LunarStorm's history year by year

Every event from 1989 to 2026, with Rickard Eriksson's own words where they exist.

Prehistory: the BBS years

A fifteen-year-old in Varberg starts a BBS in 1989. Modems, per-minute call charges and 16 colours. The dream: to bring in the girls and all the non-nerds.

  1. Rickard Eriksson is born in Varberg

    ”Young Ricky struck Sweden in 1974.” He was 22 when Stajl Plejs Community started and 25 when the server burned.

  2. A classmate's Televerket modem

    Rickard, 15, watches the only PC owner in his class dial up a BBS. It is the communication, not the computer, that sticks.

    “In fact, it was the limitations of the technology that fascinated me.” Rickard Eriksson

  3. The paperboy who bought his first computer

    Rickard cycled around Varberg selling the Gothenburg tabloid GT on Saturdays and Göteborgs-Posten (GP), the Gothenburg daily, on Sundays. The money became a computer and a modem.

    “I cycled around selling Göteborgs-Posten every Sunday when I was young … That paid for my first computer. No steam-powered media, no social media.” Rickard Eriksson

  4. The first BBS

    At 15, Rickard starts his first BBS in Varberg. People dial in to him, and that is the beginning of everything.

    “In 1989 I started my first BBS, and that was really when my fascination with communicating over the net began … there I sat in Varberg and could reach people from all over the world.” Rickard Eriksson

  5. RaLab, Rickard's own BBS software

    Rickard developed BBS software called RaLab (RemoteAccess Laboratory) in Turbo Pascal.

  6. Military service: community radio, a newspaper and the Army's BBS

    The BBS shuts down when Rickard does his national service. As a platoon leader in Halmstad he starts ”the Armed Forces' first BBS for PR”.

    “It's actually impossible to get the Army to sponsor a BBS, but I usually get my way.” Rickard Eriksson

  7. Yipee ka ye kah: Rick's tracker song from 1994

    Two years before Stajl Plejs, Rick makes music in the demoscene under the name Dwayne Wayne. The song Yipee ka ye kah is an eight-channel tracker module, made for the group Eclectic Underground on a stormy night, 11 October 1994.

    “Produced on a 486 with no hd and just a lousy mono-covox.” Rickard Eriksson

  8. First time on the web, at Halmstad City Library

    During his military service Rickard surfs in Netscape for the first time. Verdict: boring, complicated, but you could communicate.

    “I remember sitting in Halmstad City Library in '96 and using the internet for the first time. I thought it was terribly boring.” Rickard Eriksson

  9. IRC server and Java chat on stajl.ml.org

    Rickard installs an IRC server with a Java client. The idea: move the BBS meeting place to the ”cool new Internet”.

    “I sat in my claustrophobically cramped but charming flat on Strandgatan in Varberg and installed an IRC server with a Java client at the web address stajl.ml.org.” Rickard Eriksson

Stajl Plejs Community

18 October 1996: a Java chat with profiles on a borrowed server in the Yellow Villa (Gula villan). Non-profit, a one-man band, sötnosar (sweeties) and a 30-minute login queue.

  1. The Yellow Villa (Gula villan) in the Matex car park

    IntraSystems' office: a yellow villa facing demolition in the middle of the Matex supermarket car park (now Willys). Unrenovated since the 70s.

    “Stajl Plejs Community was born in the Yellow Villa, then facing demolition, in the middle of the Matex car park (now Willys). The Yellow Villa hadn't been renovated since the 70s, so brown and orange dominated, along with tartan wall-to-wall carpets.” Rickard Eriksson

  2. Stajl Plejs Community launches

    Rickard, 22, starts Stajl Plejs Community in Varberg: a web chat with profiles. The world's first social medium on the web.

    “So you could say I moved my BBS to the internet. It wasn't quite that simple, of course … I had to start from scratch with HTML and databases. My first social medium on the web.” Rickard Eriksson

  3. ”The blue epoch”, the first designed version

    The diary: tonight the first version of Stajl Plejs, ”the blue epoch”, is released on a discarded machine in IntraSystems' wardrobe.

    “Tonight I release the first version of the world's first web community, Stajl Plejs, the so-called blue epoch … everything is rushed out on an old discarded machine that dutifully chugs along in IntraSystems' wardrobe.” Rickard Eriksson

  4. Krypin: no more ”who are you and where are you from?”

    The Krypin profile standardises the first questions: age, town, interests. Everyone gets the same structure, easy to check out.

    “I turned all the standard questions people asked into a profile. Then people could click on your profile and find out who you are, and whether you might be friend material, without even asking.” Rickard Eriksson

  5. Half girls already in 1996

    Stajl Plejs attracts girls from the start. The gender split is roughly 50/50, unique on the net in 1996.

    “Having a site in '96 with a 50/50 gender split was pretty unusual.” Rickard Eriksson

  6. The customer's giant server that never arrived

    Rickard talks a customer into buying an oversized server for a ”small intranet”. Stajl Plejs moves into it.

    “I convinced one of the customers that he had to have a huge server for his little intranet, which of course he had no need for whatsoever. That's where I put Stajl Plejs. He was CEO of Björn Borg and later became CEO of LunarStorm. Forgotten and forgiven now.” Rickard Eriksson

  7. The chat bomb: Stajl's first marketing

    If the chat was empty, there was a button that posted a tempting line in other web chats around Sweden: absolutely do not click here. People clicked.

    “If the chat was a bit dead, there was a button that posted a marketing message on other web chats around Sweden … When people clicked, a few people showed up live in the chat.” Rickard Eriksson

  8. The guestbook and the stomping feet

    The guestbook becomes the semi-public way to talk. The notification icon with the stomping feet makes hearts pound.

    “The guestbook became by far the most popular way to communicate on LunarStorm, and the notification icon with the stomping feet made your heart skip an extra beat.” Rickard Eriksson

  9. Windows NT ”freaks out”

    Stajl runs on Windows NT, IIS and ASP. When the traffic grows, NT freaks out, and there is no money for expensive servers.

    “I actually think programming is the most boring thing I know. But there was nobody else who could do it for me.” Rickard Eriksson

  10. The green epoch: Stajl’98

    A new design: ”button green, pixelly and full of personality”. The first beloved Stajl look.

  11. The oldest screenshot + StajlRadio

    The oldest dated image of Stajl Plejs Community. At the same time StajlRadio starts, with a chart, Spanarn and wzup.

  12. StajlFika: the members meet IRL

    One of the first physical meetups: Stajl members have fika (coffee and cake) together. 41 photos survive.

  13. Stajl Plejs Gathering (SG’98)

    The big members' meetup SG’98, with photo series from Varberg and Stockholm. The photographers were members themselves.

  14. Stajl Plejs moves to stajl.com

    The oldest Wayback snapshot: stajlplejs.com announces ”Stajl Plejs har bytt adress till http://Stajl.com” (Stajl Plejs has changed address).

  15. ”Your strawberry on the navel” *schwoosch*

    Stajl.com promises: ”In 14 days the new superfast Stajl Plejs premieres! … *schwoosch*”. The Lunar tone is born.

  16. The apricot blue-green epoch: Stajl’99

    A new colour scheme in apricot, blue and green: ”a place that was entirely our own”.

  17. ”Marsipan”, the official Stajl song

    Robert Jonsson composes and sings ”Marsipan” (Marzipan), Stajl Plejs Community's own song. It was sent with e-cards.

  18. Thirty minutes to log in

    The server can't cope. Logging in takes up to half an hour, and people wait anyway, to write ”heeey what u doing?? :D:D”.

    “It could take half an hour just to log in to the site. If someone can put up with reloading a page for over half an hour, that means, in commercial terms, extreme demand.” Rickard Eriksson

  19. The crossroads: shut down or become a company

    The pressure gets too great for a one-man band. Rickard asks his employer to go all in, and LunarWorks AB is founded.

    “In 1999 I came to a crossroads. Should I shut down or turn Stajlplejs into a company?” Rickard Eriksson

  20. StajlBot and the chatbot in the IRC chat

    The IRC chat had StajlBot, which you could give commands, for example to leave a message for someone who wasn't logged in. There was also a chatbot that learned from everything the members wrote to it.

    “The chatbot learned from the messages the members sent it. In the end it got pretty foul-mouthed, but incredibly fun. Like a very primitive form of ChatGPT.” Rickard Eriksson

  21. Bjarne is introduced: ”kjams everyone”

    Stajl is rebuilt, everyone registers again and the mascot Bjarne appears: ”an apricot-coloured little blob”.

  22. StajlRadio: jingles and Saturday live shows

    The web radio StajlRadio gets jingles in ”hello”, jazz and metal versions, produced by Robert Jonsson.

  23. Iceebear and HobbeN find each other on Stajl

    On 13 May 1999 Iceebear and HobbeN meet in the community. Seventeen days later he is on the train to Borås, and at New Year they get engaged. The first love story from the site in the press.

