Ex.plode.us explained

ex.plode.us
Url:ex.plode.us
Commercial:yes
Type:Search engine
Language:English
Owner:Curverider Ltd
Launch Date:2007
Current Status:inactive

ex.plode.us was a website search engine that indexed people. It was created by Curverider, the creators of the Elgg social networking platform.[1] Ex.plode.us aggregated social data from 43 Things, flickr, jaiku, Live Journal, tribe.net, Twitter, and YouTube.

Initially launched as Explode! in February 2007 [2] as purely a social network aggregation utility and widget it was re-launched in May 2007 as a people search engine.[3]

In August 2007 a Facebook version was released, taking advantage of the recently opened Facebook API.[4] [5] However, the Facebook application did not allow ex.plode.us to aggregate information from Facebook.

In February 2008 a discussion on tribe.net dominated by tribe users who voiced privacy concerns resulted in tribe.net blocking ex.plode.us from accessing tribe users' FOAF data.[6] Individuals who were users of both ex.plode.us and tribe.net lost a great deal of their network on ex.plode.us.

As of February 2010, ex.plode.us no longer exists.

It had hacked into some YouTube users accounts to get the 'sign up name' to display with the 'user name'. Google still has searches related to this hacking.

API

The site offered a REST-style API, which no longer exists.

References

  1. Web site: 'Explode' blows down barriers that separate social networks . 2007-08-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070930155459/http://www.mcall.com/features/columnists/all-netizen0302mar02,0,4008357.column . 2007-09-30 . dead .
  2. Web site: Explode, a meta-social network . 2007-08-15 . 2007-08-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070828023011/http://blogs.zdnet.com/social/?p=97 . dead .
  3. Web site: Ex.plode.us relaunches with a bang . 2007-08-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070914100615/http://www.vecosys.com/2007/05/16/explodeus-relaunches-with-a-bang/ . 2007-09-14 . dead .
  4. http://eduspaces.net/dtosh/weblog/191833.html Dave Tosh :: Blog :: Social search comes to Facebook via Explode
  5. Web site: Social search comes to Facebook via Explode . 2007-08-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070927091031/http://curverider.co.uk/blog/2007/08/30/starting-to-open-up-facebook-with-explode/ . 2007-09-27 . dead .
  6. Web site: What is ex.plode.us and have we been sold out? . 2008-06-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110723094142/http://brainstorm.tribe.net/thread/34fb1a79-351d-4251-8318-829623c1c9cb?newpostingid=7c402919-fa8e-4ca4-8d5d-dd7a2c9b56fe#7c402919-fa8e-4ca4-8d5d-dd7a2c9b56fe . 2011-07-23 . dead .

External links