5 Reasons Why Facebook Won’t Turn Into MySpace
Social media is a controversial issue today and the big question is: When will it go out of style? Well, this question can only be answered if social media is in fact a fad or a cultural trend. Facebook has proven that social media (if positioned correctly) is not a fad, it is part of our lives. MySpace was in fact a fad and has been diminishing more and more every day. Their CEO, Owen Van Natta, stepped down yesterday after less than a year in his position. Many people believe Facebook will eventually join MySpace in the social media graveyard. This will not happen and here’s why:
1. Facebook here, Facebook there, Facebook EVERYWHERE!
Tuesday evening, Facebook announced a new partnership with AOL which allowed them to integrate Facebook Chat into AIM. Today, Facebook Chat is now available EVERYWHERE! Facebook is quickly integrating itself into every part of our online lives through features like Facebook Connect, Facebook Mobile, and Project Titan. MySpace was unable to effectively integrate themselves across the web.
2. User Friendly Interface
Facebook has been updating the style and functionality of their platform on a regular basis. Some may argue that these frequent changes make it difficult for users to keep up, but these changes are actually making Facebook easier to use. MySpace redesigned their layout a couple years ago, but it was not well-received and they haven’t done anything since to fix it.
3. SPAM Traffic Control
MySpace is cluttered with SPAM to the point where there is no turning back. Facebook is very good with their SPAM control and users are not being constantly pestered by SPAM and unsolicited advertisements. Fan Pages on Facebook are a great way for advertisers to integrate themselves on Facebook without being SPAMMY.
4. Valuable Connections
Facebook was initially positioned as a place for college students to connect. Although it is open to everyone now, it still is used as a place for people to connect with current and former classmates. Because of this initial product positioning, Facebook is known a place for users to make valuable connections with people they care about. MySpace was never positioned as a place to reconnect with people and never really hit that place in users’ hearts.
5. Mark > Tom
Mark Zuckerberg is the founder and current CEO of Facebook. Tom Anderson, founder of MySpace, is no longer running the show. It is very important for a CEO to be invested in the success of a company. Mark Zuckerberg obviously is very invested in the success of Facebook because he also founded it. This is a huge advantage for Facebook because their vision and passion is still present within their headquarters. MySpace lost a lot of its flare once Tom was taken out of the picture.
Why do you love Facebook? Share your comments here.
My 5 reasons:
1. No shiny backgrounds
2. No models/bands spamming you to be a fan
3. No looping music
4. Less annoying ads
5. No Tom
I will have to disagree.
The recent changes via Facebook have been horrible. The privacy was somehow fixed yet broken, we used to be able to hide our friends lists and also the recent activity but that is no longer the case. FB took away that option and now everything is exposed to our friends list. Call me wrong, but this is going BACKWARDS with things, just like MySpace went downhill. I won’t even begin to talk about the insane amount of apps spamming my page on the daily basis.
Facebook will die just like MySpace did.
I like facebook because it doesn’t allow a person to change their name like myspace does, so if you want to find somebody. you WILL. Myspace allows them to change the display name, and real name posted under every link you have with your picture on it. Facebook is really easy to use when trying to find somebody.
I believe the biggest thing that killed MySpace is they moved away from their business model. They were originally just a network for music band and then they opened it up to the public. Now it’s nothing but spam. Most users are “fake,” there’s no real community interaction, and it’s cluttered with ads. MySpace has a terrible interface. Like you said, Facebook has done a lot of positive things and I agree. I just don’t understand why they keep changing the layout. That’s the only thing that raises questions with me. Facebook is definitely not a fad. I believe it’s the best platform for engaging with your friends and family.
6. The user age for FB has skewed higher and higher. Older users are slower to change.
7. You use your real name and connect to everyone you know IRL; leaving FB would be like leaving the country–to go to a country with no FB.
Thanks for all of the great comments! Please ReTweet and share with your friends!
While we don’t always agree with the changes or the direction, Facebook is a true software developer, continually evolving and seeking to improve its platform.