Since I joined up with MySpace everyone keeps asking me ”What’s next?” and of course “What the hell is going on over there?”.
So far we haven’t been able to say or show much. That’ll change soon enough as we incrementally roll out what the teams have been working on. In the meantime we gave a sneak preview to some press recently, here’s what they had to say:
From The Los Angeles Times MySpace looks to the past for its future
Self-expression has long differentiated MySpace from the more stripped-down look of Facebook. On MySpace, an individual’s profile page can be customized to the point of neon garishness. To aid in refining the look, MySpace has recruited contemporary artists Shepard Fairey and Buff Monster to design profile page templates to allow for a more polished presentation.
From USATODAY Once-fading MySpace undergoes youthful reincarnation
MySpace is moving back to its original DNA: appealing to self-expressive, creative under-35-year-olds who are into games, music and movies. More than half of MySpace’s estimated 100 million users are 25 and younger.
The rebranding is illustrated in design mockups splashed across the walls of a user-experience lab here: Simple, clean pages with vibrant looks designed to draw artists, hard-core social-media users, brand managers and others. There is even talk of a new company logo.
MySpace is not only reinventing itself, but recasting the competitive climate. ”When we think about Twitter and Facebook, we don’t think about competition as much as we think about partnership, distribution and synchronization,” Hirschhorn says.
Kara Swisher made a bunch of weird references I’m way too young (or not Jewish enough) to understand in her article and video: New MySpace Co-Presidents Hirschhorn and Jones Talk About the Past (Troubled!), Present (Work in Progress) and Future (Revival?)
Thus, here’s a video interview I did with Hirschhorn and Jones–at their joint desk, like some digital Oscar Madison and Felix Unger–where we talk about all this and more, including whether or not Hirschhorn is akvetcher or not.
Top cartoon that illustrates my view of where MySpace is headed by Gaping Void.
March 10th, 2010 at 3:05 am
great to hear there is new stuff the team is working on besides twitter integrations.
March 10th, 2010 at 7:14 am
[...] What’s Next for MySpace – Sean Percival's Blog [...]
March 22nd, 2010 at 11:12 pm
Hey Sean,
I am glad that Myspace has decided to move back to its core competencies as opposed to compete directly with the likes of Facebook and Twitter. The focus should be its obvious advantages over Facebook: Entertainment, games, music and creativity.
As one of the first Myspace users I am confident that Myspace will return to its past glory. I think there is still huge potential and the audience can not be ignored. I know myself and others have invested years and time into Myspace.
Looking forward to see the new teams and the next wave of Myspace.
It is about time
Constantine Roussos
.music
http://www.music.us
http://www.myspace.com/musicextension