Friends Reunited:
Reuniting people across the globe
Introduction
Friends Reunited was launched in July 2000 by North London based husband and wife team Julie and Steve Pankhurst so that people could get in contact with their old school friends. A combination of word of mouth and immense media attention has propelled the site to phenomenon status, expanding beyond the school friends proposition to include workplaces, teams/clubs and streets. The site has over 13 million members, about half of all UK households with internet access
The figures
- 13.8 million people registered (about half of all UK households with internet access)
- 5,000 new members registered on average per day since the site was launched (more than enough to fill the Royal Albert Hall every day)
- 4,500 years have been spent looking at the site by the UK public (if you started reading when the Pyramids were built, you’d just be finishing now)
- 6.5 billion pages of the website have been looked at in total (that’s the same as reading 4.2 million copies of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy)
- 5.1 million unique users per month*
- 224 million page views per month*
- 12 million opted in receiving emails each month
* Electronic Audited Bureau of Circulation March 2005
Recent developments
Reunion organiser - is a newly launched service making it easier for members to get their old friends back together, by sending a group message to all the ex-students from their choice of years. There is also a personalised reunion message board for staying in contact before the reunion and sharing the fun afterwards.
Alumni service - offers universities and colleges their own branded page on the site to effectively communicate their alumni message to former students. The service also allows them to build a mailing list of ex-pupils and to distribute newsletters.
One global database - Friends Reunited members can reunite with friends from across the globe all from the one site. The databases from sister sites in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have been merged, so there's now just one fee and one login for all members.
Opening up new channels
Sky Interactive - Friends Reunited is available on Sky Interactive, the channel's internet platform and the dating service is to be added later this year, providing further evidence of brand innovation and ensuring the service is even more accessible.
SMS alerts - members are now able to subscribe to a text service, notifying them when they receive a message through the site or if someone new joins from the school, university or workplace they are registered at.
FAQ's
What does Friends Reunited do?
The core premise of Friends Reunited is getting in touch with old friends whether they are school friends, work mates, forces colleagues, club members or neighbours. The site also offers members the chance to exchange memories and reminisce on the message boards.
How did it all begin?
The idea came about when Julie Pankhurst was pregnant with her first daughter Amber. She wanted to get back in touch with her old school friends, so began surfing the internet. With little success she encouraged Steve to write the Friends Reunited programme. For the first two years Friends Reunited was run from Steve and Julie's home with their business partner Jason Porter.
How does it work?
New visitors are invited to find their schools, workplaces, clubs and societies and add their names to the list of people already registered. There is also the option to add a personal profile, giving details of what they're up to now. As the school list is set out chronologically and the workplace departments and branches are listed alphabetically, it's easy for members to trace friends from their era.
How do people get in contact?
Members add their email address upon registration. When they want to contact another member, Friends Reunited forwards the message to the recipient's inbox (as well as sending a message alert). All communication takes place without ever revealing personal email addresses or contact details, to ensure complete confidentiality.
Who uses the site?
Everyone and anyone - there are people as young as 18 and as old as 84 years registered.
How much does it cost?
It is free to register and search, with a flat fee of £7.50 every six months to make contact with other members.
What's it used for?
- Reuniting with lost contacts / friends
- Showing off / comparing yourself
- Making old flames into new flames
Why do people like it?
- Curiosity
- Nostalgia / social need to reconnect
- Affects everyone as we all went to school
Success Stories
These are just a small sample of the many success stories we hear from our members on a daily basis. If you would like further information on these or any others, please contact Carolynne or Elizabeth on 01883 717468 or email press@friendsreunited.co.uk
Kevin Whitehead
A terrible motorbike crash in March 2002 robbed Kevin Whitehead, 22, of his memory until a name on Friends Reunited rang a faint bell. That name turned out to be his first love, Jane Peart, 24, who helped Kevin piece together his past and rebuild his shattered memory. The couple shared a summer romance at the age of 15 and are now together again and looking forward to moving into their own home later this year.
Nicki Cuffaro
Not only did Nicki, a 22-year-old student from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, trace her long-lost dad through Friends Reunited, she was also reunited with two half-sisters, nieces, nephews and several cousins, who didn’t even know she existed. Nicki lost touch with her dad after he split from her mum when Nicki was a baby. Around Christmas 2003, Nicki decided to search for her dad and logged onto Friends Reunited. Within minutes she had found him and sent him a message. A week later he emailed back and in July 2004 they were finally reunited. Nicki met the rest of her extended Italian family shortly afterwards and one year on she’s still getting used to having lots of relatives after being brought up as an only child.
Mark Goddard
Personal tragedy brought childhood sweet hearts, Mark and Helen, back together through Friends Reunited. Mark and Helen dated at the age of 11, but lost touch after leaving school in 1983. Both went on to marry and have children, but tragically, Helen's husband died in a motorbike accident and Mark lost his wife to cancer. When Helen read on Friends Reunited last July about Mark's wife, she got in touch and now they are engaged to be married next year.
Karen and Tim Pearson
Disapproving parents forced Karen and Tim to end their relationship at the age of 15 in 1983. Although they tried to carry on in secret, the couple soon lost touch. In May last year, Karen was browsing through Friends Reunited and entered Tim's details. She found him, sent an email and they were married on the 23rd October 2004 after 21 years apart.
Cheryl Smitham
Cheryl gave Kate up for adoption at birth 40 years ago because the father was an older, married man. Kate tried everything to find her mother, but to no avail and fifteen years ago when Kate went to the adoption register, she spelt her mother's name incorrectly so was told she wasn't registered. Finally, Kate put her mother's details into Friends Reunited in February and her name came up immediately. They met for the first time in July.
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