MySpace-vs-Facebook is really heating up. MySpace recently hired Owen Van Natta as their new CEO. If you recognize the name that’s because Owen Van Natta is formerly the COO of Facebook. MySpace is currently promoting from within, as well as hiring a lot of people with strong backgrounds in digital media. They are gearing up to take back what they have lost.
MySpace has their work cut out for themselves though - Facebook has surpassed them in worldwide users. Currently, Facebook is seen as the cooler out of the two social networks. MySpace is seen as the old man on the social network block. Another problem facing MySpace is marketers and marketing companies view MySpace users as lower middle class. This image is going to be very hard for MySpace to shake. They have to do something soon to change people’s perceptions of their social network.
Thrown into this mix is Twitter. It’s very unique - it is a mini-blog and has a very powerful search tool that is current up to the minute. With 140 character limit per post, it’s easy to stay current and updated with family and friends. All this is becoming a thorn in Facebook’s and MySpace’s side. But for now Twitter is still considered new and small, but a potential threat to them in the long run. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the big guys (meaning Facebook, MySpace, Yahoo or Google) are in negotiations with Twitter.
Keep a watch on any news about these social networks -big deals and big changes are coming.
Illustration by Paulo Pereira
