New York — MySpace, once the dominant online social network, acknowledged today that social-media activity has shifted elsewhere by announcing an innovative service dubbed as “Mashup with Facebook” that will allow Myspace to suggest entertainment content to its users based on the entertainment interests and preferences those users have expressed on Facebook.
MySpace has conceded defeat in the social networking arena by signing an agreement with rival site Facebook to allow users to sign in to MySpace using their Facebook account.
The deal — disclosed exclusively earlier this week — underlines just how far MySpace has fallen out of favoritism. MySpace, the once dominant force in online social networking, is struggling to attract new users and hold on to existing members. MySpace will allow users log in via their Facebook ID and then pull their Likes data to follow updates from their favorite artists, bands, TV Show actors and entertainers. Users can also connect their MySpace account with Facebook.
MySpace says its new “Mashup with Facebook” feature would allow people to sign in to their MySpace account using their Facebook login…
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp bought MySpace for $580 million in 2005, while Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder, was still in the early stages of developing his site. Today, Facebook, by contrast, caters to more than 500 million members worldwide, and membership is continuing to grow rapidly.
The information collected from Facebook will enable Myspace to compile a custom page filled with the user’s favorite music, TV shows, movies and celebrities, and will also suggest related content the user might also like.
The moment a user logs into Myspace, an opt-in “Connect” button inside the sign-up and log-in box will ask you if you want to permit Myspace to use your Facebook data to customize an entertainment page for you. If you say Yes, you will be taken to a page where all your favorites are waiting for you, along with some new stuff. Both MySpace and Facebook boast of this Mashup feature built using robust algorithms for enabling the discovery, expression and connection to entertainment content.
When MySpace users hit the Facebook Connect button, Facebook will send over all the things they have “liked” on Facebook and integrate that data into MySpace topic pages (click for larger image). (Credit: MySpace)
By facilitating this Mashup, MySpace has indirectly acknowledged that Facebook indeed is the bigger Social Network out of both. MySpace is now focusing only on Music and entertainment genres on its website. Don’ t be surprised if you see Ping, music centered social network integration with MySpace in future.
“We are excited to further our collaboration with Facebook through this deal,” said Mike Jones, chief executive of MySpace. “This new feature is a great illustration of our strategy around social entertainment and enabling the real-time stream.”
MySpace has sought to re-establish itself continuously over the intervening years, moving away from its traditional roots as a music-discovery and social network, in to what it now calls a “social entertainment hub”.
Last month MySpace refurbished the site user interface centered around music and entertainment. Truly, MySpace is a grindhouse of several indie artists and bands to gain a larger audience. And now the new revamped MySpace literally oozes with streams of data information – trends, topics, videos and games.
Mashup your Facebook Likes on Myspace
Myspace | Myspace Video