SpaceHey: Difference between revisions

| screenshot = Spacehey homepage, October 2023.png

| num_users = 500900,000+ (AprilJanuary 20222024)

| programming_language = PHP

'''Spacehey''' (stylized as '''SpaceHey''') is an English-language online [[social network]] operated by the German company tibush [[Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung|GmbH]] and headquartered in [[Pfullingen]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Imprint - tibush GmbH|url=https://tibush.com/imprint/|access-date=2021-06-14|website=tibush.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kirby |first=Meaghan |date=27 April 2022 |title=A Teenager Made a MySpace Replica and It's Honestly Pretty Sweet |work=[[Nerdist]] |url=https://nerdist.com/article/myspace-replica-spacehey-social-networking-nostalgia/ |access-date=2 May 2022}}</ref> Founded in 2020 by Anton Röhm, the project serves as a homage to social media platform [[MySpace]] during its peak in the mid-2000s.<ref>{{Cite web|title=This Myspace Reincarnation Is Giving Me so Much Joy|url=https://gizmodo.com/this-myspace-reincarnation-is-bringing-me-so-much-joy-1846229988|access-date=2021-06-20|website=Gizmodo|language=en-us}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Browne |first=Ed |date=12 November 2021 |title=What Is SpaceHey? 2000s-Era MySpace Replica Site Is Making People Nostalgic |work=Newsweek |url=https://www.newsweek.com/what-spacehey-myspace-replica-old-school-nostalgia-blog-website-top-eight-1648598 |access-date=21 August 2022}}</ref> However, it is not officially affiliated with MySpace.<ref name=":3" />

Spacehey was created in 2020 by 18-year-old German web developer Anton Röhm.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Anton Röhm aka "AnTheMaker"|url=https://tincon.org/speaker/anton-roehm-aka-anthemaker/|access-date=2021-08-12|website=TINCON|language=de-DE}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Savov|first=Vlad|date=12 November 2021|title=Retro MySpace Clone SpaceHey Blows Up With 200,000 Signups|work=[[Bloomberg News]]|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-12/retro-myspace-clone-spacehey-blows-up-with-200-000-signups|access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref> Röhm stated that he never personally used MySpace at its peak, due to the fact that he was too young at the time, but added, "Thanks to older friends and the internet, I heard a lot about it. I came to the conclusion that you can't find something like this nowadays, where everyone can be this creative".<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Holliday |first=Laura |date=8 February 2021 |title=A Teenager hasHas remadeRemade Myspace and everyoneEveryone isIs lovingLoving It it|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/wx8kp4/a-teenager-has-remade-myspace-and-everyone-is-loving-it |access-date=2021-06-14 |website=www.vice.comVice News |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3" />

On November 26, 2020, Spacehey launched under the domain spacehey.com.<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1332022273574887431|user=spacehey|title=SPACEHEYSpacehey.COMcom ISIs LIVELive!!|access-date=2021-11-28|language=en|date=26 November 2020}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=5 April 2022 |title=SpaceHey, un site Web pour les nostalgiques de la plateforme MySpace |language=fr |trans-title=SpaceHey, a website for those nostalgic for the MySpace platform |work=[[Ouest-France]] |url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/high-tech/internet/spacehey-un-site-web-pour-les-nostalgiques-de-la-plateforme-myspace-7710287 |access-date=2 May 2022}}</ref> Three days later Röhm posted it on [[Product Hunt]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=An|title=SpaceHey - MySpace Reborn|url=https://www.producthunt.com/posts/spacehey|access-date=2021-06-14|website=Product Hunt|language=en}}</ref> where it was awarded #1 Product of the Day on the same day.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2020-11-29|title=SpaceHey - MySpace Reborn 👥|url=https://www.producthunt.com/posts/spacehey|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-02-02|website=Product Hunt|language=en}}</ref> Röhm stated that the site had over 10,000 registered users by December 2020<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1341384492146176001|user=space_hey|title=There are now 10 000 registered users on SpaceHey!Thank you!!<!-- full text of tweet that Twitter returned to the bot (excluding links) added by TweetCiteBot. This may be better truncated or may need expanding (TW limits responses to 140 characters) or case changes. --> |access-date=2021-06-14|language=en|date=22 December 2020}}</ref> and 100,000 users by February 2021.<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1365401193476931593|user=space_hey|title=100 000 people are on SpaceHey now! This is incredible!!Thank you everyone 🥳<!-- full text of tweet that Twitter returned to the bot (excluding links) added by TweetCiteBot. This may be better truncated or may need expanding (TW limits responses to 140 characters) or case changes. --> |access-date=2021-06-14|language=en|date=26 February 2021}}</ref> To cope with growing user demand, the site migrated its infrastructure in October 2021.<ref name=":3" /> In November 2021, registered users had grown to over 300,000.<ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1459326788354686976|user=spacehey|title=300 000 people 🤯🥳 WEWe DIDDid ITIt!! This is crazy!! Thank you everyone!!}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Dietz |first=Meredith |date=16 November 2021 |title=The Appeal of MySpace Nostalgia, According to a Curious Member of Gen Z |work=[[Lifehacker]] |url=https://lifehacker.com/the-appeal-of-myspace-nostalgia-according-to-a-curious-1848067352 |access-date=2 May 2022}}</ref> The website had about 500,000 users by April 2022.<ref name=":2" />

