Just how big a task does MySpace’s freshly appointed CEO Owen Van Natta have in front of him? Let’s take a quick peek at the latest global traffic stats from comScore which just came out today. On a global basis, Facebook attracted more than twice as many visitors in the month of March as arch-rival MySpace.
Facebook had an estimated 294.7 million unique visitors in March, 2009 on a worldwide basis, compared to 125.7 million for MySpace. While Facebook gained 19 million visitors during the month, MySpace gained only 2 million. In terms of pageviews, MySpace has seen a drop of 20 percent since January (to 37.9 billion), whereas Facebook has seen growth of 22 percent in the exact opposite direction (to 87.3 billion). And while MySpace is still bigger in the U.S., Facebook is closing that gap fast.
Owen Van Natta must figure out some way to reinvigorate MySpace and keep it from languishing its way towards mediocrity. Maybe the answer is to turn MySpace Music into the new engine of growth for the entire social network or focus on some other niche where MySpace can win. But if Van Natta’s ambition is to retake the top spot in social networking, well, good luck with that.
That site needs a complete overhaul in design, functionality and user policies. And it needs to innovate and not parrot Facebook.
This
anybody thinks myspace’s got a future?
good for human kind if myspace and orkut sink soonest
Maybe he will turn it into a reality site?
BTW what is the M in MTV stand for these days? No music on my tele…
Mephistopheles Teen Vortex
(Mephistopheles is a demon in a legend)
Here’s a few ways how I’d save the company:
http://tinycomb...he-can-save-it/
Every single hard part of that job was over the minute NewsCorp purchased the company. He should buy himself a good putter and a nice little office putting green.
Dewolf’s experience worth a mint. everyone is waiting to see his next launch. next launch will determine if myspace was just a fluke or does he have an eye for talent? ability to execute,? ability to spot next generation social networks?
http://seesmic....deos/tTL9aEUkGR
YouLocator.com – i do
SpamLocator.com – locate bullshite spammers from Ning.
No doubt that Owen has a great task at hand and it will take serious innovation and an amazing campaign to boost MySpace’s growth.
Still, I have to point out that MySpace and Facebook are different sites with different goals. Sure the basic outline of social networking is there but facebook’s goals are very different from myspace’s.
You go to facebook to read about/talk to/ share photos with your friends which is what MySpace USED to specialize in a couple years back. As Facebook launches more social/interactive and rather mindnumbing applications it’s become more of a personal playground than anything. Their design and versatility of the site is constantly changing (evolving would imply that the changes are always positive…).
Then you have MySpace which I think is more largely concerned with branding itself as an internet portal for its users. Meaning their launch of things like MySpace Film, Comedy, Impact, Fashion, TV, etc make it more of a Yahoo! type site. This is not even touching on the fact that MySpace Music (probably the most successful element of the site) is still where music fans go to discover new music and keep up with their favorite artists.
I’m just a bystander but I feel like people largely overlook the skewed comparisons between the two sites.
Myspace and Facebook are entirely for different kinds of people. This chase to be the top with EVERYone in tow presupposes that there is in fact a size or version of something that everyone would be happy with. This is not true of sex and its not going to be true for Myspace or Facebook. Some of us like the ability to totally customize our web presence with abandon hence Myspace.
Facebook is more business and focuses more on what needs to be said and not necessarily about the venue in which the message is written. It’s just functional. Not bad, just different. I stopped working on my Facebook page when I discovered I couldn’t customize it to my taste. I also don’t like blinking, flashing, resource hungry graphics when I go to a page, but I also don’t like being told that I can’t customize my page either.
Myspace is more fun. Facebook may have the numbers but monetization is the elephant in the living room. By appearances Facebook has lost every battle its ever fought with its users that I’m aware of (I could be wrong). With this kind of track record I can’t wait to see what happens as they work to find a way to make money AND not totally piss of their seeming minimalist society. One, me, wonders what Steve Jobs thinks of Facebook’s handwringing over its base.
Don’t flame me. I am nothing without my Apple products. The current lack of a REAL video card for the MacPro is foul though. Facebook is doing “registration” great and I have to wonder how many times I’ve been pissed with Steve Jobs specifically because whenever you’re pissed with Apple you’re really pissed with Steve; over not using the real Motorola G5 or moving to Intel. Should the world Apple community have gotten at least one apology from Steve accompanied by some backtracking and would Apple be where it is today.
Oh well, Apples to Oranges and Plums apparently. Sasha what you point out in your second to last paragraph I’d never really considered, but it is true and is also why Myspace may have way less users, but still brings in more money unless the numbers change.
Owen is a complete Douchebag for stiffing Playlist after only 5 months. I personally think his main reason for taking over MySpace is because of his hatred of Mark Zuckerberg.
Oh, and does he even own a razor? You are not in college anymore Owen, start acting like it and clean up.
you must not be from LA, shaving is optional.
But it look like being a douchebag is required.
It is actually.
Spend some time in the whale’s vagina and you’ll see shaving is optional. Most guys are doing the Van Natta.
They’ll destroy facebook by the end of the year, stay tuned.
You really should stop smoking that crack. It’s not good for you.
or start sharing…
I don’t know about that seany.