  24. IRL’99 in Tvååker, ”Sweden's biggest chat meetup”

    The members' meetup IRL’99 gathers the Stajl gang in Tvååker outside Varberg, with a banner, sponsors and a memorial page.

  25. The server that burned in the Yellow Villa

    August heat, no AC. The only server, holding the love lives of 43,000 teenagers, is glowing. Rickard pulls the plug.

    “There was a smell. Not fire. More like … you know when someone forgets the hair straightener in the bathroom and it lies there frying against a towel? … This obviously doesn't work. But it obviously works.” Rickard Eriksson

  26. Stajl Plejs in numbers: 184,000 registered

    August 1999: 17 million hits, 250,000 sessions, 29,000 active members and 184,000 registered since the start.

  27. IDG: ”Stajl Plejs ska bli internationell mötesplats” (will become an international meeting place)

    The plan goes public in an article from the IT publisher IDG: Stajl will be rebuilt as LunarStorm by New Year, with new servers, its own ICQ client, English and 288 countries.

    “The unique thing about LunarStorm is that we will offer an ICQ client we developed ourselves.” Rickard Eriksson

  28. The logo and the plan for the stroke of midnight

    The LunarStorm logo is drawn and the presentation written: LunarStorm.com|munity launches at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve 1999.

  29. ”On New Year's Eve Stajl changes its name”

    Stajl.com for regulars: ”33,438 regulars out of a total of 266,091 registered sweeties since Nov’96”. The name change is announced.

  30. När det blåser på månen: a song for the name change

    Robert Jonsson writes ”När det blåser på månen” (When the wind blows on the moon) ahead of the LunarStorm launch at the turn of the millennium 1999/2000. A song about LunarStorm as a city of its own on the net, where Bjarne is king.

  31. Christmas Day: Rickard's FAQ for the Stajl members

    Rickard answers the members about the switch: why the name, that everything stays free ”just like Stajl” and that Diskus is coming back.

    “I founded Stajl when I was 22, a few weeks after surfing the internet for the first time.” Rickard Eriksson

LunarStorm is born

At the stroke of midnight 1999/2000, Stajl Plejs Community becomes LunarStorm. A launch party, Bjarne, all cosy and huggy. From 27,000 to 950,000 members in just under two years.

  1. ”Underbara LunarStorm” and the members' remixes

    Robert Jonsson's acoustic tribute becomes LunarStorm's anthem. The members make dozens of remixes: dance, garage, acid.

  2. LunarStorm is born at the stroke of midnight

    While the world fears the millennium bug, Rickard presses the button. Stajl Plejs Community becomes LunarStorm, and a company.

    “I sat there on my own and pressed the button at twelve o'clock. It was the most boring and at the same time the most fun New Year's Eve of my life.” Rickard Eriksson

  3. The office in the old customs house by the harbour

    LunarWorks moves into the old customs house (Tullhuset) in Varberg harbour: a dog shower left over from Swedish Customs, red busy lights by the doors and the sea outside.

    “Then we moved down to Tullhuset by the harbour.” Rickard Eriksson

  4. Capital in the middle of the dotcom crash

    The media companies say no. Instead a grocer in Varberg, a Norwegian shipowner, a London property man and a scout association in Taiwan invest.

    “Instead it was a grocer in Varberg, a shipowner in Norway, a property magnate in London and a scout association in Taiwan. So we brought in 30 million or something.” Rickard Eriksson

  5. Hallands Nyheter: ”We will be the biggest in the world in our field”

    Hallands Nyheter (HN), the local paper in Varberg's region: the goal is five million users in two years. LunarStorm is growing by 1,400 members a day, even before the premiere.

    “In two years we'll have at least five million users!” Rickard Eriksson

  6. The launch party at Oscars in Varberg

    Official premiere. Launch party at Oscars with a live band and Kee Marcello of Europe on stage. LunarStorm has almost 100,000 members.

    “I was happiest around two o'clock, when I knew everything had gone smoothly.” Rickard Eriksson

  7. The soul of the brand: the school yearbook, fluffocracy, pick-up joint

    The Advisory Board votes for LunarStorm's three core words. The core: ”Relationships on my terms”. A Bjarne Happy Meal is proposed.

  8. 91,728 users, up from 26,056 at New Year

    The weekly statistics: 26,056 members in week 1, 91,728 on 15 May. 10,998 new ones in the last week alone.

  9. The first wave of press: ”a super cosy community”

    In spring and summer 2000 Göteborgs-Posten (GP), the Gothenburg daily, writes about LunarStorm, as do the Swedish design magazine Cap & Design, IT-Extra, the Swedish internet magazine Internetworld and Nollett. GP: ”A super cosy community”.

  10. ”The lovely community phreaks”: the crew takes shape

    The front page in 2000 spells out who builds the site: Rick, lumbus, Jay, TheQ, Rude, Ken, bornie, steffoo, EvaE and more. Several of them were Stajl members.

    “I could finally recruit a few of the most hardcore Stajl Plejs members who were also skilled developers, so that I could make a lot of these ideas I had.” Rickard Eriksson

  11. 160,000 members and 17 % of all 16 to 19-year-olds

    The fact sheet: 160,000 members, over 1,000 new ones a day. Stajl.com is called ”the first web-based community in the Nordics”.

  12. LunarTour rolls out across the country

    The summer tour LunarTour visits bars and festivals (Värnamo, Saturday 1 July) with live bands and LunarStorm shirts.

  13. Metro: ”2000-talets ungdomsgårdar” (the youth clubs of the 2000s)

    The free daily Metro: LunarStorm, Skunk and Dobedo are the youth clubs of the 2000s. LunarStorm is the site where Swedes stay the longest.

  14. ”People don't want to be anonymous”

    Internetguiden on chatting as a way of socialising. Rickard: at least one LunarStorm member in every Swedish upper secondary class.

    “People don't want to be anonymous, they want to get to know others and find out who they really are.” Rickard Eriksson

  15. Aftonbladet: ”Gulligt och gosigt på internet” (cute and cuddly on the internet)

    In Aftonbladet (AB), Sweden's biggest tabloid: from 35,000 to 156,000 members from March to June (+450 %). Rickard: the site is huggable and safe, and the world abroad awaits.

    “The site is huggable, and has a safe and soft feel … If you're the biggest dork, you don't suddenly become a rock star on Lunarstorm. We're going to keep our soul.” Rickard Eriksson

  16. LunarStorm 3.0 and the address lunarstorm.se

    ”*beep* The new LunarStorm 3.0 is here!” A new server park, a new menu system, a new address and Bjarne who ”fiffar å moffar”.

  17. Four years: ”Sweden's cuddliest online meeting place”

    Exactly four years after the start, lunarstorm.se is captured for the first time: Krypin, guestbook, LunarMejl, SMS. Signed *kjamiz*.

  18. Sweden's biggest community, overtaking Skunk

    MMXI, November 2000: LunarStorm 274,000 unique visitors against Spray's Skunk at 223,000. The Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet wants to make a LunarStorm Norway.

  19. ”LunarStorms Himla Interna Nyhetstjafs” (LunarStorm's Awfully Internal News Natter)

    Rickard starts sending an internal newsletter to ”17 lovely sweeties”, the entire staff. Version 4.0 is postponed and work begins on LunarPejl.

  20. Bjarne is going to sing for the reindeer

    Ahead of Christmas 2000, the front-page banner explains that Bjarne has to sleep through breakfast, lunch and dinner. He has promised to go with a big fat man with a white beard and sing for the reindeer.

  21. The Bjarne doll goes Lucia: Bjarne & Fuffe sing Stilla natt

    Bjarne exists as a cuddly toy. In December 2000 the doll is photographed as Lucia and as Santa, and Bjarne & Fuffe record ”Stilla natt” (Silent Night).

  22. The Aspiro deal: 5 million in the middle of the crash

    The mobile company Aspiro signs a deal worth SEK 5 million with LunarWorks for mobile services and webmail and becomes a part owner. The situation is ”precarious”.

  23. Targeted advertising ten years before Facebook

    Advertisers can choose age, gender, town and interests and get exactly the right reach. A standard product at LunarStorm in 2001.

    “What you can do on Facebook today, pick out a very specific target group … That was a standard product for us in 2001.” Rickard Eriksson

  24. The nicknames, the random generator and the status points

    Was your nickname taken? The random generator came up with one. And everything you did earned status points, which nobody wanted to lose.

    “You simply got a bit of status. But you absolutely didn't want to lose it. So you got a kind of social control that kept people a bit in check.” Rickard Eriksson

  25. Mr & Miss LunarStorm 2000

    The year's most loyal LunarStorm members are crowned ”with fireworks and fence tossing”. Mr LunarStorm is Skumpa P25 from Stockholm, logged in 355 days. Miss LunarStorm is Puzzis F18 from Håbo, 348 days.

  26. LunarTröjan: 450 shirts in twelve hours

    At 8 pm LunarTröjan (the Lunar shirt) goes on sale. Twelve hours later 450 shirts have been sold for SEK 100,000. After five days, over a thousand.

