Any online venture that lasts more than three years is a stayer. One that makes the grand old age of five is a veteran. And with the constant rising and falling of the next, new thing – staying at the top of your game for any web company is a challenge.
So I was interested to see this introduction to the New MySpace. Now, I know MySpace isn’t really designed for me, but I have always struggled with the randomness of the interface, the lack of elegance and so on. Maybe it’s my aesthetic. Maybe because I’m older. Maybe because it reminds me of my desk. Yet, while I had issues with MySpace, I loved the chaos and energy that it harnesses and the focus that it can bring to online communities.
I am a fan of the idea that “ease of use drives consumption” – that is, you design and make something easy to use and people will – surprisingly – use it. And that’s why I am excited to see this new MySpace. I’m not saying I will use it – but this rethinking shows promise that I won’t be able to resist. It may just win me over yet. Woof.
Agreed the video suggests MySpace shows promise. I think it will continue to carve out a good niche for itself in the music/entertainment space but it’s probably never going to return to it’s popularity hey-days!
I’ve never really ‘got’ MySpace in its first iteration, and I have asked whether it is because I’m too old, or not ‘up with it’ but the more I use social media sites the less I think that.
There is such a fast and furious turnaround of social media sites at the moment, some here now and gone tomorrow despite a huge effort on their part, they just didn’t make it into consumer’s consciousness.
MySpace did make it and were there, for me at least, in the ‘early days’ which counts for something and then they looked set to fade – so it’s good to see them coming back. It feels a bit like Digg’s reinventing of themselves.
I’m still not going to be a user (and maybe that is because it’s not aimed at me) but I hope they get a fair go of it and am glad you blogged about it, because otherwise I for one might have missed it.