An aspect of Spacehey that differs it from modern social media, is the ability of users to fully customize the appearance and functionality of their profile pages using [[HTML]] and [[CSS]], which was one of MySpace's most notable features.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dowd|first=Rachael|date=2020-12-21|title=This new networking site has everything you miss about mid-2000s Myspace|url=https://www.altpress.com/news/spacehey-myspace-clone-social-media-platform/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-20|website=[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]]|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> However, this also results in security problems as it did with MySpace; users can use HTML to integrate external content into their profiles that could potentially be harmful to the profile visitor. For this reason, when a user visits someone else's profile page the first time, the website displays a notice to draw attention to these potential risks and refers to Spacehey's privacy policy.

Similar to MySpace at its peak, SpaceHey aims to launch a music aspect of the website, where independent Artists/Bands can create their own page to share previews of music and interact with fans. This feature is currently in beta.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Top Music |url=https://spacehey.com/topmusic |access-date=2022-10-10 |website=SpaceHey |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=SpaceHey 2021 - An's Blog |url=https://blog.spacehey.com/entry?id=3293 |access-date=2022-10-17 |website=SpaceHey |language=en}}</ref>

Spacehey is free to use.<ref>{{Cite web|last1date=December 3, 2020|first1first=Ryan "Brain" BrainardPublished|last2last=2020Brainard |title=New Social Media Site Mimics MySpace Layout|url=https://khak.com/new-social-media-site-mimics-myspace-layout/|access-date=2021-06-20|website=98.1 KHAK|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=McAuliffe |first=Zachary |date=13 March 2022 |title=Early MySpace Was the Peak of Social Media |work=[[CNET]] |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/early-myspace-was-the-peak-of-social-media/ |access-date=2 May 2022}}</ref> The platform lacked advertising as of April 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jackson |first=Gita |date=25 April 2022 |title=If You Want to Leave Twitter Because of Elon Musk, These Are Your Options |work=Motherboard |publisher=[[Vice Media]] |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjbqjd/if-you-want-to-leave-twitter-because-of-elon-musk-these-are-your-options |access-date=2 May 2022}}</ref> In a blog-post from December 2020, Röhm called for ideas for funding to be sent to him.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Future of SpaceHey - An's Blog {{!}} SpaceHey.com|url=https://blog.spacehey.com/entry?id=1310|access-date=2021-06-14|website=blog.spacehey.com|language=en}}</ref> Later that month, it was made possible to support the site by purchasing [[sticker]]s; after purchase, a "supporter badge" will appear on the website next to the buyer's name.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Support SpaceHey — Get Stickers! - An's Blog {{!}} SpaceHey.com|url=https://blog.spacehey.com/entry?id=1635|access-date=2021-06-14|website=blog.spacehey.com|language=en}}</ref>. As of November 2023, Christmas sweaters are able to be purchased as well.

Spacehey has been discussed by media such as ''[[The Independent]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-02-08|title=MySpace has been brought back to life - sort of|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/myspace-back-spacehey-b1799269.html|access-date=2021-06-20|website=The Independent|language=en}}</ref> [[Vice (magazine)|''Vice'']],<ref>{{Cite web|titlename=A":4" Teenager Has Remade Myspace and Everyone Is Loving It|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/wx8kp4/a-teenager-has-remade-myspace-and-everyone-is-loving-it|access-date=2021-06-20|website=www.vice.com|language=en}}</ref> [[BuzzFeed]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Heinrich|first=Shelby|title=A Gen Z'er Created A Replica Of The OG Myspace, And It's Blowing My Mind|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/shelbyheinrich/spacehey-myspace-og-replica|access-date=2021-06-14|website=BuzzFeed|language=en}}</ref> and the ''[[New York Post]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Frishberg|first=Hannah|date=2021-02-09|title=Teen who never had Myspace re-creates it and users are in love|url=https://nypost.com/2021/02/09/teen-re-creates-myspace-and-users-are-in-love/|access-date=2021-06-14|website=New York Post|language=en-US}}</ref> In December 2020, ''[[Fast Company]]'' published an interview with Anton Röhm.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Newman|first=Jared|date=2020-12-01|title=This MySpace clone is the social media nostalgia hit you need right now|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90581080/myspace-clone-spacehey|access-date=2021-06-14|website=Fast Company|language=en-US}}</ref> In March 2021, [[BBC Radio Oxford]] interviewed him via telephone.<ref>{{Cite web|title=BBC Radio Oxford - Evenings on BBC Radio Oxford, Will Reynolds (01/03/2021)|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0974lph|access-date=2021-06-14|website=BBC|language=en-GB}}</ref>

* {{Citation |lastlast1=Miltner |firstfirst1=Kate M. |title="Tom had us all doing front-end web development": a nostalgic (re)imagining of Myspace |date=2021 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24701475.2021.1985836 |work=Internet Histories: Digital Technology, Culture and Society |pages= 48–67|language=en |doi=10.1080/24701475.2021.1985836 |access-datelast2=2Gerrard May 2022|first2=Ysabel|volume=6 |last2issue=Gerrard1–2 |first2doi-access=Ysabelfree }}