Invention of the BOT
Friend Maker
In the early 2000s, the social networking landscape was dominated by a platform that would become a cultural icon of its era: MySpace. This platform was more than just a digital space for sharing music and personal interests; it was a vibrant community where people could connect and express themselves.
On MySpace, ‘friends’ were not just personal acquaintances but also a way to broaden one’s social network. The more friends you had, the greater your visibility and reach. This concept of friends became a currency of popularity and influence. Users, especially marketers, quickly realized that having a vast network of friends wasn’t just about social clout; it was an opportunity to market products and ideas.
However, building a vast network of friends was a tedious and time-consuming process. Each friend request had to be sent out manually, and building a network could take countless hours. This challenge led me to an intriguing project that combined my interest in technology with the burgeoning world of social networking.
I was approached by an individual who wanted to automate the process of acquiring friends on MySpace. His goal was straightforward: expand his network without investing substantial time or money. Given the technological limitations of that era – particularly the inability for a single computer to maintain multiple connections to a service – this was no small task.
Leveraging my experience from the early ’80s at Digital Equipment Corporation, where I dabbled in developing some of the first networking protocols, I devised a plan. I purchased ten old Pentium class computers from eBay and got to work. These machines, though outdated, were sufficient for the task at hand.
I developed software that coordinated these ten machines, automating the process of sending out friend requests on MySpace. This system, which I fondly named “Friend Maker,” was a marvel of its time. It efficiently sent out requests, significantly expanding the user’s network without the need for constant manual input.
Friend Maker worked impressively well, but it wasn’t without its drawbacks. The system, while efficient, annoyed many users who received these automated requests. Furthermore, from a financial standpoint, this venture didn’t turn out as profitable as anticipated.
After its operational period, I was left with ten bulky tower systems. These machines ended up in storage for about 25 years, occupying space and eventually becoming obsolete. Disposing of them was another challenge, as electronic waste can’t simply be thrown out. The cost of recycling these systems was another dent in my pocket, adding to the overall loss from the project.