Mobile internet access is hot at the moment, from the iPhone through to T-Mobile’s New Sidekicks (maybe not so hot, but you can see CrunchGear’s coverage here), so you’d think MySpace would be providing unfettered mobile access to its user base? Wrong.
In Australia, mobile phone users not using the Optus mobile network have been blocked from accessing the new MySpace mobile site, being re-directed instead to the main MySpace page, which is even more unusable on a mobile than it is on a normal computer.
Optus has an exclusive provider contract with MySpace, and they are apparently not alone: the practice is widespread globally with MySpace blocking access from non-provider mobile phones in major markets, including we would presume the United States, although we are unable to confirm that at this time.
As I sit here browsing Facebook via the amazing Facebook iPhone site (oddly enough over the Optus network), I can’t help but ask the question: is MySpace Insane? Are they trying to milk every last cent out of the site before they are defeated by the ever popular Facebook, which I’d note have just passed MySpace by traffic in the United Kingdom. A sane strategy would be to provide easy access to as many people as possible, strengthening and growing your user base in an increasingly mobile world. Revenue would flow as a conseqeunce of having more users, instead of banning potentially the majority of them.
The mobile operators are presuming that users will take up their services to access MySpace which could work, but I can’t see millions of people switching because of it.
Although MySpace users miss out under this model, the biggest loser of all is MySpace. Greed isn’t good when you put profit before users, and denied access to MySpace via their mobile phones users will take their business elsewhere.
(via SMH)
This makes me absolutely sick. When are companies going to learn that the time for exclusion is up? Give your users what they want or they’re going to move to a provider who will. The era of intentionally limiting your market to increase your value (and earn extra cash for yourself and your co-conspirators) is over.
Interesting post Duncan, but I assume you meant it isn’t good putting profit before users instead of vice versa.
Matt
apologies and corrected…but you got the idea which counts
I agree that putting profit before users won’t prove beneficial, at least, when there is a close competitor trying get your position.
I had a similar issue with Vodafone (UK) blocking my mobile access to Skype.com.
Their mobile content filtering (which is installed as standard… well was when I bought my phone) is designed to stop access to undesirable sites (think Porn etc)… well according to their service Skype.com is included in sites worth blocking!
I captured this on my blog at the time: http://inbabble...ypecom-website/
Great post Duncan. But just curious if you were viewing the iphone facebook site from an iphone on the Optus network?
I feel the article doesn’t really analyze the situation properly.
Off course, pissing of your users for money is not good in terms that it will loose you users.
However they are making money with these type of deals.
As long as they can buy more users with the money they make than they actually loose from these blocking some out they are doing just fine.
It might get them a bad name with the tech community, but their advertising dollars might create an entirely different story for the community as a whole.
Probably in this case they are indeed loosing out by doing this, but you can not really conclude that they are insane, unless you know how much money they are getting out of it.
MySpace is also blocking T-Mobile USA from the mobile site. After reading on TechCrunch that the MySpace mobile page would be in beta on Monday I was able to get in all day on Sunday and Monday. Tuesday it was down with a message saying a new MySpace mobile would be open “tomorrow”. Surprise! On Wednesday I’m redirected from mobile.myspace.com to http://www.myspace.com.
I’m not sure why they are doing this since I doubt the exclucivity they are providing would add up to the number of ad page views they would get if it were available to everyone. Facebook is definately ahead by allowing WAP access to their site. The unfortunate thing is that the niche of DJs, musicians, and other artists/entertainers is held by MySpace. It’s going to take some time to get people off MySpace and most of them aren’t going to move along because they have an audience where they are.
Its blocked if your a Vodafone user in the UK too. tells you to pay £1.50 a month for the myspace app. Myspace are idiots, who is gonna wanna be on Vodafone when you can browse the site for free on the other networks. makes no sense.
I can’t agree to the moralistic reference to “greed.” This is just bad business on the part of MySpace. The purpose of business is to make money through providing services that are valuable. By many definitions, greed should prompt you to make lots of money by creating a valuable service and catering to your customers, thus putting them first. This isn’t greed, it’s just short-sighted and dumb.
Brent
yes (pardon the pun).
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