  27. Draw Bjarne in the steamed-up window

    When LunarStorm closes for a week for version 4.0, the members get a list of things to do in the meantime. Photograph a yawning hamster and claim it is a sabre-toothed tiger. Build a castle out of semolina porridge.

  28. The little annual review: ”a whole continent”

    Rickard sums up LunarStorm's first year: 520,000 members, some fifty media features and almost four logins a second, around the clock.

    “LunarStorm didn't just end up on the map, it got to be a whole continent.” Rickard Eriksson

  29. LunarStorm 4.0: closed for a week, then everything new

    After a week's closure, 4.0 opens in stages on 27 and 28 January 2001; the members wait on IRC. The CEO: ”y'all are bloody brilliant”.

  30. 600,000 members, half of all 14 to 24-year-olds

    LunarWorks: 600,000 registered, over 50 % of 14 to 24-year-olds and 2,800 new ones a day. But almost no revenue.

  31. 48,585 hearts in one day

    The Valentine's Day cards are posted the afternoon before. In one day the LunarStorm members send 48,585 hearts, on top of the cards in the categories Kär (In love), Mysgos (Cuddly) and Vän (Friend).

  32. LunarStorm contacts the National Criminal Police itself

    CEO Kjell Sallén contacts Rikskriminalen (the National Criminal Police) on his own initiative about hijacked accounts, harassment and illegal material. It is the start of a long collaboration on safety.

  33. 190,000 members against racism

    LunarStorm asks its members, and 75% of the 6,050 who answer want to work actively against racists and Nazis. A word filter is built.

  34. Lunarcave, the cave beneath Societetshuset

    The developers move down into “the Lunar Cave” in the basement of Societetshuset: 13 workstations. Management and support stay in Tullhuset.

  35. Pussgurka, Snobbjävel and Vinpimplare (Kissy Cucumber, Damn Snob and Wine Sipper)

    Twenty icons to pin on a friend: Sweet-smelling, Square, Cooling, Babe, Biker, Party pal, Film freak, Drinking buddy, Heart friend, Nerd, Artsy, Bjarne look-alike, Silly fave, Email pal, Kissy Cucumber, Neighbour, Damn Snob, Wine Sipper and Old Ex.

  36. VÅJS, with the voice of Tuva Novotny

    The voice feature VÅJS goes live: your own sound clips via a premium-rate number. The voice on the answering message is Tuva Novotny. The same evening Rickard is live on Wimans on the youth music channel ZTV.

  37. April Fool: the internet tax

    The front-page ticker claims that all surfing will be taxed from 20 June and that a family of four will pay SEK 300 to 900 more a month. All of it made up.

  38. SPÄM #1: the members’ magazine in your inbox

    The first issue of the SPÄM member newsletter goes out to 510,000 LunarStorm members: a funny-face contest, LunarMobil and a sneak peek at LunarPejl. Issue 2 is opened by 359,811.

  39. Internet guru Howard Rheingold meets LunarStorm

    Howard Rheingold (The Virtual Community) meets the founders of LunarWorks in Stockholm (“VERY interesting!”) and then interviews LunarMobil users.

    “I walked with him in the hills outside San Francisco and we talked.” Rickard Eriksson

  40. “Remember the SuperStajlare?”: the seed of PRO

    Rickard and CEO Kjell Sallén sketch a paid membership for dedicated LunarStorm members: more status, a fast lane and a stamp of authenticity. The model: the SuperStajlare of the Stajl days.

  41. The LunarMobil photo shoot

    A professional photo shoot for the mobile venture: blue LunarStorm jumper and a Nokia phone. 73 pictures from a Canon EOS D30.

  42. From 71st place to 4th

    The Swedish internet magazine Internetworld’s Top 100: LunarStorm is Sweden’s fourth best site, after Pricerunner, Aftonbladet (Sweden’s biggest tabloid) and Spray, and “by far the best community site”.

  43. LunarTour 2001: from Visby to Malmö

    The summer tour visits Visby, Pite Havsbad, Gothia Cup, Storsjöyran, Kungsträdgården and Malmöfestivalen, partly together with the Swedish Cancer Society’s SolaSakta.

  44. LunarMobil and the VRÅL prepaid card

    Its own mobile operator on Europolitan’s network: a SEK 295 starter pack with SMS services linked to the site. It went so-so.

    “Our prepaid card didn’t do very well, and neither did the site in Denmark.” Rickard Eriksson

  45. The time zone cheat

    A tip does the rounds: change time zone in your settings around midnight, update your krypin again and get the day’s status points one more time. Once for every time zone where the clock strikes twelve.

  46. IRL’01 at Karlstorp campsite

    Support “kidnaps” Karlstorp campsite in Halmstad. 192 LunarStorm members from all over the country meet IRL, that is, in real life.

    “It’s really weird, but apparently it’s going to work!” Rickard Eriksson

  47. Krypin becomes hule

    Ahead of the launch in Denmark, LunarStorm is translated into Danish. The krypin becomes hule, Tjöt becomes Sniksnak and Spana becomes Flirt og fjas. Anyone who has forgotten their password is greeted with “Har hunden spist dit kodeord? Fortvivl ikke!”

  48. Competitors at the same table

    Rickard and Kjell Sallén sit down with Skunk, Humla, the police, BRIS and Save the Children when the BUSIT network for children’s safety online is formed.

  49. LunarMarknad opens in Stockholm

    Vilhelm Schottenius builds up the sales department in Stockholm. The job ad is sent out, targeted, to LunarStorm members aged 20 to 30.

    “Sometimes you shouldn’t get too personal in spam mailouts.” Rickard Eriksson

  50. The servers move to Stockholm

    Over one weekend in September, the entire server park moves from KSg Systems’ data hall in Gothenburg to Stockholm. Sunday afternoon: “Full speed.”

  51. lunarstorm.dk launches

    The licence to Tele Danmark (TDC) is announced to the press in early September. On 17 September lunarstorm.dk opens, with a campaign in the Danish Big Brother house.

  52. DigDis and WZUP: young people have their say

    With the research company Cint, LunarStorm builds the opinion forum DigDis. The WZUP questions become a PR tool: 75,742 answers about the tabloids.

  53. Bjarne’s own krypin

    The mascot has a krypin of his own. In autumn 2001 it has 22,532 visits, 1,710 guestbook entries, 819 LunarMail messages and 2,708 friend requests.

  54. The coffee maker on the web

    brother builds a web page showing the coffee maker’s status in real time, so nobody has to walk to the kitchen in vain.

  55. Three times bigger than everyone else

    October 2001: 619,173 unique visitors and 1 hr 39 min per person. Skunk has 80,798, Humla 34,235.

    “We were three times bigger than our nearest competitors … Our biggest competitor was really everything else you could do. Time.” Rickard Eriksson

  56. MobbeGodis: logos and ringtones

    LunarStorm starts selling mobile logos and ringtones with Cellus. SEK 100,000 in the first month, and a Halloween special doubles the revenue in a single day.

  57. LunarStorm on Aktuellt: 1.1 million viewers

    SVT Aktuellt, the main news programme on Swedish public television, runs a report on LunarStorm in front of more than 1.1 million viewers. Also SVT’s regional news Västnytt and the children’s news programme Lilla Aktuellt in autumn 2001.

  58. LunarStorm USA, a licence across the Atlantic

    LunarWorks grants LunarStorm USA, LLC in New Jersey an exclusive licence to run LunarStorm in the USA. What happened next is not clear from the sources.

  59. The crew jackets: nicknames on the chest

    LunarCrew orders jackets with LUNARSTORM on the back and sleeve and their Lunar nickname by the breast pocket, some 25 of them in Varberg and Stockholm.

  60. WZUP: Nokia, 69 per cent

    Which mobile would you most like to have? 87,488 LunarStorm members answer. Nokia gets 69 per cent, Ericsson 17, Siemens 5 and Sony 3.

  61. Who is Jürgen?

    Thousands of LunarStorm members get guestbook entries from someone called Jürgen. You can’t reply, can’t block him and can’t find him. Support is drowning in questions.

    “You know nothing. Top secret.” Rickard Eriksson

  62. The Advent calendar with your own Santas

    In December 2001 the Advent calendar shows, every day, Santas the members have built themselves in Tomtelyzern, with links to their creators’ krypins.

  63. A new board, and Hans Eriksson becomes CFO

    Hans Eriksson moves from the board to the job of CFO. The AGM elects Gunnar Mårtensson as chair, with Peter Åsberg (Coca-Cola) among others.

  64. Christmas wish 2001: a new computer

    What would you most like for Christmas? 62,838 answer. A new computer wins with 19 per cent, ahead of a mobile phone (17) and nothing electronic at all (15).

  65. “Full”

    The site is so sluggish that a cap is introduced: when too many people are logged in, the rest are told “full”. The same evening the staff have their Christmas party.

The golden years

“Seven days from bankruptcy”, then PRO and a cake for 100,000 customers. Sweden's best website, an entry in the NE encyclopaedia, 53 guestbook posts a second and 80% of all young people.

