Multiply.com to stop social network services

MANILA, Philippines—Multiply.com users take note: less than four months from now, there’ll be no more photos, videos, blogs, social messaging, etc.

Multiply, which boasts of 11 million users, is halting its social networking and content sharing services as  it shifts its focus to ecommerce.

“From December first, we will unfortunately no longer be able to support Multiply in its current form – notably we will be removing the social networking and content sharing part of Multiply (photos, videos, blogs, social messaging, etc.),” said CEO Stefan Magdalinski.

“We have decided to discontinue providing and hosting these services, as we have concluded that other Internet sites who are committed to social networking services will do a better job serving you than we can,” Magdalinski said.

And from Boca Raton, Florida, Multiply is now headquartered in Jakarta, Indonesia.

“As most of you are probably aware, Multiply’s mission has evolved over the past year and a half to become the biggest and most beloved ecommerce marketplace in two very exciting markets, Indonesia and the Philippines,” he said. “As our focus has shifted, we have reviewed all of our operations, and made some decisions that will affect everyone here.”

Magdalinski promised to provide social network users easy ways to retrieve or transfer their contents.

“For our existing users of social networking features, we will be providing easy ways for you to either download your stuff (photos, blogs, content, etc), or migrate it to other online services,”  Magdalinski said. “We’ll announce the precise details shortly. It will be your choice whether to download, migrate or just let your content lapse (and get deleted).”

“For our existing ecommerce users (both buyers and sellers) in Indonesia and the Philippines, there will be no action required,” he said, adding that the company will refund any existing Multiply Premium subscriptions.

“I am aware of how disruptive this news may be, and understand the disappointment that it may cause. Ultimately this was a business decision, critical to our to success moving forward,” Magdalinski said.

“Instead, we are excited to pursue our own mission to give the 350 million consumers in Indonesia and the Philippines a great way to buy and sell items online. Our singular focus now is for Multiply to retain its status as a vibrant e-commerce destination in Southeast Asia in the years ahead.”