TextAmerica
 | |
 TextAmerica's homepage in 2005 | |
Type of site | Mobile blogging |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2002 |
| Dissolved | 2007 |
| Headquarters | San Diego |
| Founder | Chris Hoar |
| URL | textamerica |
| Current status | Defunct |
TextAmerica (TA) was one of the first online photo album or moblog sites that allowed users to upload pictures directly from a digital camera or camera phone or images manipulated with photo editing software to a personal page. Users could also send their videos directly from their mobile phones.
TextAmerica launched as a moblogging site in 2002, after spinning off from a telecommunications marketing company.[1] Chris Hoar was the founder and vice president for marketing of TextAmerica.[2][3] The company was based out of San Diego.[2] By 2003, around 100 images were being uploaded per day.[2] By 2004, TextAmerica had some 100,000 moblogs and 500,000 users,[1][4] and by 2005 was the largest moblog company in the United States.[5] A group of users calling themselves the "TA Mafia" would tag accounts of underage members.[6]
Originally a free site, TextAmerica began charging membership fees in July 2006, and deleting content uploaded to old free accounts some months after that. It closed in December 2007.[7] The domain name is now being used by a different company and service.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Graves, Brad (May 24, 2004). "Camera Phone Technology Spurs Growth of 'Moblogs". San Diego Business Journal. p. 14.
- ^ a b c Berman, A.S. (July 15, 2003). "Snap-happy". Herald-Times-Reporter. Gannett News Service. pp. B6. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
- ^ Bedell, Doug (April 18, 2004). "Have cell will moblog". Sun-Journal. pp. F5. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
- ^ Tynan, Dan (August 2004). "Photo Sharing Gone Wild". PC World. p. 136.
- ^ "Textamerica adopts Tribes for easier blogging". New Media Age. June 10, 2005. p. 3.
- ^ Hunter, Adam (March 7, 2006). "The good, the bad and the ugly". NBC News. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
- ^ a b P, Mark (July 21, 2021). "Moblogs - the Precursor to Instagram". Spiffle!. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Original announcement - Textamerica goes fee-only, will delete all old, free moblogs from boingboing.net, June 20, 2006
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