I think one could make a very good argument that Facebook is Geocities 3.0 (and Myspace was 2.0), or perhaps that Geocities was in the same space, but didn't understand the problem it actually should have been solving. Livejournal probably deserves a mention here, though I don't think it ever achieved quite the prominence of the other three.
What most people seem to want to do with a personal website is provide some contact information, list some stuff they like, link to their friends and family and occasionally tell the world what they're up to. Personalizing the appearance of one's personal page seemed important, looking at Geocities and Myspace, but Facebook seems to suggest that it might not be necessary. On the other hand, interaction with other users has become more important.
Yes, this is not what the linked article is about. But it is a counter-point to your "it was too hard for random people back then" saying.