MySpace revamps site
By Barbara Ortutay |
October 28, 2010, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
MYSPACE, the online social hub that's been fighting to stay relevant in the age of Facebook and Twitter, is overhauling its image and its website into an entertainment destination for its mostly younger audience.
The social-networking pioneer, which was among the top Internet sites just a few years ago, now has its sights set decidedly lower. Starting yesterday and over the next month, MySpace will be relaunching its site to focus on giving users more ways to consume music, videos and celebrity gossip.
Entertainment has long been central to the MySpace experience, but over the years the site was also pulled in different directions as it dabbled in classifieds, job ads and even user reviews in a partnership with Citysearch as it pushed to become a social portal for the Web. It didn't work out, and Facebook is now emerging as that portal.
MySpace CEO Mike Jones said the relaunch "pulls us out of the social networking category" to become a social entertainment destination. So instead of connecting with long-lost friends and sharing baby photos, MySpace wants to be the place where people go to find out about new bands, chat about TV shows and movies.
"The vision has definitely gotten a lot smaller in this redesign," said Debra Aho Williamson, a senior analyst at research firm eMarketer. "When News Corp bought MySpace it certainly didn't envision this. I don't think Rupert (Murdoch, News Corp's chairman) thought MySpace would be a small social entertainment website."
News Corp bought MySpace for US$580 million in 2005.
The social-networking pioneer, which was among the top Internet sites just a few years ago, now has its sights set decidedly lower. Starting yesterday and over the next month, MySpace will be relaunching its site to focus on giving users more ways to consume music, videos and celebrity gossip.
Entertainment has long been central to the MySpace experience, but over the years the site was also pulled in different directions as it dabbled in classifieds, job ads and even user reviews in a partnership with Citysearch as it pushed to become a social portal for the Web. It didn't work out, and Facebook is now emerging as that portal.
MySpace CEO Mike Jones said the relaunch "pulls us out of the social networking category" to become a social entertainment destination. So instead of connecting with long-lost friends and sharing baby photos, MySpace wants to be the place where people go to find out about new bands, chat about TV shows and movies.
"The vision has definitely gotten a lot smaller in this redesign," said Debra Aho Williamson, a senior analyst at research firm eMarketer. "When News Corp bought MySpace it certainly didn't envision this. I don't think Rupert (Murdoch, News Corp's chairman) thought MySpace would be a small social entertainment website."
News Corp bought MySpace for US$580 million in 2005.
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