Los Angeles — MySpace, struggling to reclaim its reverence, is now cozying with Facebook, announced that it now allows users to synchronize updates with Facebook, the social networking superstar that supplanted the firm that once ruled in that arena, following a tie-in between the two social networks.
The association suggests that people on Facebook will be able to see their friends’ posts on MySpace without having to visit the website.
“This new sync functionality is part of an ongoing effort to make it simple for people to share their updates beyond MySpace and allow fans and friends to interact with that content across the Web,” Jennifer Ruffner, director of MySpace’s stream product, wrote in a blog post.
“Sync with Facebook entitles users to keep their friends on Facebook up to date on everything, including: sharing songs, latest photos, fun game apps, and more,” says Ruffner.
News Corporation-owned MySpace had already empowers users to synchronize their updates in the form of real-time musings, comments, or observations at hot microblogging service Twitter.
Instructions concerning how to get in tune with Facebook were available at myspace.com/guide/sync.
For instance, if a user adds a game on MySpace, it will appear in their Facebook news feed as well. If someone clicks on the link within Facebook, they will be directed to the game’s profile page on MySpace, which will be accessible to users who are logged in, as well as those who are not.
“At launch we are syncing game install activity, but are working to sync more gaming related activities with the Facebook stream,” Ruffner wrote.
“The opportunities to participate and share this type of entertainment content are endless,” she adds. “This is especially exciting for artists who can now employ this tool as a complement to their MySpace Music presence and share their vast library of content, including full album catalogs, to people who have liked their Facebook Page.”
Ever since being eclipsed by Facebook two years ago, the move is seen by many in the industry as an attempt to keep pace with Facebook, the pre-eminent power in the social-networking space. MySpace has worked to position itself as a platform for musicians and their fans.
According to the latest figures from comScore, Facebook crowned with more than 500 million members while MySpace apparently has a fraction of that number. To be precise, Facebook attracts around 146 million unique users per month, while MySpace, once the biggest social player on the internet, garners around 61 million visitors.
Recently, at a conference in July, MySpace executives announced plans to “go younger, go youthful” and placed special importance on “creativity and self-expression.” More emphasis, for example, will be placed on MySpace as a destination for casual gaming, according to executives.
MySpace was acquired in 2005 by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. group, approximately for $580 million (£380 million). The social networking site, which collaborated to promote the careers of musicians such as Lily Allen and Sandi Thom, was at that time one of the most popular destinations on the internet.