  1. The hardware upgrade: server romance

    New hardware in the server hall, photographed by the staff. A month later: “Sthlm v8”. 90 pictures of love for metal.

  2. How did you find LunarStorm?

    WZUP asks how everyone found their way here. 64 per cent were tipped off by a friend, 8 per cent via an email from a friend and 4 per cent via ICQ. 3 per cent have been around since Stajl Plejs.

  3. LunarShow at Palladium in Växjö

    Valentine’s Day: Rickard, lumbus, TheQ, Rude and Fredrik Werneholm show LunarStorm to about a hundred young people in Växjö. Grrl Tech is launched the same evening.

  4. “865 000 kompisar träffas på Lunarstorm” (865,000 friends meet on Lunarstorm)

    The Swedish internet magazine Internetworld visits Lunarcave: 33 employees, 8 logins, 10 guestbook entries and 2 LunarMails. Every second.

    “We’re pretty dorky here. And most Swedes live in towns like Varberg and are a bit dorky. That’s why people like what we do.” Rickard Eriksson

  5. One million accounts and visitors

    March 2002: over one million registered accounts and, after MMXI’s correction, 1,004,000 unique visitors in a month. That is 47% of all 12 to 17-year-olds.

    “Soon we’ll kill off ICQ =)” Rickard Eriksson

  6. Det Stora Internetpriset 2001 (the Great Internet Prize)

    BitoS names LunarWorks the winner: LunarStorm has “brought the Internet into teenagers’ bedrooms”. The prize, an obelisk of melted-down monitor glass, is presented on 4 June.

    “The nominees were the Home PC reform, which I thought should have won … But also Lunarstorm, apparently. It has helped young girls get over all these thresholds.” Rickard Eriksson

  7. Kisses, hugs and =)

    TheQ counts the words in 250,000 guestbooks: 6.6 million words. After du, jag and det (you, I, it) come e (is), puss (kiss), =), då? (then?), kram (hug) and helgen (the weekend).

  8. Paid registration is stopped

    Everything is ready to charge new members. At the last minute management backs down: voluntary paid services first. The decision paves the way for Kolla, Lajv and PRO.

  9. The LUNARPARTY album

    The compilation album LUNARPARTY (named after the site’s most popular chat room) is released with Bonnier Music and enters the compilation chart at number one in its launch week. Bert Karlsson calls, and he is not happy.

    “An angry Bert Karlsson rang me and asked what this LunarStorm thing was, and how on earth something like that could knock his dansband off the top of the chart.” Rickard Eriksson

  10. RajRaj, the party tracker from OLW

    LunarStorm launches the party tracker RajRaj, sponsored by OLW. First week: 157,298 unique visitors. The contract required 60,000 a month.

  11. Sweden’s Best Site 2002

    The Swedish internet magazine Internetworld’s Top 100 names LunarStorm Sweden’s best site. The Swedish news agency TT and the national dailies Dagens Nyheter, Dagens Industri and Svenska Dagbladet write about it. 2.4 million visitors a month.

  12. The chain letter that would crash the servers

    A chain letter urges everyone to log in at the same time, at 9 pm on 22 June, to test the servers and force the crew to buy better ones. It is Midsummer’s Eve.

    “*giggle* There probably won’t be that many people online at 9 pm on Midsummer’s Eve” Rickard Eriksson

  13. IRL’02 in Halmstad

    The IRL’02 members’ meet in Halmstad is organised by Föreningen IRL (the IRL Association), memorable among other things for the condom tent. Rickard is there.

  14. Modem or ADSL?

    What internet connection do you have at home? ADSL 37 per cent, modem 24, LAN 8, cable modem 8 and ISDN 2.

  15. KOLLA: LunarStorm on your mobile for everyone

    The SMS remote control KOLLA is released for all operators. After nine days 50,000 have linked their mobile to their Krypin, by October 120,000.

  16. The WORD! button nobody knew about

    A member reads the source code and finds a button that isn’t visible yet: WORD!, to press when someone has written something good. He emails Rick and asks what it is.

  17. Vilhelm Schottenius becomes acting CEO

    Kjell Sallén steps down from the operational CEO role after three years. Marketing director Vilhelm Schottenius takes over: live on revenue, not venture capital.

  18. P4 Halland: “Mötesplats med tvivelaktiga besökare” (a meeting place with dubious visitors)

    Racists and neo-Nazis have used the site. On P4 Halland, Swedish public radio's local station in Halland, Rickard talks about the safety department and how the members themselves uphold the rules.

  19. “Seven days from bankruptcy”: the crisis autumn of 2002

    August is one of the worst results ever. On 13 September the CEO asks management to prepare a worst case, and the hosting provider Genuity goes bankrupt.

    “It was only a matter of a week before the company would go bankrupt.” Rickard Eriksson

  20. The general election on LunarStorm

    The parties each get a Diskus forum to run. Göran Persson and SSU’s Mikael Damberg write on the Social Democrats’ Krypin, and the Swedish news agency TT, the tabloid Expressen and the national daily Svenska Dagbladet take note.

  21. “The baby is now called Pro”

    The SuperLunar idea from 2001 is dusted off in the middle of the crisis and gets its name. Klas Karlsson becomes project manager and the spec arrives the next day.

    “The baby is now called Pro.” Rickard Eriksson

  22. One in a million: a million visitors a week

    Gallup/RedMeasure: 1,005,009 unique visitors in one week. During the media storm the week after, LunarStorm climbs to 1,075,325 and overtakes Passagen.

    “One in a million! … We overtook Passagen =)” Rickard Eriksson

  23. LAJV, the SMS wall

    Lajv launches: send a text for SEK 3 and appear live to everyone online, filtered so you don’t see messages from people much older or younger.

  24. The internet is no babysitter

    Rickard writes a letter to parents and teachers with practical advice. It goes out as a LunarMail to all members aged 8 to 12, to print out and take home.

  25. PRO launches: 100,000 payments in three weeks

    VIP beta on 22 October, rumours in chain letters, and on 4 November PRO goes live for SEK 10 per 30 days. 100,000 payments in three weeks.

    “But we had a knife to our throat. We had to do something. So we dusted off a premium service we had sketched out and launched it in just a week or so.” Rickard Eriksson

  26. Extraordinary general meeting and a new board

    At CLS’s request a new board is elected. Kjell Nilsson (CLS) becomes chair and the director of education Robert Bengtsson represents the founders.

  27. Alf Svensson knew the answer

    On Lilla Aktuellt, the children’s news on Swedish public television, the party leaders are tested on internet questions. Christian Democrat leader Alf Svensson is asked which site you can’t download music from and, with a little help, picks Lunarstorm.

  28. DreamHack: a fast lane for the LAN crowd

    LunarStorm sets up its own “fast lane server” for DreamHack visitors in Jönköping. The crew is on site and a webcam shows “LunarCrew live”.

  29. Aspiro’s shares are bought by management

    Aspiro, under reconstruction, sells its stake in LunarWorks to members of management and a private investor. 2.7 million unique visitors a month.

  30. Cake: 100,000 PRO in gold lettering

    100,000 active PRO customers. The Varberg crew celebrates with cake, charged to the Consumer department, on condition that it is decorated with “100 000 PRO” in gold lettering.

    “If LunarStorm PRO works the way we hope, in a year I’ll be lecturing internet strategists on Wall Street.” Rickard Eriksson

  31. Guldmusen: Rickard nominated for IT Person of the Year

    Rickard is nominated for IT Person of the Year at the Guldmusen (Golden Mouse) awards.

  32. RunarStorm? No thanks.

    Runar Søgaard wants to call the forum on his new site for Christians in Sweden RunarStorm, and asks for permission. The answer is no. There will be no RunarStorm.

    “I’ve already binned him, so you don’t need to discuss it.” Rickard Eriksson

  33. 21 guestbook entries a second

    Rick writes the texts for the live counters above the login. Right then, 21 guestbook entries are being written every second and 245 LunarMails every minute.

  34. Sweden’s biggest polling institute for young people

    132,002 young people answer about a war against Iraq. Over 70% say no, among young women about 90%. LunarStorm’s surveys become press releases.

  35. 80% of all 12 to 24-year-olds have a Krypin

    1,092,000 members aged between 12 and 24. 26 employees, 20 in Varberg and 6 in Stockholm. The grown-up world doesn’t understand a thing.

  36. Kollage, the photo album in PRO

    After a test with 6,000 members, the Kollage photo album becomes part of PRO. A month later 27,000 people have uploaded 137,000 photos.

  37. Over a million a week, second in the KIA index

    In week 15 LunarStorm has 1,039,335 unique visitors, second in the KIA index after Aftonbladet, Sweden's biggest tabloid. The email signature: “a million unique visitors a week”.

  38. April Fools': LunarCrew Collector Cards

    On 1 April 2003 members get collector cards featuring the LunarCrew: strength, agility, kindness and power. Power Cards: Andreas, Jay, Jonny and Rick.

