S. Samuel
Social networking website MySpace is looking to once again compete with a new design and imminent relaunch in the works.
Reports of a fresh launch bubbled across the Internet Monday (September 24) afternoon.
Veteran social network Myspace is undergoing yet another major redesign, this one focused on a radical new horizontal interface and a focus on photos. Invites are coming “very soon.” The redesign is the latest in a series, though the last one, rebranding the site as “My[_____]” and bringing a number of visual updates, was not popular. The property was sold by News Corp to Specific Media in 2011, which brought on Justin Timberlake to head up reinvent the site. (NBC News)
The new design will reportedly allow users to utilize already-existing popular social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
A preview video of the new Myspace shows that the new version of the site will sport a completely overhauled new look that seems to take a few cues from Pinterest, Tumblr and About.me. Users will be able to log in via Facebook and Twitter in addition to creating their own native profiles. The new profile features a large background image with a smaller profile photo in the upper left-hand corner. A stream of photos and status updates is arranged to the right of the screen in a manner that will be familiar to anyone who has used Pinterest. (Complex)
Some media outlets have questioned the value of a MySpace relaunch.
For starters, can you think of a single Internet titan that saw its influence collapse and then make a significant comeback? I didn’t think so. Next up: MySpace will likely have to compete for eyeballs with Facebook, with its 955 million users. Then there are players such as Spotify and YouTube, which already offer ways for people to share music and videos. That said, who doesn’t like Timberlake? ‘N Sync, “Justified,” “Dick in a Box,” “The Social Network” — the guy has some sizeable celebrity, which can’t be overlooked when trying to get an entertainment service off the ground. He won’t be the day-to-day guy, obviously, but he can help boost MySpace’s profile and breath some credibility into the service. (CNet)
Last year, MySpace co-founder Tom Anderson detailed his issues with the social networking site.
“People seem very confused why I’m on Facebook,” he wrote around mid-September. “I’ve had a profile since 2005 and a “fan page” since 2009. FB just created a feature where you can “subscribe” to profiles. They asked me if I wanted to convert my “page” into a simpler profile. Complicated? I suppose. Why am I not on MySpace? Because, I left the company in early 2009, and like most of you, I don’t like using it anymore.. not a fan of what the new folks have done with MySpace.” (Facebook)
Check out the MySpace promo video below:
