Questions and answers about LunarStorm
Most of what people wonder about LunarStorm, with answers from the founder and the sources in the archive.
Who founded LunarStorm?
LunarStorm was founded by Rickard Eriksson from Varberg, Sweden. He launched the service as Stajl Plejs Community on 18 October 1996 and ran it as a hobby project for four years before it became LunarStorm.
When did LunarStorm start?
Its predecessor, Stajl Plejs Community, went online on 18 October 1996. At the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve 1999/2000 the service was renamed LunarStorm, and the official launch was celebrated with a release party on 5 May 2000.
What was LunarStorm called before?
Between 1996 and 1999 the service was called Stajl Plejs Community. At its peak it had around 40,000 members.
Where was LunarStorm started?
In Varberg, on the west coast of Sweden. The server stood at Rickard Eriksson's workplace IntraSystems in the Yellow Villa (Gula villan), a villa threatened with demolition in the middle of the car park of the Matex supermarket (today Willys). Rickard himself lived in a small flat on Strandgatan.
How many members did LunarStorm have?
At most around 1.2 to 1.3 million active members (2004 to 2007). In 2004, 78 per cent of all Swedes aged 13 to 20 visited the site every week, and it was the most visited website among young people in the Nordic countries. The record was 397,820 unique visitors in a single day (16 December 2004).
Was LunarStorm the world's first social media site?
Yes. Stajl Plejs Community, which became LunarStorm, went online on 18 October 1996 and was the world's first social media site on the web: members had personal profiles and could comment on and communicate with each other. That was before SixDegrees (1997) and years before Friendster (2002), MySpace (2003) and Facebook (2004).
What was a krypin on LunarStorm?
The krypin (Swedish for a cosy den) was the member's own profile page, with a presentation, pictures, guestbook, diary and friends. The guestbook, where others could write to you, was the most used feature.
What was LunarStorm PRO?
PRO was LunarStorm's paid service, launched on 4 November 2002 for SEK 10 per 30 days. It rescued the company from a financial crisis, and by December 2002 it already had 100,000 paying customers. The most important feature was Smink (make-up), which let members design their own krypin. The make-up editor was invented by Jay Svensson.
Who was Bjarne on LunarStorm?
Bjarne was LunarStorm's mascot, a naively drawn head-footer that Rickard Eriksson drew himself. He already existed on Stajl Plejs Community in 1999 and came along to LunarStorm.
Who made the song Underbara LunarStorm?
Robert “RobJon” Jonsson composed and sang Underbara LunarStorm (Wonderful LunarStorm), which became the site's anthem and got dozens of remixes by members. He also made Stajl Plejs Community's song Marsipan.
What was LunarStorm's revenue?
Revenue grew from SEK 38 million in 2003 to SEK 71 million in 2005 and peaked in 2006 at just over SEK 90 million.
When did Rickard Eriksson leave LunarStorm?
Rickard Eriksson left LunarStorm in September 2006, after the investment company CLS had taken over the majority of the shares.
When was LunarStorm shut down?
LunarStorm closed on 8 August 2010 and was replaced by the service LS8, which in turn was shut down in the autumn of 2011.
Why was LunarStorm shut down?
When Facebook opened to everyone in 2006, more and more young people moved there. LunarStorm went from just over one million unique visitors a week in 2007 to around 100,000 in 2009.
What is nischad.ai/lunarstorm/en?
The official anniversary site for LunarStorm's 30th birthday on 18 October 2026, created and narrated by LunarStorm's founder Rickard Eriksson, with pictures, screenshots, sound and figures from the time. The original is in Swedish at nischad.ai/lunarstorm.
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