Google shutting down Orkut social network

Google on Monday said it is shutting down Orkut, its "first foray into social networking," to focus on YouTube, Blogger, and Google+ services that have proven more popular.

The California technology titan will pull the plug on 10-year-old Orkut at the end of September.

"Over the past decade, YouTube, Blogger and Google+ have taken off," Google engineering director Paul Golgher said in a blog post.

"Because the growth of these communities has outpaced Orkut's growth, we've decided to bid Orkut farewell."

Orkut was the result of a "20 percent project" in which Google workers got to spend a fifth of their time on ideas not necessarily related to their job responsibilities.

Orkut proved particularly popular in Brazil, where two years ago it was eclipsed by social networking powerhouse Facebook.

Google launched its Google+ social network in 2011 and has been slowly weaving it into other services.AFP