MySpace may have to rethink its content applications policy in order to stay on top of the social networking mountain.
It's a very simple formula… A formula that anyone interested in media creation, in this instance a social networking "wannabe" giant, must learn in order to be successful.
More Subscribers/Users/Viewers/Page Hits = Attractiveness to Advertisers = $$$
MySpace may have been relying on the sheer power of its numbers, 67 million users, to retain its position as the top social networking site but it appears as if Facebook is poised to take over.
According to an article at the CNNMoney.com website, MySpace may be bigger but Facebook is growing faster with over 150,000 new users each day. Facebook’s recent implementation of a radical new strategy only stands to accelerate that growth.
Washingtonpost.com reported details of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's new business plan after the announcment conference in San Francisco last week. The nation's sixth most visited website is launching a major change in content applications by joining forces with more than 85 developers from companies such as Amazon, iLike and Warner Bros. Records.
The new plan invites companies to create custom "Widgets" for the users of the site and opens access of Facebook's "markup language" to the general public.
The idea is for Facebook to become a complete operating system, an independent platform simply called "F8", that users will rarely have to leave. Anything members could possibly desire, or dream up, will be provided in one location. As users interact and even shop through the new widgets provided by these companies, they wont have to "click away" to complete transactions as is often the case on other sites. Users will also be able to keep track of the widgets their friend’s use and share their own.
Probably the coolest aspect of the whole thing is the open platform. This means that creative amateur programmers, kids who have grown up with this technology, will now be able to design and implement their own applications and release them to the public. While there are sure to be numerous "duds," the best of these new applications may have far reaching, internet changing results.
This is a brilliant move on the part of Facebook. Not only will the buzz draw more subscribers to the site, substantially boosting advertising revenue, but Facebook will be able to lay claim to the new applications created by its users. It is quite possible that the open atmosphere could result in numerous applications with "Youtube"-like potential and popularity.
While there is no telling if Facebook's new makeover will draw substantial converts from the “over 25” crowd, the novelty is sure to lure more than few of the younger set away from MySpace.
MySpace Who?
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