Why Facebook Won't 'Do A MySpace' Any Time Soon

One of the concerns I hear from small businesses is that they worry about Facebook 'disappearing' if they commit time and resources to the platform.

The most-used example of this is the Myspace site which enjoyed massive popularity between 2005-2008 (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myspace) but which was then devoured swiftly and without mercy by Facebook when it arrived on the scene.

 

Source: https://myspace.com/

This is an understandable and reasonable fear to have, but Facebook has been very clever in its approach and there are a number of very good reasons why it can't and won't 'do a Myspace' any time soon.
The simple fact of the matter is that Facebook is everywhere these days, completely woven into the fabric of our everyday lives.

It's become a bit of a hobby of mine in recent times to chart this all pervasive crawl across the fabric of everyday life, and I chart it in one of my Pinterest boards.

Here are a few visual examples:



Facebook has managed to find a way into all corners of our lives, to the extent that we accept it and even expect it now.

When did you last see a film advertised without a Facebook page?

When did you last see a big brand campaign on TV without the now inevitable Facebook URL helping to drive viral traffic?

How long is it going to take to remove Facebook from logos, blogs, liveries and promo items?

The fact is that Facebook is everywhere... and it's going to take some shifting!

In an absolute master stroke, Facebook has gone one better than this.

Not only do we place their logo in prominent positions all over our businesses, we even quite happily send back links to their web site to ensure that it stays in a top ranking position by using their social and sharing plugins.

And we rush to do this, because we know that it brings wonderful advantages to our own businesses.

So the next time that you find yourself jittery about investing time and resources into Facebook marketing, bear in mind what a powerful foundation that they have built for their business.

Sure, Facebook won't be around forever, something will come along eventually to remove it from its perch.

But be mindful that it's extremely unlikely to come in the form of a massive crash, each and every time you see a promo back to Facebook, that's one of many lifelines that will keep it in its elevated position for some time to come.

The evolution of the selfie... and is it extinct yet?

The ‘selfie’... We all know what it means and I think there is still a state of flux whether it is cool or not. Personally, I feel selfies are acceptable... sometimes. Instagram is always flooded with selfies and in that arena I think they are bearable... on Facebook I do not agree. But this is just my personal opinion and there are many out there. Now lets find out how this trend began, developed and now (according to rumour) is dying out.

Image: www.warwickdailynews.com.au

In the early 2000’s with sites such as MySpace there was an increased amount of ‘self portraits’ – I use the term lightly. Since, this has moved on and with cameras and mobile phones improving their technology all our selfie needs are being met.

It is rather a self-indulgent and immodest way to show the world how good you can look but we are all guilty of it. And the amount of different types are incredible; although they all have the same air to them. We have the selfie with a friend, in bed, pet selfies, in the bathroom, on the bus, on the beach, on public transport, at the gym… the list goes on. Like mentioned above I find selfies on Facebook rather cringe-worthy but on Instagram I agree and for SnapChat they are practically a necessity.

Now, not to become too philosophical about the whole thing but is it just another big, ugly product of our generation? A disposable and immaculate picture trying to convey how cool, sexy or unique we are? I guess there are plenty of people that feel this way but I don’t know many that interact with social media who are not accountable of indulging in this trend.

So the big question, are we sick of it yet? Is our ‘fly by night’ generation tiring of it? Or is self-recognition going to stay a prominent feature in our online world…maybe it will just be altered a little?

Around 3 weeks ago we saw the launch of the ‘belfie’. For those who don’t know what this is, it’s a picture someone posts of their behind. Crude – yes, unashamed – yes... popular – you bet your bottom! Mainly, as it has been started off with famous women with particularly enviable derrieres it has been a big focal point and huge change to the selfie fad. It has also drawn our focus again back to celebrities and how they are truly the beautiful ones that should be photographed unlike us amateurs. Although it is a hot topic right now, I personally feel it has already lost its lustre and will never be as popular as the timeless selfie.

