Long before there was Facebook, or even MySpace, there was Friendster, a website that gave many people their first taste of the socially networked world to come.

Friendster, which started in 2003, has long been eclipsed by younger, more nimble rivals, turning into something of a ghost town. But Tuesday, its current owners told users of plans to change its business strategy — and to wipe out the site’s trove of digital memories, including ancient dorm-room photos, late-night blog entries and heartfelt friend endorsements, known as “testimonials.”

That set off a wave of nostalgia among Friendster members, even though most had stopped visiting the site long ago.