I know a few things I can’t talk about, MySpace is far from done.
One thing about social networks . . . switching costs/effort is reduced by being able to use existing solution to alert connections that you are moving to new solution. (e.g. posting on your myspace page you are going to focus on facebook) . . . or future (e.g. tweeting on twitter you are moving to _____)
But it goes both ways . . . if MySpace innovates compelling value . . . users can return using the same method.
This will be interesting.
Just to clarify I use both facebook and myspace each for very different functions.
agreed that Facebook and MySpace have little to do with each other but I do think that Owen has an extraordinary job ahead. I would not want that job!
Or he could not pay any attention to those graphs, focus on monetizing the shit out of MySpace’s existing users, and make it more valuable than Facebook that way.
You know, if you’re into basing the value of a business on how much money it makes, and not on how many servers it burns… or is that too old school?
Word
LOL You guys crack me up. Have fun with your charts, how about that?
Forgetting completely about who’s leading in the most valuable consumer market, the US (still MySpace) or how fast Facebook is *CATCHING UP* (what’s taking them so long? hmm)…
The silicon valley snobs who write these articles like to pretend that MySpace is “no longer relevant” to the industry despite the fact that MySpace still triples the Facebook’s revenue and with lower costs.
In this economy… cash is all that matters and it’s the only thing that will get you through.
You and your 4-5 over-opinionated techie friends who never leave the bay area might not use MySpace or know anyone who does, but there are still a shitload of people who do out in middle America and Rupert is laughing all the way to the bank about it.
So go ahead, please leave your techie-douche opinions right here, up the asses of the like minded techie-douche writers who can’t seem to look beyond the San Francisco bubble they’re stuck in…
Only 1 issue with the theory that Myspace has more US traffic than Facebook:
http://siteanal...om+myspace.com/
True, they have more traffic, but not 3 times as much traffic which is the amount of monthly revenue that MySpace has over Facebook.
As much as I don’t like MySpace, they are doing a MUCH better job of monetizing visitors that Facebook.
Don’t worry – Facebook will be able to close the gap with a surge in the number of $1 per pop gifts between friends.
/sarc
http://www.goog...sort=0&sa=N
In any case, # of unique visitors per month doesn’t put $$ in your wallet, and in the end doesn’t matter.
FB is getting p0wned in that aspect and burning through VC money as we speak in an economy that isn’t going to be too forgiving to companies in that situation.
Great post! Poor Eric is still stuck in 1998.
nice post there i have to agree with you on this
Great post. Users = expense. Whether they also equal revenue is another question that will increasingly hit home here.
Facebook is doing little more than providing a more sophisticated version of e-mail. By its minimalist content neutrality it appeals to the largest user base, which is great for founder egos and sounds good at first, until you realize that if you reach everyone, then you really reach no one. E-mail reaches everyone, but no one ever made a ton of money offering free e-mail. The phone reaches everyone, but you need to charge usage fees to make money from it.
I think the article focuses too much on page views and traffic. The real worth of a site should be based on how much profit it makes and in that category, MySpace is, for the moment, outdoing Facebook handily.
That graph says it all right there! Amazing. Owen will certainly have his work cut out for him, but I think they’ve got the assets to put something interesting together. Time will tell…
For anything social, Facebook has a far better feature set and usability advantage. Facebook is about “US”.
MySpace is still great for promoting yourself. Its about “ME”. From having a personalized page with a custom MySpace URL, to being able to “Pimp your Profile” they’re great tools for promoting “Brand Me”.
They just need to play on their strengths.
Chris DeWolfe is perhaps the second luckiest guy to get fired this year. He’s right behind Rick Wagner of GM.
MySpace could get rid of all the incredible ads in your face all over. As those have grown, there traffic has stagnated. Coincidence? I think NOT! LOL
Randy, your post is interesting. You suggest they get rid of the ads, but those ads are in fact income. Ads are a necessary evil for things that are free. Whether email or ad supported Twitter clients for the Mac.
This is why the minimalist thing they’ve got going on over at Facebook should scare the hell out of them because their base should be asking, “..and how’s all this getting paid for??…” The user base over at Myspace I think is younger which should be read ‘disposable cash and don’t mind parting with it’. Sure, the videos and songs that you see on the Myspace pages maybe overwhelming but money is being generated for Myspace from these very same things.
This is no fluke either. Look at Twitter, in its pond it was the smallest, easiest, most non-emotive of its kin. Not the greatest feature set or the most words possible. Just PLAIN and EASY. What’s their biggest struggle over there, same as Facebook, how will they make money? Maybe I don’t know what I am talking about, but when you customer doesn’t care about features and/customization, you should maybe be worried.
much as I dislike MySpace and Facebook, after the buzz dies down and facebook are just a ruined shells, at least MySpace has a viable business model as a music (and video) distribution site.
When the people leave Facebook, it will be lucky to transform itself into a casual gaming / quiz destination.
Advice to Owen, build a realistic 5 year plan and ignore Facebook. Facebook is like a bookshop where everyone browses and no one buys anything.
Actually the graph already says everything. Very impressive growth of facebook over the last months!
when will it jts