Kwick
| Kwick | |
|---|---|
|
|
| www.kwick.de | |
| description | social network |
| Registration | Yes |
| languages | German English |
| Published | December 1, 1999 |
| Members | about 1.5 million |
| status | On-line |
Kwick ( spelling KWICK! ) Was an online community based in Weinstadt ( Baden-Württemberg ). As of 2017, the platform said it had around one and a half million registered users, mainly from southern Germany , and ranked among the ten largest social networks in Germany in terms of unique users . In 2019, operations were completely shut down. A new version was put online in June 2020, but it is not fully functional as of July 17, 2020.
history
In September 1999, business informatics student Jens Kammerer developed an online service at Reutlingen University as part of a study project. This went online as Stuttgart's internet magazine with a regional focus on the greater Stuttgart area on December 1, 1999. Editorial content and event tips for single / party life in this region were part of the orientation . In the following summer, the flatmate Benjamin Roth joined the project. Over the course of a year, the Internet magazine gradually developed into a wider community. With the naming in KWICK! (Based on Kwik-E-Markt of the Simpsons ) on January 13, 2001, the popularity and the number of registered users grew steadily. In the same month the first events took place in the Stuttgart area. With the expansion and upgrading of technology and servers, an ever-growing single community developed over the years. From 2008 the community transformed into a classic social network with a national orientation, which now focuses more on new friendships, conversations and events.
In 2011, Kwick was sold to the US company Kiwibox.com Inc. The company has 14 permanent employees and around 100 voluntary employees.
On July 31, 2019, the shutdown of the services was announced for August 31, but withdrawn on the evening of August 31, 2019.
On September 3, 2019, the service provider V&M Service Provider .Limited Kwick contractually took over.
Since the previous owner had not informed the V&M Service Provider .Limited that no updates had been installed on the Kwick servers since 2016, the new owner was forced to cancel the scheduled restart date. The restart should now take place as soon as all updates have been installed. A status page was also set up, on which the current status of the Kwick servers was publicly displayed. In October 2019, the site was finally shut down without any further announcement about the future.
The Kwick platform has been online again since June 8, 2020. At this point in time, only registration is possible, but not yet access to the functionalities of kwick.
offer
In addition to the forum, Kwick offered users aged 12 and over the opportunity to create a user profile with a blog , guest book, photo gallery and many other options. There is also the possibility to pass the time in video chat. Fast communication took place via short messages that function similar to a messenger or in the form of real-time communication in the comment functions. Asymmetrical relationships, the “fans”, are supposed to facilitate networking and promote exchange even if you haven't had any friends at Kwick.
Registration was only permitted from the age of 12 (amendment to the General Terms and Conditions of August 3, 2010). Anyone younger than twelve years old or who was not aware of the consequences of publishing their data on the Internet was not allowed to register with Kwick. It was recommended for adolescents over the age of 14. Anyone who stated that they were under the age of 16 was given an account with restrictions to protect minors. Otherwise there was no control of the age information, but the offer was always monitored according to legal guidelines and with the assistance of a youth protection officer.
financing
Since KWICK! was a completely free website, it was largely financed by adding advertising banners or offers.
criticism
In the early years the site was confronted with server problems from time to time, which also led to the inaccessibility of the offer. However, these problems are no longer relevant.
In order to largely prevent harassment, the members had various options in the privacy settings. Troublemakers could be reported, contact can be blocked and there was a function for new members that increased privacy with one click.
statistics
In 2004 there were over 300,000 registered users, in summer 2005 500,000, in December 2006 there were 750,000, on October 15, 2007 one million and on June 6, 2010 1,002,384 members.
Since April 2012, KWICK! can no longer be identified by AGOF and IVW .
The majority of the registered users come from Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, 55% of them are male. The age range was between 12 and over 70 years.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b History of the creation
- ↑ Kiwibox.com Acquires Kwick!
- ↑ Kiwibox.com Completes Acquisition of KWICK!
- ↑ KWICK! closes its doors after 18 years. In: kwick.de - Official announcements. July 31, 2019, archived from the original on July 31, 2019 ; accessed on July 31, 2019 .
- ↑ KWICK! remains! In: kwick.de - Official announcements. September 4, 2019, archived from the original on September 4, 2019 ; accessed on September 4, 2019 .
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/kwick.community/posts/10157403060743527
- ↑ Protection of minors
- ↑ facts