Loser.com

Loser.com is a domain name that has existed as a URL redirect to several different web pages during most of its existence.

History

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The Loser.com domain name was registered in 1995 by Brian Connelly.[1]

It redirected to the website of the 2000 presidential campaign of Al Gore; a website opposing former Governor of South Carolina Jim Hodges in much of 2002; the presidential campaign of Barack Obama in 2008;[A] WikiLeaks in 2010; an article about American politician Sean Duffy in 2011; and the Reddit website in 2012.[1][3] According to Connelly, the website sometimes redirects to topics he considers positive to increase their traffic.[1]

The domain name gained mainstream coverage in March 2015, when it redirected to the English Wikipedia entry for American rapper Kanye West. Marlow Stern of The Daily Beast suggested that the redirect was done in response to West's reactions to American singer Beck's album Morning Phase winning Album of the Year at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.[4] Ryan Gajewski of The Hollywood Reporter and Christopher Hooton of The Independent both suggested that the domain name was a Beck reference because "Loser" is one of Beck's most notable songs.[5][6] In an interview with Stern on March 5, Connelly admitted that he had a negative impression of West and intended the redirection as a troll attempt on the rapper.[1]

In February 2016, the website redirected to the English Wikipedia entry for then-US presidential candidate Donald Trump after he placed second in the Iowa caucus.[7] Defending the move, Connelly described Trump as "a man who attacks Muslims, who attacks Muslim Americans, who pushes fear and doubt" and "the definition of a loser".[8]

When asked about his motives with his redirects, Connelly said the year 2000 redirect to losing Tennessee gubernatorial candidate Bill Daley's website was because "I think he was anti-gay". He had "no comment" about the 2002 redirect to an opposition site targeting South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges.[2]

On November 8, 2020, it again redirected to the English Wikipedia entry for Donald Trump, as Trump refused to concede the 2020 United States presidential election after being defeated by Joe Biden, the 47th Vice President of the United States and current President of the United States.[9]

In March 2022, it redirected to the Wikipedia article of Vladimir Putin.[10]

In December 2022, it redirected to Twitter.com.[11]

In early 2024, it again redirected to the English Wikipedia entry for Donald Trump until as early as May 18. As of June 8, it is parked.[12]

By October 2024, there was no redirect, with the URL remaining as "loser.com"; the page showed the word "LOSER" in puffy letters coated in dripping blue paint, with text reading "It's coming. Get ready. Prepare." When pasted as a citation to Wikipedia, a hidden title was revealed that read "Loser.com – Everything You Need to Support Your Self Care Journey. Sign Up Now for More Details".[13]

Notes

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  1. ^ "That wasn't against Obama's election!" Connelly said. "That was just getting people to register."[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Stern, Marlow (March 5, 2015). "Meet Kanye West's No. 1 Online Troll: Loser.com Owner Brian Connelly on Shaming Kanye". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Mikkelson, David (May 4, 2016). "Loser.com Redirects to Wikipedia Page for Donald Trump: Online nose-thumbing takes place after Trump's second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses". Snopes.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  3. ^ Dewey, Caitlin (March 3, 2015). "A short history of Loser.com, the Internet's best troll". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 2, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  4. ^ Stern, Marlow (March 1, 2015). "The Internet Is Trolling Kanye West: Loser.com Redirects to Kanye's Wikipedia Page". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  5. ^ Gajewski, Ryan (March 2, 2015). "Loser.com Redirects to Kanye West's Wikipedia Page". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  6. ^ Hooton, Christopher (March 2, 2015). "Someone made Loser.com redirect to Kanye West's Wikipedia page". The Independent. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  7. ^ White, Daniel (February 2, 2016). "Loser.com Now Redirects to Donald Trump's Wikipedia Page". Time. Archived from the original on December 24, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  8. ^ Dewey, Caitlin (February 2, 2016). "Man behind the updated Loser.com: Donald Trump 'is the definition of a loser'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 2, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  9. ^ Roach, April (November 10, 2020). "Loser.com web domain links straight to Donald Trump's Wikipedia page". www.standard.co.uk. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  10. ^ Dzhanova, Yelena (March 19, 2022). "Loser.com is now redirecting visitors to Vladimir Putin's Wikipedia page, the website's latest target in a list that includes Donald Trump and Kanye West". Business Insider. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  11. ^ "loser.com". Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ^ "Wayback Machine". Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  13. ^ "Loser.com – Everything You Need to Support Your Self Care Journey. Sign Up Now for More Details". Retrieved October 10, 2024.
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