  39. 12,000 name ideas for the magazine

    Members get to name LunarStorm's print magazine and send in 12,000 suggestions. Top five: LunarNews, lunarbladet, Lunarstorm, LunarNytt and Lunar.

    “Storm isn't good either, even if it sounds cool.” Rickard Eriksson

  40. The celebrity chat built for Göran Persson

    The celebrity chat feature is built so that Prime Minister Göran Persson can chat with the LunarStorm members. It never happens, but the tool stays.

    “Practically every reality TV celebrity, Fame Factory contestant and assorted pop artist has a krypin.” Rickard Eriksson

  41. Researchers discover LunarStorm

    Umeå researcher Daniel Skog interviews users: the krypin makes people open up. In total 48 theses and studies in DiVA.

    “The krypin had a superpower none of us had consciously designed. It made people open up.” Rickard Eriksson

  42. Number five on Ny Teknik's power list

    The engineering weekly Ny Teknik ranks the 50 people with the most power over the future of IT and telecoms. Rickard comes fifth, ahead of TeliaSonera and the venture capitalists, among others.

    “The old men are standing cap in hand.” Rickard Eriksson

  43. Next step: community on the TV sofa

    Ahead of the board's strategy meeting Rickard proposes that LunarStorm move into digital TV: first the desktop, then the mobile and then the sofa.

    “Community on the TV is the next big thing, in the long run bigger than the desktop computer.” Rickard Eriksson

  44. Its own entry in Nationalencyklopedin

    The Swedish national encyclopaedia NE writes about “the little site from Varberg”. For Rickard the biggest confirmation: a website in the encyclopaedia.

    “What I think was a big moment was when Lunarstorm got its own entry in Nationalencyklopedin. Somehow it became real then. And more accepted.” Rickard Eriksson

  45. The day every guestbook was empty

    The guestbook has grown to several hundred million posts and gets a new database. Suddenly everyone's guestbook is empty, with a link to the old one.

    “That's why your guestbook is empty and boring.” Rickard Eriksson

  46. Debut, the print magazine that got one issue

    With the Bonnier publisher Bonzoo, LunarStorm launches the magazine Debut: 76 pages, SEK 29, 100,000 copies. It sells poorly and is put on ice in November.

  47. Anna Lindh and “3 girls”: 100,000 condolences

    The day after the attack on Anna Lindh, the front page honours her and two other young people killed the same week. Members write over 100,000 condolences.

  48. The youth referendum on the euro

    600,000 members under 18 get to vote by post via LunarMejl. On election day 183,702 young people vote: 70% no, 26% yes and 4% blank.

  49. The mussel, the cloud and the toilet roll

    The answers to the mood icons in LunarStorm 5: Semi-social was a mussel, Grumpy a cloud, Gaming a game piece, Flirty a pair of lips and Busy a toilet roll.

    “so you get what's meant by the sometimes semi-obvious symbolism.” Rickard Eriksson

  50. LunarStorm 5: new look and Pejl

    LunarStorm 5 and the instant messaging service Pejl launch after a day's delay. On the first day 1,172,179 Pejl messages are sent.

  51. Trick or treat: the creepiest krypin

    At Halloween 2003 members put Halloween make-up on their krypins and compete for the creepiest krypin.

  52. Young people on the outside: LunarStorm in a government inquiry

    SOU 2003:92 is presented at Rosenbad. Young people outside school and work were given a voice on the problem via LunarStorm. The site is mentioned in twelve places.

  53. lunarstorm.dk is saved

    The board wants to close the Danish site. Members protest with petitions and on youth TV, and on 14 November the site moves to its own servers.

  54. Pablo and Donna

    Pablo, the members' stage for their own creations with mentors, opens at 4 pm. The dating service Donna follows the day after. Konsument treats everyone to cake.

  55. A hundred discussion bosses on paper

    The member editorial team receives a paper protest list from 100 discussion bosses. They want all talk about the day's WZUP gathered in its own discussion forum instead of flooding theirs.

  56. “Someone at the other end”: priests on call

    Daniel, a youth leader in the Church of Sweden, starts a support forum on LunarStorm: priests, youth leaders and psychologists answer young people who are struggling, bound by confidentiality and with no sales pitch.

  57. “Right now 53 guestbook posts are being written every second”

    The start page: every week a million people gather, average age 18. The mood picker: Happy as a sun, Semi-social, Grumpy, Flirty.

  58. Schools block it, Rickard says basketball court

    Ludvika blocks LunarStorm in its schools, where 75% of pupils are active. Rickard: blocking it is like taking away the basketball court.

    “Blocking access to LunarStorm during breaks is like taking away the basketball court … This is at least as important for the individual as knowing about Napoleon.” Rickard Eriksson

  59. Chat with LunarCrew

    Rickard wants the crew to answer members directly again, not be a distant elite. Every week a chat opens where anyone can ask.

  60. Record: 46,866 logged in at once

    One Thursday evening 46,866 members are logged in at the same time and traffic reaches 291 Mbit/s, levels the tech team had not expected until the end of the year.

  61. WZUP: question of the day

    The daily poll WZUP is answered by up to 150,000 people a day. The Melodifestivalen question (Sweden's Eurovision selection) gets 124,963 answers.

  62. The April Fools' joke the founder didn't know about

    The 2004 April Fools' joke claims the EU requires a personal internet code, and every LunarStorm member gets an incomprehensible code. Rick is somewhere hot as hell and has no idea.

    “Hang on, what's this April Fools' joke that's up?” Rickard Eriksson

  63. LunarStorm on your mobile: wap.lunarstorm.se

    After a beta with 10,000 users the WAP site opens officially. Free in April, then SEK 10 a month. Three weeks later 27,000 have tried it.

  64. The Guldägg plaque

    At the Guldägg advertising awards at China/Berns, LunarStorm receives the Guldäggsplaketten, the jury's special prize: a reach bigger than the commercial TV channels TV3, Kanal 5, MTV and ZTV combined.

    “Hi, I don't think we got a Guldägg, but we did get the Guldäggsplaketten.” Rickard Eriksson

  65. Klubbar: 50,000 clubs in a month

    Klubbar (clubs) soft-launch one evening in April. Members start almost 50,000 clubs, and the biggest is an anti-bullying club.

    “WORLD CLASS, BLOODY HELL, WORLD CLASS!!!” Rickard Eriksson

  66. “Gratiswebben ett minne blott” (the free web a thing of the past): SEK 38 million and a profit

    Svenska Dagbladet (SvD), a national daily newspaper, holds up LunarStorm as proof that people will pay online. 2003: SEK 38 million in turnover (+55%), profit SEK 6.5 million, SEK 16 million from members.

    “The success comes from building up the site over a long time and creating loyalty among the members.” Rickard Eriksson

  67. New CEO: Hans Eriksson takes over

    Vilhelm Schottenius leaves after almost two years as CEO. CFO Hans Eriksson becomes acting CEO on 1 June and then permanent.

  68. A billion page views a month

    May 2004: 1.039 billion page views, almost as many as microsoft.com. With 50 servers against Microsoft's 950.

    “Suck on that!” Rickard Eriksson

  69. Trampolin and Guru

    The upper secondary community Trampolin (with a forum for every upper secondary school) and Guru, a competition for the best krypin made with Coca-Cola, launch the same week.

  70. 5,000 weddings and almost as many Lunar babies

    A couple meet through a Lunar diary, meet IRL in 2003 and marry on Midsummer Eve 2004. In total around 5,000 couples have married thanks to the site.

    “It wasn't a dating site, but a survey we did a few years ago showed that about 5,000 couples have married thanks to Lunarstorm.” Rickard Eriksson

  71. The visitor log goes PRO

    Who has been checking out your krypin? From autumn 2004 the visitor log is for PRO members only. The suspense grows.

  72. A university course on LunarStorm

    Umeå University's course “Digitala kulturer och strategier” (Digital cultures and strategies) is held in the club DigitalaKulturer on LunarStorm, opened by researcher Elza Dunkels.

  73. Hitta allt

    A search log from autumn 2004 shows what the LunarStorm members searched for. By far the most common: “hitta allt” (find everything), 7,414 times.

  74. Web Lajv

    Lajv can now be sent straight from the web: four Lajv messages for SEK 15. Web Lajv quickly outgrows SMS Lajv, with 3,000 to 4,000 a day during the November half-term.

  75. The Stop button

    The industry's shared Stop button for reporting inappropriate content launches, with LunarStorm as the initiator. The Swedish news agency TT spreads the news.

  76. The new PRO and record month November

    New PRO page, new icon and payment via 0900 numbers in three tiers. Sales are “fantastic” and November becomes the company's best month: SEK 5.6 million.

  77. 1.2 million unique a week

    Week 49: 1,207,967 unique browsers. Week 50: 1,257,922 and 279 million page views. Daily record on Thursday 16 December: 397,820.

