Nexopia
{{Short description|Canadian social networking website}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{multiple issues|
{{More citations needed|date=April 2016}}
{{update|date=April 2016}}}}
{{Infobox website
| name = Nexopia
| logocaption = The logo of Nexopia
| logo = Nexopialogo.png
| screenshot = Nexopias (homepage).jpg
| screenshot_size = 255px
| collapsible = yes
| company_type = Joint venture, corporation
| founded = {{start date and age|2003|2}} Edmonton, Alberta
| location = Edmonton, Alberta
Toronto, Ontario
| founder = Timo Ewalds
| key_people = Dave Stevens, Boris Wertz
| owner = Ideon Media
| area_served = Western Canada Main (2003-2012)
Worldwide (2012-present)
| num_employees = 10 {{As of|2008|11|14|lc=y|url={{cite news|title=Anything goes on Nexopia|url=http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=73a35dc5-b27e-4b72-bc93-cad34ccda7b9|access-date=25 April 2016|agency=Canada com|publisher=Edmonton Journal|date=14 November 2008|quote=It's late Tuesday night and two teenage boys are comparing bongs in Nexopia's drugs forum.}}}}
| url = {{Website defunct|forums.nexopia.com}}
| website_type = Social networking, online forums
| language = English
| users = 1.4 million users{{cite web| title=About Nexopia |url=http://www.nexopia.com/about|website=Nexopia|access-date=25 April 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150429213011/http://www.nexopia.com/about|archive-date=29 April 2015}}
200,000 active {{As of|2012|11|9|lc=y|url={{cite news|last1=Lewis|first1=Rob|title=Canadian Social Networking Pioneer Nexopia Acquired by Digital Ad Network|url=http://www.techvibes.com/blog/nexopia-acquired-digital-ad-network-2012-11-09|access-date=25 April 2016|agency=Techvibes|publisher=Techvibes Business|date=9 November 2012}}}}
| registration = Required
| launch_date = {{Start date and age|2003|02}}
| current_status = Closed
}}
Nexopia was a Canadian social networking website created in 2003, by Timo Ewalds.{{Cite web |url=https://www.pressreader.com/@nickname11820769/csb_aXjKdcUqKB1S-pEUBA4qW9nH9T3d-g86mulOhScZjM_GMb4uzhFW98Bmd_XUmnJQ |title=Archived copy |access-date=23 April 2019 |archive-date=23 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423150442/https://www.pressreader.com/@nickname11820769/csb_aXjKdcUqKB1S-pEUBA4qW9nH9T3d-g86mulOhScZjM_GMb4uzhFW98Bmd_XUmnJQ |url-status=dead }} It was designed for ages 14 and up, but was later lowered to 13.{{cite web |url=http://www.nexopia.com/terms.php |title=Nexopia Terms of Use |url-status=dead |access-date=January 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121228132438/http://www.nexopia.com/terms.php |archive-date=December 28, 2012 }} Users were able to create and design profiles, a friends list, blogs, galleries, and compose articles and forums. Interaction was accomplished through an internal personal messaging system, public user comments on profiles, blogs or through threads and posts on the forums. In November 2012, Nexopia was acquired by digital ad network Ideon Media.{{cite web |last=Lewis |first=Rob |url=http://www.techvibes.com/blog/nexopia-acquired-digital-ad-network-2012-11-09 |publisher=Techvibes |title=Canadian Social Networking Pioneer Nexopia Acquired by Digital Ad Network |access-date=January 25, 2013}}
History
Nexopia was founded in 2003, and became Canada's first online social network, albeit mostly serving Western Canada.{{cite news|title=Canadian Social Networking Pioneer Nexopia Acquired by Digital Ad Network|url=http://www.techvibes.com/blog/nexopia-acquired-digital-ad-network-2012-11-09|access-date=25 April 2016|agency=Techvibes|publisher=Techvibes|date=9 November 2012}} It evolved from the community site called Enternexus.com, another website built by Ewalds. The initial beta site was limited to 70 members and eventually led to Nexopia.com. When Enternexus.com relaunched as Nexopia.com, initial growth was said to be 100 users in four days, and 225,000 users within 22 months.{{cite web|url=https://theadminzone.com/threads/how-long-did-the-100-members-milestone-take-you.5531/#post-39819|title=How long did the '1000 members' milestone take you?|website=The Admin Zone Fourms|publisher=Nexopia Enthusiast|access-date=25 April 2016|date=12 December 2004}}{{reliable|date=April 2016}} For a brief period during that time, Nexopia.com maintained growth of 10% or 3500 average new members per day.{{cite web|title=Most new members on one day|url=https://theadminzone.com/threads/most-new-members-on-one-day.4937/#post-35520|website=The Admin Zone Fourms|publisher=Nexopia Enthusiast|access-date=25 April 2016|date=29 January 2005}}{{reliable|date=April 2016}} In 2008, Nexopia announced 1.2 million active registered users and 1 billion page views per month as well as the investment of an undisclosed amount of the venture capital fund Burda Digital Ventures (now Acton Capital Partners).{{Cite web|url=https://mashable.com/2008/02/04/nexopia-funded/|title=Nexopia Gets Funding, and Replaces 23 y.o. CEO|last=Nicole|first=Kristen|website=Mashable|date=4 February 2008|language=en|access-date=2019-04-23}}
In October 2010, the site had just under 1.5 million users and nearly 35 billion hits. In January 2012, the site reported 1,636,990 users and 35,517,895,992 hits.
