Myspace.com recently announced that it will be rolling out a completely revamped site on Wednesday, November 3. Now I know you're probably thinking, "So what!?" It seems to most the the social networking site is past the point of no return, with Facebook drawing well over twice the traffic during the month of September. And the disparity is only growing. But that's why I find this story interesting.
Apparently, Myspace realizes it can no longer compete with Facebook, so it's changing its focus. It will not longer be a social networking site, but rather with the remake it will transition to a social entertainment site. Now, visitors will be greeted by a mosaic of tiles featuring the most popular videos, music, and news on the site. Entertainment content, not friends, is meant to be the focus. Myspace acknowledges that the change will likely drive away a portion of its current user base but believes it will result in positive net users over the long run. Also, users can now sync their accounts with other social media sites such as Twitter, YouTube and even Facebook. There is also a push to roll out innovative mobile apps and a revamped mobile site.
I'd like to see the revamped site survive if it can offer something new and different. However, the deck is stacked against Myspace. No online business has ever managed to turn itself around after falling out of favor with the public. Nevertheless, I may just be curious enough to create a new account to check it out.
When I saw the title of your post I was skeptical. However, I have to say that after reading the description of the changes they are making, I think that this could work. I feel like they could potentially offer a place to merge access to a lot of media, and they already have a brand name to go on. I do think it will be difficult for them to get the word out about the changes, and they will have to fight people's current perceptions of the service.
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