    “Onepointtwomillion.” Rickard Eriksson

  78. RIP the chat, 1996 to 2004

    The web chat and the Java/IRC chat close: few users and too expensive to modernise. Rickard writes the obituary.

    “RIP 1996-2004 Stajl Plejs' first feature.” Rickard Eriksson

  79. Record day: 46.7 million page views

    Just before Christmas LunarStorm sets a record with 46.7 million page views in one day. The fifth anniversary of the name is approaching.

  80. Tsunami night: Daniel and 100 unanswered posts

    543 Swedes die. On Boxing Day the youth leader Daniel logs in to the forum “Någon i andra änden” (Someone at the other end) and sees 100 unanswered posts. The next day priests are on call around the clock.

    “The night 543 Swedes died in the tsunami, Daniel from the Church of Sweden got in touch with us. Not with Aftonbladet, not with SVT, but with us.” Rickard Eriksson

  81. Five years: a 48-hour anniversary

    Five years since the name change. Over New Year's Eve: an anniversary logo, a campaign page about the history that Rickard writes himself and a free web Lajv for everyone.

  82. One in four has dated someone from Lunar

    Looking back at 2004: member activity +50%, over 40% pay for something, and one in four has been in a relationship with someone they met there.

  83. The board says yes to LunarStorm UK

    Rickard, the finance director and the CEO present the plan for a British launch. The board is unanimous and applauds spontaneously, for the first time.

  84. Rheingold: nothing in the world compares

    In the article “LunarStorm: Sweden’s Youthful, Increasingly Mobile Virtual Community” Howard Rheingold finds no equivalent anywhere in the world among young people.

  85. Sminkeditorn: a generation learns HTML

    Jay Svensson's Sminkeditorn (the make-up editor) arrives with PRO 2 after a whole night's work, the single most important feature in the revenue rocket PRO. The first Lajv about PRO 2 appears after 12 seconds, and by February 76,000 have upgraded.

    “A whole generation of krypin decorators who learned HTML without realising they were learning HTML.” Rickard Eriksson

  86. Friends 2.0 after a 57-day countdown

    A counter on the start page counts down 57 days. Members guess everything from a shutdown to Bjarne's comeback. The answer: Friends 2.0.

  87. Annual accounts 2004: SEK 50.1 million and sights set on London

    Turnover rises 31% to SEK 50.1 million. The headlines the same day: “Lunarstorm växer så det knakar” (Lunarstorm is booming) and “Nu blir Lunarstorm brittisk” (Lunarstorm goes British).

  88. Registered office in Stockholm and a holding company

    The AGM moves the company's registered office to Stockholm and makes LunarWorks a holding company, so that operations abroad can be run in separate companies.

  89. The first brand advert

    A full page in the entertainment magazine Nöjesguiden, the first time LunarStorm buys advertising for its own brand. In the autumn the campaign “Personligheter” (Personalities) follows, featuring members.

  90. “Every week 1,200,000 lovely people gather”

    The start page: Sweden's biggest site for dating and friendship. 247 million page views and 1.2 million unique browsers a week.

  91. LunarStorm at Hultsfred

    LunarStorm is media partner when the Hultsfred festival turns 20 and sells a record number of tickets. The crew blogs live with artist chats and photos.

  92. Green Day ahead of Bonka Bäver

    In summer 2005 members vote for their own music chart. In August Green Day lead with Holiday.

  93. Sweden's biggest blogging service: 231,000 diarists

    LunarStorm's diary is the country's biggest blogging service. One in ten Swedish young people blog there regularly.

  94. Rickard becomes “Brand Manager”

    In his email signature Rickard goes from editor-in-chief via “Brandman” (Swedish for firefighter) to Brand Manager: the brand, the redesign, the UK site's front page and the advertising.

  95. Gunvor.se: music to download

    The music shop Gunvor.se opens together with the survey Äger, Duger, Suger 2 (Rocks, Will Do, Sucks) at Café Opera. The deals with the record labels are negotiated during the autumn.

  96. “Så blev Lunarstorm hyperkommersiellt” (How Lunarstorm went hyper-commercial)

    Coca-Cola, Arla (Kastrull), OLW (RajRaj) and Pressbyrån. 360,000 unique a day, 80% of 15 to 20-year-olds every week.

    “Every big brand that wanted to market itself to young people went to Lunarstorm first. Ads accounted for 60 percent and the premium service for 40.” Rickard Eriksson

  97. LunarStorm UK opens in London

    LunarStorm.co.uk launches at 4 pm. An office in London, its own promo films, but it has taken a year from idea to launch.

    “It took a year from the idea to the launch, and by then it was too late. Before that, social media didn't exist at all in any other country, except South Korea.” Rickard Eriksson

  98. New York Times: “Online community takes Sweden by storm”

    The NYT calls LunarStorm an “accidental media titan” with a youth audience three times bigger than MTV's in Sweden.

  99. New LunarHQ at Monark

    LunarStorm leaves Tullhuset and Caven and moves into Monark's old tool department: around 940 m² newly renovated, with room for the whole Varberg gang.

    “Bloody awesome! Stylish! Big! Flashy! Serious!” Rickard Eriksson

  100. Ungt val with Aftonbladet

    LunarStorm and Aftonbladet, Sweden's biggest tabloid, start Ungt val (Young Vote) ahead of the 2006 election, with a big vote in May. The joint press release goes out on 8 December.

  101. Alice Babs and LunarStorm

    The schools leaflet “Några ord om LunarStorm” (A few words about LunarStorm): Rickard compares it with Alice Babs, the “Riksslynan” (national hussy) who became a royal court singer.

    “LunarStorm will be the jazz, rock or dreadful video of the 2000s … LunarStorm is not technology and computers, it is a place for relationships.” Rickard Eriksson

  102. The peak year 2006

    Biggest on every measure: 1.6 million unique visitors a week, 90,000 to 100,000 logged in at once, 56 minutes a day.

    “I suppose we were at our biggest by every metric, unique visitors, revenue, profit and so on, in 2006. But that's also when I got tired of it.” Rickard Eriksson

  103. LunarStorm on TV: the advert and Wimans

    LunarStorm's 2006 commercial (directed by Daniel Chilla, Masterplan) and a sketch on the TV programme Wimans.

  104. Annual accounts 2005: SEK 71 million and SEK 15 million profit

    Turnover grows 42% to SEK 71.1 million, profit reaches SEK 15.1 million. 15.2 billion page views and 98 million user hours.

  105. “Everyone I hang out with is on Lunar, even my mum”

    63 employees, 375,000 users a day, 1.4 million a week. Rickard himself logs in 5 to 10 times a day.

    “Yes, I log in 5-10 times a day. Everyone I hang out with is on Lunar (even my mum).” Rickard Eriksson

  106. Mörtstedt bids 170 million

    Property billionaire Sten Mörtstedt, already the largest owner, bids SEK 170 million for the rest of the shares. He wants to go to Europe, the USA and China.

    “A property man in London who paid 170 million for the majority of a company that four years earlier had been seven days from bankruptcy.” Rickard Eriksson

  107. LunarStorm is sold at a valuation of SEK 350 million

    Mörtstedt takes the majority. The option scheme gives the staff a tidy sum.

    “I'm not commenting on that. I have enough to get by.” Rickard Eriksson

  108. Sweden's best community 2006

    The Swedish internet magazine Internetworld names LunarStorm Sweden's best community, ten years after the start.

  109. The 2006 redesign

    A new Swedish design on the .aspx platform with Flash 7: “puddings you have to meet”. The sketches were already done in December 2005.

  110. “Thank You For The Music”

    At the tenth anniversary party, Rickard makes up his mind. In his blog he says thanks: 75+ employees in Varberg, Stockholm, London and Copenhagen.

    “It was at the 10th anniversary party. By then I had worked round the clock on it for 10 years and was pretty fed up … It's been bloody brilliant fun!” Rickard Eriksson

After Rickard

The founder leaves at the top. A new owner, Lunar Group, Bilddagboken. And then Facebook. PRO becomes free and the visitors dry up.

  1. Mr LunarStorm says goodbye

    In the middle of a record year, the founder leaves day-to-day operations. The CEO, head of product and CFO all leave the same autumn. Per Dahl becomes acting CEO.

  2. “Here is the Lunarstorm family”

    Aftonbladet, Sweden's biggest tabloid, meets couples who met on LunarStorm. 400,000 visitors a day; 72% of all 15 to 20-year-olds are members.

    “I remember when Lunarstorm became a word of its own in Nationalencyklopedin. That was amazing.” Rickard Eriksson

  3. “We want you back!”: the RickFans fan club

    Members write “We want you back!” in Rickard's guestbook and start the fan club RickFans.

  4. The video campaign: the members make the ads

    When the video feature launches, the ads are made by the members themselves: 12 films for TV and cinema. One of them, “Keinanen P16” on MTV, was made by 16-year-old Marcus Keinänen Sandgren.

  5. Rickard starts LBS Science Park

    After LunarStorm, Rickard starts SciPark in Varberg and gets a house, a family and children.

