After 24 Years, PinoyExchange.com Says Goodbye
The end of an era.
(SPOT.ph) What was once the biggest online forum in the Philippines is now seeing its end. PinoyExchange on Tuesday, April 4 told the public that the platform is going offline on April 15 after nearly 24 years on the internet.
PinoyExchange (PEx) is an Internet-based message board where people of common interests can talk on specific threads on the latest local and international news. The topics of conversation can range from politics, sports, travel, showbiz, and more.
"For nearly 24 years, PinoyExchange.com became the virtual home of many Filipinos here and abroad. It is with deep sadness that we announce that PEx will say goodbye on April 15, 2023. From the bottom of our hearts, maraming salamat!" it said in a social media announcement.
PExers fondly remember the platform as the early days of online bardagulan and tsismisan, but what makes it so special?
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What is PinoyExchange?
Before social media, there was PEx.
PEx was created by the brothers Nix and Michael Nolledo in July 1999 before the idea of a Facebook and Twitter was even close to being conceived. It rose to prominence through its exposure via televised UAAP basketball games where another one of PEx's co-founder Jude Turcuato was a commentator.
PEx said it reached 2,000 members at a time when less than 2% of the Philippine population had internet.
Today, it has over 1.5 million monthly users from all over the world.
Millennials and Gen Zs can think of PEx like a Twitter or Reddit of the 2000s. It was the go-to place to talk about everything and anything under the sun. From UAAP competitions to Philippine love teams to career tips, this is where the online Filipino community came together like never before—literally.
It's where PExers had their first taste of internet friendships, some of which are still going strong up to this day.
Prior to the launch of PEx, the only way to communicate with other people was through private chat messages and group chat rooms.
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