefited not only from a better offering but also from the emerging smartphone boom. Fewer users wanted to check friends’ statuses on a PC. Using a cool app to instantly and constantly share photos and likes with loved ones made people happier.
“Wer kennt wen” was losing users. However, the older target group remained loyal to the German social network for a long time. They also witnessed the last rescue attempt in 2013. But one must ask: Did the world really need member profiles for pets or cars? RTL Interactive certainly believed so at the time.
But the stark numbers pointed in a different direction. RTL quickly realized this and permanently closed “Wer kennt wen” on June 2, 2014. Although clones of the network still floated around the internet, other U.S. social media platforms left no room for small niche networks.
The two students and founders, Fabian Jager and Patrick Ohler, regret the decline of their platform in hindsight. However, they have long since moved on to new projects. In 2013, they launched the photo cloud service Dawawas and are still happy with it today.