The website uses Interac Online, a service that allows account holders at participating banks to make payments through online banking.
=Profile update=
In 2008 Nexopia updated its user profile pages, the largest revision since the site's launch in 2003. The redesign included a streamlined layout, Ajax controls for messages, galleries and profile editing, new profile skinning options and image resizing.{{cite web|url=http://www.techvibes.com/blog/nexopia-launches-profile-facelift-makes-memberships-available-at-macs-stores |title=Nexopia Update |publisher=Techvibes.com |date=2008-09-08 |access-date=2016-04-25}} The update caused controversy among users due to issues such as slow load times, disappearing profile pictures, undelivered private messages, forms not working correctly, and people upset because the site design was different. Nexopia staff polled users, and found that the majority disliked the new profile picture slider the most. Nexopia staff then provided the option to switch between the classic and new profile picture viewers.[http://www.nexopia.com/forumviewthread.php?tid=6818444&page=0 Option to switch between picture viewers] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202102014/http://www.nexopia.com/forumviewthread.php?tid=6818444&page=0 |date=February 2, 2009 }}
=Forums=
The forums were the main social aspect of the website. Nexopia 'Plus' subscribers could create their own forums, which could be open or available only to only invited members.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}} In early 2016, the website changed to online forums.{{cite web|title=If you had an old account at the OLD OLD Nexopia, you can get that account back by resetting your password. |url=http://forums.nexopia.com/ |website=Nexopia |access-date=25 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160210172426/http://forums.nexopia.com/ |archive-date=February 10, 2016 |date=10 February 2016 |url-status=unfit }} The forum used software from XenForo,{{cite web|title=Current Forums of Nexopia|url=http://forums.nexopia.com/|website=Nexopia|access-date=25 April 2016}} replacing WordPress.{{cite web|title=December 2015 Wayback machine |url=http://nexopia.com/ |website=Web Archive |publisher=Nexopia |access-date=25 April 2016 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208034810/http://nexopia.com/ |archive-date=December 8, 2015 }}
Members
Over 95% of users were Canadian, with over 1.4 million member accounts and a hit count of over 33 billion.{{Citation needed|date=March 2017}}
No content containing nudity, racism, violence, or gore was allowed on forums or profiles, although photos of a small amount of marijuana and the use of pipes and bongs was allowed; alcohol was also acceptable. All profile pictures were checked by photo moderators before appearing on a user page. Photos on a user's profile were not checked, but a "report abuse" button allowed another user to report abuses. Nexopia prohibited copyright infringement.
In March 2007, four students from the Elk Island school district in Sherwood Park, Alberta were expelled from school and twenty were given suspensions in a case of cyberbullying.{{cite web|url=http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=5a8988f6-e714-4b0e-abfa-ed24b2486038&k=69606|title=Four students expelled for cyberbullying (2:40 p.m.) |publisher=edmontonjournal.com |access-date=January 25, 2013}} Students used Nexopia to create teacher profiles in which classmates posted defamatory, nonsensical, derogatory and libellous information on the teachers' pages.
Criticism
Nexopia was criticizedNational. "Net holds dark hints on slayings: Pair accused in deaths of Alberta family posted messages on notorious websites". The Globe and Mail, April 26, 2006. by parent groups, who blamed their children's problems on the website and tried to have it shut down. This forced the site to become more strict about user posts.
Nexopia became a target for online predators.{{cite news|title=Police track suspects using Nexopia website|url=http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/story.html?id=aa6802d9-443f-4372-a439-e806bcc3b274&k=23218|access-date=25 April 2016|agency=Starphoenix (Saskatoon)|publisher=Canada.com Postmedia Network Inc.|date=27 July 2007}}{{cite web |url=http://trenchreynolds.me/2009/02/15/nexopia-predator-does-get-light-sentence/ |title=Nexopia predator does get light sentence |date=15 February 2009 |access-date=January 25, 2013}}{{cite web |url=http://digitaldefence08267.businesscatalyst.com/_blog/Security_News/post/Montreal_man_who_used_Net_to_lure_girls_gets_parole/ |title=Montreal man who used Net to lure girls gets parole |access-date=January 25, 2013}} Since a user's profile could be completely open to the public, profile images and information were viewable. Users could post personal information such as their address, telephone number, family members, relationship status and school.
Online spam increased such as through "dummy" accounts that spam users, linking them to websites containing porn or malicious information.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}} Users who did not follow the rules could get a simple ban from the website or have their account "frozen".{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}
In March 2012, the website was found to be in violation of federal privacy laws by keeping personal information indefinitely.{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/nexopia-social-network-found-in-breach-of-privacy-law-1.1274481|title=Nexopia social network found in breach of privacy law|publisher=CBC.ca |access-date=January 25, 2013}} As of November 2012, Nexopia was working with the Privacy Commissioner to ensure regulatory compliance.
The site was used by convicted serial killer Cody Legebokoff, who met one victim, fifteen year old Loren Leslie, there.{{cite news |last= Keller|first=James |date=2 June 2014 |title= Cody Legebokoff Trial Hears Victims' DNA Found On Suspect's Belongings |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/06/02/cody-legebokoff-trial-alleged-serial-murders_n_5434024.html |publisher=Huffington Post |access-date=5 June 2014 }}
Membership
Users with free accounts had access to standard features, such as forum posting, private messaging, user profiles with comments, photo uploading, a user blog and an image gallery. Monthly paid subscriptions were offered at $5 to fee gain access to extra features such as advanced user search, forum creation, increased media gallery capacity and online file storage, and the removal of ads.