about.me

{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}

{{short description|Personal web hosting service}}

{{Lowercase title}}

{{Infobox website

| name = about.me

| logo = About.me logo.svg

| screenshot =

| caption = About.me web service

| url = {{URL|https://about.me}}

| commercial = Yes

| type = Social directory

| registration = Yes

| owner =

| author = Tony Conrad
Ryan Freitas
Tim Young

| launch_date =

| current_status = Active

}}

about.me is a personal web hosting service co-founded by Ryan Freitas, Tony Conrad and Tim Young{{Cite web|date=2015-04-30|title=About.me finally embraces Android, but only with its new 'Intro' business card app|url=https://venturebeat.com/2015/04/30/about-me-finally-embraces-android-but-only-with-its-new-intro-business-card-app/|access-date=2020-09-07|website=VentureBeat|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Sawers|first=Paul|date=2014-10-30|title=About.me Launches 'Intro' App to 'Reinvent the Business Card'|url=https://thenextweb.com/apps/2014/10/30/wants-reinvent-business-card-new-intro-iphone-app/|access-date=2020-09-07|website=The Next Web|language=en-us}}{{Cite web|last=Lagorio-Chafkin|first=Christine|date=2014-04-16|title=How This Entrepreneur Bought His Company Back From AOL|url=https://www.inc.com/christine-lagorio/tony-conrad-explains-buying-about-me-from-aol.html|access-date=2020-09-07|website=Inc.com}} in October 2009.{{cite news|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20101209005511/en/About.Me-Launches-Ultimate-Personal-Domain-Brand |title=About.Me Launches with Ultimate Personal Domain Brand |newspaper=Business Wire |date=2010-12-09}} 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.{{cite news |last1=Arrington |first1=Michael |title=AOL Acquires Personal Profile Startup About.Me |url=https://techcrunch.com/2010/12/20/aol-acquires-personal-profile-startup-about-me |access-date=2 August 2023 |work=TechCrunch |date=20 December 2010}} 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.{{Cite web |last=Dickey |first=Megan Rose |title=Ever Since Tony Conrad Bought Back About.Me From AOL, He's Been Stealthily Creating An Engaging, Professional Network For Cool People |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/aboutme-update-since-buyback-2014-1 |access-date=2024-11-03 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/05/about-me-buys-itself-back-from-aol/ |title=About.me Buys Itself Back from AOL |work=Bits |publisher=The New York Times |date=2013-02-05}}

On February 21, 2019, About.me was acquired by Broadly.{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/21/about-me-acquired-by-mobile-small-business-startup-broadly/|title=About.me acquired by mobile-first small business startup Broadly|website=TechCrunch|date=21 February 2019|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-04}}