    “I play, get a house, start a family and have children. Experiment a lot.” Rickard Eriksson

  6. LunarStorm buys 40% of Bilddagboken

    New CEO Mikko Ollinen and a new board. LunarStorm buys 40% of Bilddagboken for SEK 4 million and makes the gallery free.

  7. With Tradera and LunarStorm in the rear-view mirror

    The Swedish internet magazine Internetworld brings together two founders who have moved on: Rickard and Tradera's Jonas Nordlander. On open development and night duty.

    “People talk a lot about web 2.0 and user-generated content, but Lunarstorm has been exactly that since 1996.” Rickard Eriksson

  8. 1.2 million: 636,000 girls and 564,000 boys

    Official statistics Q1 2007: 86% of all 12 to 17-year-olds are on it. 1.37 billion page views a month.

  9. UK and Denmark close

    The British version attracted too few users and is shut down along with the Danish one.

  10. Lunar Group: all of Bilddagboken and Tyda

    The parent company buys the rest of Bilddagboken and 57% of Tyda and becomes Lunar Group. The same year Wyatt Media Group is born.

  11. PRO scrapped, “Club Lunar”

    All PRO features become free. The front page becomes minimal: “1571 Online just nu” (1571 online right now). Willingness to pay has dropped, says the CEO.

  12. “Varberg: Lunarstorm for sale”

    SVT Halland, Swedish public television's local news: LunarStorm is for sale. In June the front page shows “8120 Online just nu” (8120 online right now).

  13. Rickard launches Totiki me

    Rickard's new company releases Totiki me, which gathers all social networks in one place. He predicts the end of the big communities.

    “The time is over for big global community players where all your friends are.” Rickard Eriksson

  14. Unofficial Christmas party at LunarStorm

    The office in 2008: a big LunarStorm mural, a Christmas buffet and a tree. The gang gets together, officially or not.

  15. The collapse: from half a million to a hundred thousand

    Last week of 2007: just over 500,000 unique visitors. The same week in 2009: just over 100,000. WZUP shrinks to 10,000 answers a day.

    “You could say that Lunarstorm died the Bilddagboken death, while Bilddagboken died the Facebook death.” Rickard Eriksson

LS8 and the end

8 August 2010: “*KJAAAM* Lunarstorm is dead, long live LS8.” The successor falls silent and the domains eventually point somewhere else.

  1. LS8 in closed beta

    “LunarStorm version 8” is tested by 2,000 invited users. The Varberg company Emya builds a new LunarStorm from scratch.

    “The revolution my generation sees in Facebook and Twitter today already happened ten years ago.” Rickard Eriksson

  2. “What happened to Lunarstorm?”

    Rickard in the local paper Smålandsposten: at most, 300,000 people a month paid for something. The decline: fragmented surfing and people's own blogs.

    “Lunarstorm was actually unique in the world when it came to paid services.” Rickard Eriksson

  3. The closure is announced

    Wyatt Media Group: LunarStorm closes this summer and is replaced by LS8. From 1.6 million unique visitors a week to 100,000.

  4. “The 80s generation's virtual youth club closes down”

    P4 Sjuhärad, Swedish public radio's local station in Sjuhärad: young people remember how almost the whole class was there. The media strategist: Facebook pulled the friends over.

  5. LunarStorm closes. *KJAAAM*

    “Now we're closing Lunarstorm … *KJAAAM* Lunarstorm is dead, long live LS8.” After just over ten years, the site goes dark.

    “I didn't cry … What I felt was more of a quiet bitterness. We had 1.2 million members, 80 percent of all Swedish teenagers, and didn't manage to make anything sensible of it.” Rickard Eriksson

  6. “Zuckerberg biggest, but Eriksson first”

    A portrait in Svenska Dagbladet (SvD), a national daily newspaper: “Mark Zuckerberg in Palo Alto is without doubt the biggest, but Rickard Eriksson in Varberg was first.”

    “If you run a site for young people, you have to take on a bit of parental responsibility, even if you run a commercial site.” Rickard Eriksson

  7. Nyheter24 buys Wyatt Media Group

    The group behind the Swedish news site Nyheter24 takes over LunarStorm, LS8, Bilddagboken and Tyda. LS8 pauses as early as June to July.

  8. LS8 falls silent

    The successor LS8 goes inactive during autumn 2011. According to a fact box in Hallands Nyheter (HN), the local paper in Varberg's region, the Swedish news site Nyheter24 shuts down LunarStorm in October 2011.

  9. “LS8: We're taking a break..”

    The front page announces that LS8 is paused “due to lack of engagement”. The break becomes permanent.

  10. The domains point to Hamsterpaj

    lunarstorm.se and ls8.se start redirecting to Hamsterpaj. In the book draft: “In 2012 LunarStorm went dark for the last time.”

    “Thirteen years later, in 2012, LunarStorm went dark for the last time. No server overheated. It was people in meeting rooms who decided.” Rickard Eriksson

The afterlife: nostalgia and anniversaries

Nostalgia sites, documentaries on Sveriges Radio P3, Lunar20 at sea, Bjarne moonwalking. And now 30 years since Stajl Plejs Community, 18 October 2026.

  1. The memorial page on neenya.com

    Rickard publishes LunarStorm's history, FAQ and the linslus (camera hog) gallery on neenya.com/lunarstorm, later lunarstorm.nu.

  2. Rickard moves to Motala, for a while

    Long after the closure, Rickard lives in Motala for about eight years. That is why the Östergötland press covers the 20th anniversary.

  3. Facebook turns ten, and P3 remembers LunarStorm

    In a column on Sveriges Radio P3, the national youth channel, LunarStorm is called “the Swedish Facebook of its day”, where we built a whole persona around strange usernames.

  4. P3: “Lunarstorm went to its grave, but Hamsterpaj lives on”

    Rickard and Hamsterpaj's Johan Höglund on Sveriges Radio P3, the national youth channel, about the death of the Swedish communities: the acquisition boom, text messaging and broadband.

    “Maybe it could have happened in Sweden, since we were first in the world with social media. Now that's a bit of smug bragging, perhaps.” Rickard Eriksson

  5. Swedish internet pioneers

    The Swedish Internet Foundation (Internetstiftelsen) interviews Rickard in its series on Swedish internet pioneers. Nine minutes on BBSes, Stajl and 30 percent paying.

    “Social media has somehow given people each other back. My name is Rickard Eriksson, from Varberg.” Rickard Eriksson

  6. LunarStorm at the Internet Museum

    Sweden's first internet museum opens, with “Lunarstorm blir ett av världens första webbcommunity” (Lunarstorm becomes one of the world's first web communities) on its timeline.

  7. “Vem vet mest?”: the warm-up begins

    The quiz video “Vem vet mest” (Who knows the most) and the Facebook page “Jag var med på LunarStorm” (I was on LunarStorm) wake up the old members.

  8. The nostalgia site Stajlplejs opens

    Ordinary LunarStorm members build a tribute site with all of LunarStorm's features and call it Stajlplejs. 3,100 members in five days.

    “I think it's exciting. A cool tribute to something that was pretty big back then … I've registered my nickname so I'm on there. Rick!” Rickard Eriksson

  9. P3: Brownish orange and ice blue

    On PP3, a programme on Sveriges Radio P3, the national youth channel, Rickard tells how the colours and the iconic profile pictures came about. The same day the satire show Tankesmedjan pokes fun at the comeback.

  10. The Internetmuseum podcast: LunarStorm meets Skunk

    In the podcast from the Swedish Internet Museum (Internetmuseum), Rickard and Skunk founder Andreas Harnemo talk about the pioneering spirit of the 90s. Later: a 54-minute video interview.

    “I get that question almost every day from old members, because they want to look back nostalgically at their old pictures and diary entries … I honestly don't know if it's technically possible to put all that equipment back together again.” Rickard Eriksson

  11. “LunarStorm was the rock music of the 2000s”

    Ahead of the 20th anniversary: the local paper Hallands Nyheter (HN) and the regional daily Hallandsposten on the Yellow Villa, Bjarne, kjamiz and Rickard's wordplay “å” and “tebax”.

    “Every new generation gets questioned by the adult world, and we became a bit like the 2000s version of jazz music, rock music and video violence.” Rickard Eriksson

  12. 20 years: “Absolutely the world's first social medium on the web”

    Swedish public radio's P4 Östergötland and P4 Extra interview Rickard ahead of the 20th anniversary. He talks about the BBSes and about being called an idiot.

    “It was absolutely the world's first social medium on the web … When I thought that everyone in the whole world would do this, whatever their age, you got called an idiot, actually.” Rickard Eriksson

  13. SVT Halland: “20 years since Lunarstorm was born”

    SVT Halland, Swedish public television's local news, runs a feature on the 20th anniversary. The video has been removed, the text remains.

    “Lunarstorm has never been that cool, amazing brand; it's a bit nerdy and embarrassing.” Rickard Eriksson

  14. Sweddit becomes Swedditstorm

    Ahead of the 20th anniversary, the moderators restyle Reddit's Swedish forum r/sweden in LunarStorm style. The users respond with *fnizz* and krypin nostalgia.

