:::History

SomaliNet is a full Internet portal with many different sub-sites such as news, yellow pages, discussion boards, chat rooms, matrimonial service, etc. Most of its visitors are regular users who spend quality time on different areas of the site.

The word Somali on the site is sometimes misleading as it attracts thousands of non-Somalis every month. While most regular users are young people in their twenties and thirties, many others rely on SomaliNet on their researches and collecting information about Somalia and/or its people.

The site, not more than one page at the time was launched back in 1998. A much needed community bulletin board and a single chat room were added within a few months. At the time, most Somali Internet users were college students and professionals who used alternative communication channels like news groups (soc.culture.somalia, etc.) and IRC chat rooms. Somali Canadian Mr. Abdi Osman who contributed to soc.culture.somalia regularly created SomaliNet and promoted it through this newsgroup where he was a regular contributor. Many volunteers who contributed time, knowledge, and energy made SomaliNet’s success possible. Without the determination of very few individuals, SomaliNet wouldn't be online today. Many SomaliNet volunteers live in different continents and never met. They all have one things in common: Love for their people.

The site serves more than 4 million pages per month and its visitors come from al over the world. Although a good majority of visitors come the United States, thousands of other visitors come from UK, Canada and Western Europe.

According to Internet standards, SomaliNet is a medium size site with much to offer. It is larger and busier than most of third world Internet portals.

SomaliNet servers are located in in the USA.