Fun

What Popular LDS Websites Looked Like in the Early Days of the Internet

Did you know that LDS Living wasn't originally a magazine? Back in the day, it was just an online product catalog. Just check out what the original LDS Living website looked like when it was launched in 2000:

ldsliving.com in 2000

Of course, LDS Living has come a long way in the past 14 years. And so have other great Church websites. From LDS.org to the Deseret News, take a look at the original form of popular LDS websites--and how they've evolved through the years. 

LDS.org

The earliest version of the LDS.org homepage (not pictured here) told visitors "Information concerning The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will appear on this home page at some time in the future.

"When the home page is online, members of the Church and others will find official information regarding the Church, its doctrines, organization, and policies."

In 1997, the first iteration of the website went live:

LDS.org in 1997

Today, the page has been refined and reshaped to be much more visual:

LDS.org 2014

Mormon.org

The domain "Mormon.org" was actually owned by a private party before the Church bought it and set up this website at the address in 2001:

mormon.org in 2001

Mormon.org is meant to introduce our Church to the world. Here's what that looks like in 2014:

Mormon.org in 2014

Familysearch.org

Before FamilySearch was an intuitive and interactive genealogical tool, it was a much simpler records search. Here's what it looked like in 1999:

Familysearch.org in 1999

Of course, FamilySearch has improved its offerings immensely in the past 15 years, including two new mobile apps in addition to its beautiful website:

FamilySearch.org 2014

Deseretbook.com 

The "ultimate LDS resource" was "on-line" in 1996. In addition to offering links to its online catalog, the site also boasted a directory that included links to John Bytheway's Homepage, the "WWW 1st Ward" (an online community of Latter-day Saints), and a helpful tips section in case you got lost or confused while browsing the site:

Deseretbook.com in 1996

Of course, Deseret Book has come a long way in the last 18 years. Just look at how beautiful it is today: 

Deseretbook.com in 2014

Deseretnews.com

Originally, the Deseret News was hosted at deseretmorningnews.com starting in 2003. Check it out: 

Deseretnews.com in 2003

In 2007, they changed to deseretnews.com, and it was well on the way to becoming the website we know today: 

Deseretnews.com in 2014

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