  15. Lunar20: the cruise on M/S Birka

    A 20th anniversary party at sea on 15 to 16 Oct: the Graffiti Wall (Klotterplanket), Lajv and Diskus in analogue form, a LunarParty, nunor and Bjarne handing out hugs.

    “I digitised analogue relationship needs, so at this anniversary party we're going to make Lunarstorm features analogue.” Rickard Eriksson

  16. “Rickard Eriksson still breathes social media”

    A portrait in Hallands Nyheter (HN), the local paper in Varberg's region, 20 years after the start.

    “I'm probably the only person in Sweden who has worked with social media for 20 years.” Rickard Eriksson

  17. Nyheter24 sells Bilddagboken and Hamsterpaj

    The heirs are sold on by the Swedish news site Nyheter24. Who owns the LunarStorm brand today is unclear.

  18. Kapitalet: “The Swede behind the world's first social network”

    The business podcast Kapitalet devotes an episode to Rickard: from the BBS and the Björn Borg server to PRO and 1.2 million active users. “The world's first social network.”

    “What I did with Lunarstorm … I didn't invent anything new at all, I digitised analogue needs that have always existed.” Rickard Eriksson

  19. “The good party host”: Rickard on P4 Halland

    On P4 Morgon i Halland, the morning show on Swedish public radio's local station in Halland, Rickard explains the success: he was never a computer nerd but an amateur social anthropologist who studied how people meet.

    “The success is partly because at heart I'm not a computer nerd, more a kind of amateur social anthropologist … Really, the good party host, you could say that's what I am.” Rickard Eriksson

  20. Rickard moves home to Varberg

    After about eight years in Motala, Rickard moves back to Varberg, the town where it all began.

    “I've never been drawn to big cities. I'm happy in Varberg.” Rickard Eriksson

  21. Göteborgs-Posten: What it was like to use the internet in 2000

    Göteborgs-Posten (GP), the Gothenburg daily, looks back at the web in 2000. Rickard talks about the modem, the guestbook and why young people today want content to disappear.

    “Back then you connected with your modem, settled down at the computer and sat there for an hour or two. Today we pull out our phones for a few minutes at a time.” Rickard Eriksson

  22. The blog series “The world's first social medium on the web”

    Rickard writes LunarStorm's history on his blog, with 22 pictures. In August the Facebook group “Jag var med på LunarStorm” (I was on LunarStorm) gets a new cover.

  23. Podcast: “We were 10 years ahead of Facebook in everything”

    Rickard on the podcast Kommunikation med Svensson & Mattisson about LunarStorm as a forerunner. The audio file has since been removed.

  24. Göteborgs-Posten: “How Sweden became first in the world with internet communities”

    A big retro feature in Göteborgs-Posten, the Gothenburg daily, and in the Halland papers Hallandsposten and Hallands Nyheter: at most 75 employees, about 50 communities that followed and lost guestbooks.

    “I usually say that I digitised analogue needs.” Rickard Eriksson

  25. 25 years: Bjarne moonwalks

    The day before the 25th anniversary, the jubilee film is published with a newly animated Bjarne: moonwalk, gym class and sleepwalking. LunarStorm 2.0 is sketched out.

  26. The Guldägget award plaque turns up at the pawnshop

    The Swedish advertising and media magazine Resumé chases the story: the plaque was pawned in 2016 and bought at auction for SEK 875 by a collector.

  27. LunarStorm on TV4, probably Nyhetsmorgon

    A segment on TV4, Sweden's largest commercial channel, highlights LunarStorm: “if Lunarstorm had come about in Silicon Valley, Facebook wouldn't have been called Facebook.”

  28. Stajlplejs Nostalgi pauses and comes back

    After eight years, the fans' tribute site closes in January 2024. But it comes back: from 2025 it opens as events, and in 2026 more and more people find their way home again. Over 40,800 registered.

  29. “We turned over 100 million, then I sold and quit”

    A half-hour interview in Arvika: the BBSes, the profile, the guestbook, the financing and the decision to quit at the tenth anniversary party.

    “About two million Swedes have grown up digitally on LunarStorm. I think we turned over almost 100 million that year, and then I sold and quit just like that.” Rickard Eriksson

  30. Epilogue: from social media to AI

    P4 Halland, Swedish public radio's local station in Halland: the LunarStorm founder now teaches companies to use AI. Social media was “just a small detail in history”.

    “To be honest, I think this whole social media thing is just a small detail in history … AI is bigger than the entire industrial revolution.” Rickard Eriksson

  31. “Underbara LunarStorm” released on streaming services

    Robert Jonsson officially releases “Underbara LunarStorm” (Wonderful LunarStorm) via ROJO Records, 25 years after the original.

  32. Framtidslöftet: LunarStorm in internet history

    Urban Lindstedt, who visited the customs house (Tullhuset) in spring 2000, highlights LunarStorm and Rickard in the book Framtidslöftet and discusses the site on the podcast Historia.nu.

    “Small-town thrift and a knack for working miracles with next to nothing.” Rickard Eriksson

  33. The book about LunarStorm: the prologue is written

    Rickard writes the prologue to a book about LunarStorm: the server that burned, the PRO miracle, the tsunami night and the members.

    “But I know who really created it. It wasn't me. It was them … I promise it's truer than anything I ever wrote in my own krypin.” Rickard Eriksson

  34. LunarStorm in popular culture 2026

    The comedy collective Charken stages the revue “Lunarstorm i ett vattenglas” (Lunarstorm in a glass of water) and Felmarginal releases the song “Lunarstorm” (Sep 2026).

  35. Neenya: the LunarStorm feeling comes back to life

    Rickard builds Neenya with krypin, guestbook and stamping feet, “spontaneously vibe-coded over a weekend in June”.

    “Spontaneously vibe-coded over a weekend in June, mostly to see if it could be done. :)” Rickard Eriksson

  36. Rick on Radio Aftonbladet and P4 Halland

    Two days before the 30th anniversary, Rick talks on Radio Aftonbladet, the tabloid's web radio, and P4 Halland, Swedish public radio's local station in Halland, about Stajl Plejs, the guestbook, *kjamiz* and how AI built the jubilee site. Listeners send in their old nicknames.

    “*kjamiz* was something I planted. To see if you could get tens of thousands of people to start using it.” Rickard Eriksson

  37. Hallands Nyheter: The story of Lunarstorm, “We actually were first in the world”

    Ahead of the 30th anniversary, Hallands Nyheter (HN), the local paper in Varberg's region, tells the whole story, from the villa slated for demolition in the Willys car park to Tullhuset, with the people who founded, built and ran LunarStorm: Rick, lumbus, TheQ, Kjell Sallén and Vilhelm Schottenius.

    “This was the time when 15-year-olds got shown adverts for washing machines. So in that way we actually were first in the world with targeted advertising.” Rickard Eriksson

  38. Svenska Dagbladet on the Lunar couples who met on LunarStorm

    On the 30th anniversary, Svenska Dagbladet (SvD), a national daily newspaper, writes about everyone who fell in love on LunarStorm. According to a survey Rick did in the early 2000s, there were already around 5,000 married Lunar couples back then.

    “Lunarstorm was no dating site, but that's the kind of thing that happens when you hang out. Before you know it, you've fallen for someone.” Rickard Eriksson

  39. 30 years since Stajl Plejs Community

    On 18 October 2026 it is 30 years since Rickard started Stajl Plejs Community in Varberg. The jubilee site opens.

  40. Dagens Media and Resumé: Web classic Lunarstorm rises again

    The day after the 30th anniversary, the Swedish media trade magazine Dagens Media and the advertising and media magazine Resumé write about the jubilee site: the timeline, the jubilee film with Rick's AI-cloned voice, the walk through Lunarcave and the answers to old mysteries from 47,000 emails.

    “What would have taken a year by hand took a few days. But I decided every word.” Rickard Eriksson

  41. Hallands Nyheter on the couples who found love on LunarStorm

    Hallands Nyheter (HN), the local paper in Varberg's region, meets two couples who found each other in LunarStorm's chats, in Kinna in 2001 and in Skåne in 2006. One couple celebrates 25 years this year, the other is married with three children.

  42. P3 Morgonpasset talks LunarStorm

    Two days after the 30th anniversary, David Druid and Linnea Wikblad talk about LunarStorm on Morgonpasset i P3, the morning show on Sveriges Radio's national youth channel: about nicks, krypins, anonymity before Facebook and which community you belonged to.

  43. SVT Halland: The founder brings Lunarstorm back to life with AI

    SVT Halland, Swedish public television's local news, makes a video feature about the jubilee site. Rick has had AI compile 47,000 emails and thousands of pictures, and on the site you can type your old alias, leave a message in the guestbook and build your own krypin.

    “Over two million Swedes have grown up with Lunarstorm.” Rickard Eriksson

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