 

Image: www.dailymail.co.uk

So what’s next? If we are moving away for your everyday selfie, are extreme selfies next? I guess people could selfie whilst undergoing or performing surgery, or bungee jumping, or doing extreme sports... this is weird and wonderful and could truly work.

Sadly, during my research I found a few articles regarding funeral selfies. Now I did not delve too deep into this as the sound of it truly turns my stomach. But I guess for all the good and bad bits, that’s what the Internet is famous for – bringing peoples lives (and deaths, apparently) together. I personally still feel mobile phones have no business being anywhere near a funeral but hey call me old fashioned. Many cultures have different attitudes towards death, different attitudes towards photography also, so maybe it’s just a change in our culture.

I still believe the good old-fashioned selfie won’t really go out of fashion, it will just adapt. I do retain a little sadness that our lives revolve around phones and photos, but I still feel the aspect of sharing is wonderful. It would be lovely if everyone stopped trying to look ‘immaculate’ or ‘fun’ or ‘cool’ all the time but I guess that’s what some people aim to be. I think if you abide by the social selfie guidelines you can’t go too wrong, just know your limits and try not to spend too long looking at yourself... You will miss a lot of cool stuff happening around you!

The New Myspace - a Social Media Entertainment Site

The once prevailing Myspace has seen its return to the music scene with a mission to bring artists closer to their fans and build a creative community on a single platform. The re-invention of Myspace has the potential for great success, however, there is the immediate difficulty of changing the public perception of something which was once so popular and then lost its following to the likes of Facebook and Twitter. Officially re-launched in June 2013, is Myspace set to become the next ‘big thing’ for social media and entertainment in 2014?

The new Myspace has been the creation of Justin Timberlake and associates, who have clearly tried to emphasise the entertainment aspect of the site – a recognition that social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter now capitalise the market for social networking and an alternative angle needed to be focused upon to ensure success. The re-launch campaign started off well for Myspace attracting 31 million unique visitors in the two weeks since it started its $20 million advertising campaign to show off its new image. Myspace also became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter on June 12th, 13th, 15th and 20th, the month of its official release, with the company also reporting that brand sentiment has been about 80% positive – showing its potential for gaining popularity once more as a social media entertainment site.

It is clear that Myspace has learnt valuable lessons from the newer, successful social networks such as Pinterest and Facebook. The emphasis on the visual aspects of the page is clear – it has the same cover photo and profile image that we see on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ but at a larger resolution. The minimum size of the cover picture has to be 1,024 x 768 – a very high resolution compared to the requirements for other social media site cover images. This high quality cover image fills the entire window, hence why emphasis is placed upon it being a quality image.

The new Myspace has also shown further developments reflecting the changes since it was last dominant - it is now offering an iPhone app that allows users to network, to receive private messages, and to listen to their own personalized radio station. This echoes the growing popularity of accessing social media though mobile phones and also the increasing ownership of smartphones.

Here are some of the key features of the new Myspace:

- Events Calendar:
One of the features of the earlier Myspace was the band events calendar and this has seen a return to the new version, allowing bands to post a schedule for their upcoming shows and their locations. This is a great feature for both the fans and the artists – it allows fans to plan in advance which shows they would like to go to, and allows the artist the opportunity to advertise their shows to a wide audience.

- Music Player:
Users of the new Myspace page will notice how it works in a similar way to other music services, for example Spotify. Myspace’s new music player provides an extremely effective service – with the ability to form a playlist queue which constantly sits at the bottom of the screen. The key reason to use Myspace however, is because of its music discovery feature. This makes gives the site great appeal for fans and artists alike.

- The Bio Section:
This allows bands and artists to write a personal message to their fans, whether they choose to make it an introduction of their personalities or the background to the formation of the group and their plans for the future.

What do you think?

Have you got a Myspace account? Do you think Myspace will be able to regain its popularity once again?