MySpace: Back With a Vengeance
Remember MySpace? I definitely do. MySpace was the first social network I joined back in middle school, and it was a great way to connect with friends and meet new ones. Unfortunately, when Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook, MySpace swiftly took a back seat. For anyone who has stuck by MySpace in its latent years, you are in for a treat; MySpace is gunning for a comeback. A recent article in Mashable confirmed that the MySpace company has completely redesigned its profile page design.
According to a MySpace employee interviewed by Mashable, the site has seen a positive response from users. Here are my thoughts on the recent upgrades:
- A new left-hand navigation: As seen in the above screen-shot, the navigation tool for your profile page is now underneath users’ profile pictures. Since a person’s attention is usually directed to the profile picture first, it is a smart place to put the navigation.
- Focus on the stream: A stream similar to the news feed on the Facebook homepage has been added to the new MySpace profile. Personally, I enjoy the news feed on Facebook and think it was a wise decision for MySpace to implement one as well.
- Follow on other social networks: As you can see in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen-shot, MySpace created an area for users to keep tabs and find people on other social networks, including MySpace’s rival company, Facebook. This was a smart move by MySpace because they are recognizing the fact that most of their users have Facebook accounts. By allowing users to manage and find friends on Facebook through their Myspace page, it tells users that MySpace offers something different from Facebook. It also sends the message that there is a reason a user should have both a MySpace and Facebook account.
While my existing social networks are enough for me right now, I am interested to see if MySpace can move out of Facebook’s shadow. When it comes to the constantly changing world of social media, anything is possible.
