Draugiem (''For Friends'') is a

social networking A social network is a social structure consisting of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), networks of Dyad (sociology), dyadic ties, and other Social relation, social interactions between actors. The social network per ...

website launched in 2004. It is one of the largest social networking website in Latvia with approximately 2.6 million registered users. The Draugiem social network operates under the Draugiem Group, an umbrella organisation that owns other IT-related companies which have developed as suppliers of technology to the social network. The English-language version of Draugiem is known a
Frype.com

History

The Draugiem.lv social network was founded in 2004 by Lauris Liberts and Agris Tamanis. In 2007, the company reported that it had reached 1,000,000 users. By 2017, the company had opened offices and facilities in

Cēsis Cēsis (; (, , , ) is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Central Vidzeme Upland. Cēsis is on the Gauja River valley, and is built on a series of ridges above the river, overlooking the woods below. Cēsis was selected to b ...

, Barcelona, Los Angeles, Charlotte and

Tijuana Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...

, as well as relocating their Rīga headquarters to a bigger building in the neighborhood of

Torņakalns Torņakalns is a neighbourhood of Riga, Latvia located on the western bank of the Daugava River (neighbourhoods along this shore are collectively known as Pārdaugava). The name Torņakalns ('' English: Tower Hill'') derives from a fortified to ...

. In 2019, Mapon (part of Draugiem Group) opened offices in Estonia and Finland. In the

2018 Latvian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Latvia on 6 October 2018. Following the elections, a coalition government was formed by Who owns the state?, the New Conservative Party, Development/For!, the National Alliance and New Unity. Despite lea ...

, on October 6 the main page of Draugiem.lv was hacked and replaced with an image of a

Russian flag The national flag of the Russian Federation (, ) is a tricolour of three equal horizontal bands: white on the top, blue in the middle, and red on the bottom. The design was first introduced by Tsar Peter the Great in 1693, and in 1705 it was ...

Russian president The president of Russia, officially the president of the Russian Federation (), is the executive head of state of Russia. The president is the chair of the Federal State Council and the supreme commander-in-chief of the Russian Armed Forces. I ...

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

and

Russian army The Russian Ground Forces (), also known as the Russian Army in English, are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, ...

, as well as text in Russian saying "Latvian comrades, this is for you. Russia's borders are boundless. Russian world can and needs to unite everyone who values Russian culture no matter where they live – in Russia or outside its borders. We recommend using the phrase 'Russian world' more often", while the

Russian national anthem The "State Anthem of the Russian Federation" is the national anthem of Russia. It uses the same melody as the "State Anthem of the Soviet Union, State Anthem of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics", composed by Alexander Vasilyevich Alex ...

played in the background. The website was taken offline and re-opened a few hours later.

Brands

Printful

Printful was launched in 2013 to provide print-on-demand services. Initially, the company offered 3 products – posters, canvases and t-shirts.

Road Games

In 2019, the company created Roadgames, an adventure travel game, with an investment of EUR 100,000. The game requires participants to take part in tasks outside, and is intended as a team building activity for organizations.

Mapon

The Mapon brand was launched in 2006 to provide GPS tracking services for businesses, and is the second largest brand in the Draugiem company with 54 employees and offices in Finland.

Fast Brands

Fast Brands was launched in 2018 and provides companies with the opportunity to sell products online.

References

External links

*
The Baltic Course article about Draugiem.lv
Internet properties established in 2004 Latvian social networking websites 2004 establishments in Latvia {{socialnetwork-stub