GeoCities was one of the earliest and most popular web hosting services, allowing users to create and publish their own web pages. Here are detailed insights into its history and impact:
GeoCities was founded in November 1994 by David Bohnett and John Rezner as Beverly Hills Internet. It was later renamed GeoCities in 1995, inspired by the concept of virtual communities or 'neighborhoods' where users could build their sites. The service was unique because it organized web pages into thematic neighborhoods, such as "SiliconValley" for technology-related sites or "Hollywood" for entertainment.
The platform offered free web hosting with limited storage and bandwidth, supplemented by premium packages. Users could choose from a variety of pre-designed templates or build their pages from scratch. GeoCities was instrumental in:
In January 1999, Yahoo acquired GeoCities for $3.57 billion in stock, one of the largest internet acquisitions at the time. Under Yahoo's ownership:
Despite its closure, GeoCities left a lasting legacy: