MySpace tries to reinvent itself

Once an Internet darling, the site has been steamrolled by Facebook and Twitter. Can it come back?

By Kim Peterson Oct 27, 2010 2:18PM

Credit: © LOIC VENANCE/AFP/Getty Images
Caption: internet homepage of the myspace websiteMySpace is ugly. Messy. Hard to use. It needs a makeover almost as badly as Snooki from "Jersey Shore" -- and it's about to get one.

MySpace will try to reclaim its lost status with young people as it overhauls its website this week to focus on Generation Y, The New York Times reports. MySpace is a division of News Corp. (NWS).

Its newest strategy is to become a niche site focused on entertainment. The site found that its members were there mostly to listen to music and talk about it, along with movies and television shows, writes Miguel Helft.

So the new MySpace has given up trying to compete with Facebook and Twitter. It will narrow its purpose and target a specific audience. Plus, executives promise to clean up the site and remove the annoying clutter.

"Our focus is social entertainment," MySpace president Michael Jones told the Times. "Niche players have long staying power."

 

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In a preview on its site, MySpace promises "music, movies, TV, celebrities & games you love." But members who chimed in to comment were having none of it.

"Let it be," one wrote. "Quit while you are ahead."

"The only reason you still have the people you do after making all the other idiotic changes is because Facebook doesn't allow customization," another wrote.

"Instead of simplifying things, MySpace is becoming more complicated," yet another wrote.

Analysts weren't all that thrilled either. "They are definitely trying to become more relevant again," one told the Times. "But it's going to be hard because so much time has gone by."

Facebook and Twitter are hot, but MySpace still has its fans. Helft writes that MySpace ads reach about 24% of online users in the U.S. Facebook ads reach 62% of users.

There's an audience there, albeit a dwindling one. So is entertainment the last, best hope for MySpace? Probably. But that isn't saying much.

13Comments
Oct 27, 2010 9:05PM
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A little to late, deleted my account, plus they have privacy issues.
Oct 27, 2010 9:55PM
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liked it the way it was. You ruined it!
Oct 27, 2010 9:52PM
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Lets face it, what they are really not saying is its about them making more money, it has nothing to do with us on myspace, its very disappointing what they have done
and most are now moving over to facebook.
myspace has really screwed up!
Oct 28, 2010 2:00AM
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I adore myspace but it really is ruining itself,  I hate facebook, sign up twice and deleted both accounts. myspace is about socializing and meeting new people with common interests.  It shouldn't compete with lame facebook and twitter isn't a social network, it is microblogging.  I just hope myspace doesn't kill itself with this new profile. After all, it is about MY space, not their space.  I liked it's original look and it wasn't hard to use at all!  I am upset to see a note here that says "Also post to: Facebook"
Oct 28, 2010 2:44AM
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I like the original, then they started changing everything and made it cluttered.  After the 3rd virus I got from myspace, I decided to switch completely to facebook.
Oct 27, 2010 10:16PM
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All the bands on myspace ruined it, might as well call it Myband
Oct 28, 2010 3:18AM
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Tell me why myspace wont let me delete my account. Im on facebook which i hated to the most extreme until the day i noticed i had only one friend online on myspace. and 45 online on facebook.
Oct 27, 2010 11:07PM
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internet darling? lamespace is worse than /b/
Oct 28, 2010 9:52AM
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Myspace used to be good then they did not do all that music, karaoke and other crap. I used to check it all the time. It was good back in the begining simple and easy to use. Now it has two many adds that take forever to load and it does not flow like it use to. Its lame
Oct 28, 2010 4:50AM
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IGN.com already does what myspace is trying to do.  Myspace sucks, I hated going to people's profiles and seeing cluttered disjointed pages, plus the whole name thing.  Anyway. IGN beat you to it Myspace.
Oct 27, 2010 9:12PM
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As soon as my mom and sis got on my MySpace, it was dead to me. 
Oct 27, 2010 10:43PM
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Personally I have always used Myspace. I do not find it hard to use. Facebook has became more popular over the years. Personally I believe it is because societies and companies pages are Facebook rather than Myspace. If Myspace could get more societies and companies to use their network I believe it would be able to compete.
Oct 28, 2010 12:10AM
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I think we've seen this story before.  Does anyone else remember Friendster? 
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