Myspace Needs to Win Social Media Content War

Myspace needs to cover its loses and realize that the social networking battle is over and that Facebook has won it. At this point, Myspace needs to redefine what having a Myspace means and how it’s different from Facebook. Granted, Myspace’s music integration is a step in the right direction, but its still not enough; especially since the introduction of Ping, a social network for music just recently launched on the iTunes store . Myspace has to step out of the confines of its old identity as the once “biggest social network in the world,” and start thinking about what they can become. I believe Myspace should simply look at its name and realize what it offers. It is literally a space on the web for people to manage, interact, share, work, play, entertain, read and whatever else they want to do on the internet.

Think about it, Facebook, in its very essence, is a social network that helps people connect and manage the social aspect of their lives; for the most part. But, what about all the other aspects of our lives like business, hobbies, interests, news, fashion, shopping, politics, music, the environment, social issues, economics and so forth? This is where Myspace needs to concentrate its efforts and capitalize on its still impressive, 70 million monthly visitors in the US alone. Myspace stands at a cross roads with very unique advantage over other media portals, it has a social network set up.

As Jason Nazar, Co-Founder and CEO of Dotstoc.com outlines in step one of his article “How to Save Myspace: The Seven-Step Plan,” Myspace should compete with sites like Yahoo as a next generation portal. Myspace can enter the market with its user database advantage and create a social media content network in which users can manage all the other aspects of their lives besides social. Users should be able to profile the various areas of interest in their lives with website bookmarks, news feeds, articles, music, video, photos, original works, blog postings and anything that is relevant to their particular interests. This in turns truly makes myspace a virtual space where users can organize and manage the various aspects of their lives with all the tools and benefits that the internet has to offer.

Along with content overhaul, Myspace needs to retract from its intrusive and irrelevant ads to users. As Matt Rosoff of CNET.com states in “How to Save Myspace,” the company needs to make its ads relevant to the user's profile. Many people complain of the amount of irrelevant and cheap commercial product ads they get on their user page; not to mention how big and intrusive they can be.

In short Myspace need to think beyond the confines of social networks and embrace the managing of users content and media desires from all over the web. That’s what I would call my space on the web. Just another reality of adapting in the Digital “Marketign” Age.