If you had been around between 2005 and 2008, you would have heard of MySpace or must have signed up to MySpace! MySpace was a go-to secret spot for teenagers where you can get a peep at half-naked girls and, of course, have access to downloadable new kinds of music. What Happened To MySpace?
Facebook happened to MySpace. MySpace started going downhill when the platform was not cool anymore and users realized they could connect better with friends and family on Facebook.
How Does MySpace Platform Work?
MySpace allows users to create profile pages that feature photographs, link to other users’ profiles, and also enables users to express their interests.
You can join MySpace simply by creating a profile, inviting your friends, or searching MySpace for your friends.
MySpace connected users through MySpace co-founder Tom Anderson. Within a few minutes of joining, everyone on MySpace becomes your extended network.
You can explore your Extended Network by taking the following steps:
1. Visit your friends’ profiles, see who is in their Friends’ space.
2. Click on any of their friends’ pictures to visit their profiles.
3. Check through the friends of friend’s profile to see who is in that friend’s “Friend space”.
4. Then maneuver your path down the list of friends.
You can add friends to your space by sending a friend request to anyone on your friends of friend space.
Thereafter, you can start communicating with the person as soon as he or she accepts your invitation. Once the invitation is accepted, you can send instant messages, links to your favorite bands, and other stuff to share with your new friends.
Who Are The Users On MySpace?
MySpace was first taken up by musicians and bands. Bands make use of MySpace to create a free online presence to upload their songs, post dates of their performance, and connect with their fans.
The bands could stream their music via their profiles and allow fans to download their songs on mp3. This brought in more musicians and wannabes, who see MySpace as an avenue to quickly come to the limelight.
Teenagers and 20-something were attracted to MySpace via music and the freedom to express themselves without censorship. MySpace allows everyone accesses to full profiles, either registered or not. It was a free haven.
MySpace was a big draw to everyone, except parents, of course. There were a lot of things people can do on the platform. It was an obsession for everyone to use the platform.
You can add music, video, graphics, and new fonts to your profiles. You can even use diagrams, illustrations, and videos saved on another website.
What was MySpace Source Of Revenue?
MySpace had different ad-revenue generating platforms.
• MyAds Self-Service
MySpace ad-revenue, a do-it-yourself ad platform called MyAds was launched in 2008. MyAds allows users to create targeted ads and publish them on the website to be displayed on profile pages.
MySpace allows users to serve display ads in the form of banners. Users can choose between 728×90 or 300×250 ad units. Users can similarly create ads with pre-built templates or upload their ads.
MySpace charged ads’ placement on a cost-per-click. The minimum ad placement purchase was $10, which was based on a click to the advertiser’s profile. In 2007, MySpace made about $850 million in revenue and a projected $1 billion in fiscal 2008.
- HyperTargeting
MySpace’s new do-it-yourself ad placement allows advertisers to purchase ads targeted to a specific or general audience on MySpace.
HyperTargeting self-service advertisement was designed to target MySpace users based on their specific interests. MySpace builds a detailed profile of its users, using data such as age, gender, location, interests.
HyperTargeting self-service comes full of built-in image editing abilities to design banners.
16 Reasons Why MySpace Failed
MySpace failed for several reasons. Here are the suggested 16 reasons.
- They erroneously thought that the celebrities and the advertisers were their customers. Of course, it was an excellent match. The ads were bringing in revenue and the celebrities were bringing in the traffic. These made MySpace optimize the user’s experience in favor of advertisers and celebrities while jeopardizing general users’ experience with ads and comment spam.
- They allowed marketers to promote all sorts of things like vicious toolbar downloads. Advertising agents were given free hands to do as they wanted. There were no basic advertising guidelines. Affiliate marketers could run uncontrollable, developing tools to automate comment spam.
- MySpace failed to carry out software improvement. Unlike Facebook, which began in 2007 to let third-party developers create products on the platform, Myspace created the impression that they could create their products.
- Technical issues like load time, the use of HTML to customize user profile layout were a big turn-off for people who could not code.
- The inability of MySpace to evolve at the fast pace of social media like Facebook.
- They did not contend for the social space as Facebook did to win users and retain them.
- As Facebook was becoming more innovative with users’ functions, profile updates, and site layout, MySpace stayed static during these advancements.
- Facebook brought about a newer and better way in which people could network friends.
- On Facebook, users can meet their real friends. Unlike MySpace anonymous friends.
- MySpace had a bad reputation as a cradle of profanity. The platform was filled with scantily dressed wannabes, trying to do anything to be seen.
- The company was scrutinized in February 2006 for exposing juveniles to pornography.
- MySpace has not been seen as a comfortable spot for youngsters. Whereas Facebook was seen as a safer place for minors and other users.
- The pressure to increase earnings suppressed the chance that Myspace would have to innovate.
- The executives on MySpace were concentrated on trying to put up ads revenues.
- They place too much emphasis on fashionableness, rather than usefulness.
- They were so enthusiastic about every other thing that they neglected the performance of their website.
What Happened To MySpace Conclusion
If the hands of the clock were to be turned back, the founders of MySpace would have learned that users are the king.
They would have focused on improving their Users’ Experience rather than focusing obsessively on advertisements.
Thus, what happened to MySpace is not Facebook. Rather, it was the misplacement of priority by focusing too much on earnings.
News Corporation, an American Mass Media and Publishing Company bought MySpace in 2005 for $580 million. It was thereafter sold to Viant Technology Holding Inc. (previously Specific Media), a media company for $35 million.
Five years after MySpace was bought by Viant Technology Holding Inc., Viant Technology Holding Inc. was bought by Time Inc. in 2016.
Eventually, in 2018 Time Inc. was bought by Meredith Corporation for about $2.8 billion. Meredith Corporation concluded by selling several assets of Time Inc.
MySpace: Frequently Asked Questions
How Can I Find My Old MySpace Profile?
On the myspace.com search bar, enter your name. The search will bring forth your old profile.
You can access the account without a password. From the account, you can browse your videos, music, pictures, etc.
How Can I Delete My Old Myspace Profile?
To delete your MySpace profile, you must have access to your account. Once you gain access to your profile, go to “Settings” from a computer and click on the setting symbol.
On the account “Setting” page, select “Account” and click on “Delete Account”. You will be asked to specify an explanation on why you want to remove your account, just select one. Then, click on “Delete My Account”. It is done!
