ICYMI, online forum PinoyExchange to shut down on April 15
After nearly 24 years, PinoyExchange will be shutting down this year.
Before Reddit and Facebook, Filipinos had PinoyExchange. The country’s longest-running online forum announced on Tuesday, April 4 that it will be cease activity on April 15.
“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!” they concluded their post, attaching the website’s original and updated logos. No specific reason was disclosed for the closure.
Being the OG primary platform of Filipinos, its patrons can’t help but feel sad with the announcement. Celebrating the success of the platform, its former users went on a nostalgia trip, recalling how PEx impacted their lives.
“Back in the days na hindi pa uso ang FB groups, twitter and IG. Ito talaga ang nagiging chat box ng mga fandoms, loveteams and anything under the sun. I still remember my username, though I already forgot the PW. Sobrang active ko noon dito. Salamat sa masasayang alaala, PEX,” a Twitter user wrote.
Other than pop culture, PEx also catered to career-related discussions.
“Grabe, dito ko kinuha dati lahat ng tips for first timers sa Hongkong. Sobrang informative and organized nung thread na yun,” another Twitter user shared.
A Facebook user reminisced about his journey with the platform, sharing how it has helped him from getting a pop culture fix to medical concerns.
“Thank you PEx. Been a PExer since year 2000 and it's definitely one of the best highlights of my ‘online life’. From the music and books discussion with the moderators Mister Dean and Happy Phantom, to love life issues and topics with Caramba and Ada,” he wrote.
“[E]ven medical concerns with Doc Ira and to other much more interesting forums moderated by Mikoid and Kaboom (UAAP sports!)... grabe, nakakamiss ang mga yun. and nasa Love and Intimacy forum ang orig na r/AlasJuicy haha! Will definitely miss PinoyExchange. Till then PEx, we had good years... one for the books.” he concluded.
Another Facebook user shared how the forum was dominated by even more popular and latest platforms like Reddit.
“[T]his is sad but really nawala na kasi sa uso or people now are not into forums but more into reddit. Specifically r/philippines na ang pinupuntahan. But I want to thank PEX, kasi dahil sa inyo dun ko nakita ang career na meron ako ngayon and it changed my life forever. THANK YOU SO MUCH!” he wrote.
PinoyExchange (PEx) is an online platform founded in July 12, 1999 by Michael Nolledo, Nix Nolledo, and Jude Turcuato. They were later on joined by Michael Palacios or Mikoid to serve as the lead designer and technical consultant.
Early on in its years, it first became popular for UAAP basketball games discussions. One of its founders, Jude, also served as a commentator for the league; he used to ask users for their insights during the season by posting comments on the platform. PEx has over 1.5 million monthly users up to this day.
