Friendster – a pioneering social networking website launched – 2002 is asking all users to install a custom application to export all their profile data until May 31, 2011.

Friendster was the first networking site before mySpace and Facebook. The service allows users to contact other members and share online information with them. The site is also used for dating and discovering new events. Users can share videos, photos, messages, update their status and comments with other members through their profile and their network.

It has over 115 million registered users and over 61 million visitors a month globally. Over 90% of Friendster’s traffic comes from Asia. According to Alexa, the site has suffered an exponential decline in traffic in America since 2009. From a peak 40 ranking it reached 800 in November 2010. Most people have since attributed this decline to the rise of Facebook, a rival social networking site.

Aside from the traffic and ranking declined, Friendster became not profitable as they were before. And to recover from great lost, they are planning to upgrade their existing service into a better social network service and more entertainment and fun.

And part of upgrading process, the website Friendster will Shut Down on May 31, 2011.
That’s why they encourage their users to use the “ Friendster Exporter App” to download or export their profile information, photos, messages, comments, testimonials, shout-outs, blogs and groups. Flickr and Multiply are included in porting content options. Because on May 31, 2011, all personal information will be deleted except your log-in account, friend list, games details and basic profile information.

How to download a copy of Friendster personal profile ?

This tool lets you download a copy of your Friendster Profile to your computer, as a zip file. You can view your profile data by opening ‘index.html’ once the file is downloaded.

1.Install Friendster Exporter or click / type the URL: http:://appsfriendster.com/exporter on your browser.
2.Open the app and select the option to download profile.

This downloadable copy of your profile will include your:
- photos
- basic info (name, date of birth, gender and ‘about me’ info)
- messages in your Inbox
- list of your friends
- list of profiles that you’re ‘a fan of’
- list of groups that you’re a member of
- comments and testimonials
- shoutout history and comments to your shoutouts
- virtual gifts in your treasure chest

How to Export Photos?

Aside from downloading your photos from your profile, you can also export them directly to third-party photo hosting sites like Flickr and Multiply.

1. Install Friendster Exporter or click/ type URL: http://apps.friendster.com/exporter on your browser.
2. Open the App and select the option to export photos.
3. Authorize the export – You’ll be asked to login to the site that you chose, so make sure that you’re ready for this.

Disclaimer: Free versions of Flickr and Multiply may have certain upload/export limits and restrictions. They may charge additional fees or ask you to upgrade to a paid version if you want to exceed these. Please check their websites for this info.

How to export blog?

Aside from downloading your profile and exporting your photos, you can also export your blog to third-party blog-hosting sites like WordPress and Blogger.

1. Install Friendster exporter or click / type URL: http://apps.friendster.com/exporter
2. Open the app and select the option to export blogs.
3. Authenticate the download – To verify your identity, you’ll be asked to enter your Friendster login again.
4. Download the blog – After successful authentication, you can either save or open the download, which is a zipped .xml file.
5. Unzip the download – You have to unzip the file first and make sure it is in .xml format before you export. Take note of where you save the file.

Now that you already know some ways how to recover your Friendster data, do you consider Flickr and mySpace to save your Photos and personal information?