Is Orkut coming back? Not exactly, but its spirit lives here.
Google shut Orkut down in September 2014. It has not been resurrected, and Google has been clear that it will not be. What does exist is Ginza: a network that takes the parts of Orkut people actually loved · the profile, the scraps, the communities, the testimonials, the gentle weirdness · and rebuilds them on a modern, private foundation.
What Orkut had that nothing replaced
Orkut was the first place a lot of people felt at home on the web. It was small, slow, and friendly. You decorated a profile. You left scraps for people. Communities were strange and specific and beautiful. Nothing has filled that hole · Facebook is the opposite of it, Instagram is theatre, Mastodon is a different shape entirely.
What Ginza takes directly from Orkut
Scraps, testimonials, communities, fans, crushes, trustworthy/cool/sexy ratings (renamed and respectful), profile-first layout, and a buddy list that pings when friends come online. The look is intentionally 2004-inspired.
- Scrapbook (the famous wall of public scraps)
- Testimonials written by friends
- Communities anyone can create
- Karma rating, anonymous and ungameable
- Buddy list with presence and nudges
- A virtual pet for the Tamagotchi crowd
Why it is in Portuguese AND English
Orkut was huge in Brazil. So is Ginza. The community is mostly Brazilian, with a growing English-speaking minority. Both languages are first-class citizens.
FAQ
Is Orkut coming back?
Google has confirmed it is not. Ginza is the spiritual successor.
Can I recover my old Orkut photos?
Some users got a Google Takeout export in 2014. If you saved it, you can re-upload to Ginza.
Is Ginza affiliated with Google or Orkut?
No. Ginza is an independent project by Kraftwire, inspired by but unrelated to the original Orkut.
If you miss Orkut, this is the closest thing.
Sign up free, find a few old friends, and see if the feeling comes back.