Might MySpace’s Cleaner Profile Pages Give it More Social Networking Relevance?

Once upon a time, MySpace was the top dog in the fastest growing segment on the web, riding high as the most popular social networking site in the world.  It was the place everyone wanted to be and then bam!  Facebook came out of seemingly nowhere and seized the number one spot. 500 million users is proof that Facebook is king these days and when it comes to growth, the competition iisn’t even close.  Sure, you can say that MySpace surrendered the crown and waved the white flag long ago, but that doesn’t mean it has given up completely.  Its competitive spirit is evidenced with the launch of new profile pages the site is hoping will increase its relevance in the social networking space. 

According to an executive from the site, MySpace is testing out a new look and feel of its popular social networking platform with the user base.  The exec reported in an interview with tech news site Mashable, that the changes have been met with positive response. Sean Percival, MySpace Vice President of Online Marketing, also stated in an announcement that the new look pages are cleaner than ever and even “slicker” than what Facebook currently has to offer.  It is all in the sake of enhancing the user experience and there is said to be more details on the changes coming in the very near future. 

For now, the updated pages have only been rolled out to select users, so not everyone has been able to catch a glimpse of the new look.  Users who have report that the basic layout has been modified to be easier on the eye and more importantly, showcase the most essentials features of a social networking profile.  According to MySpace, these features are friends lists, updates, photos, videos, and blogs, each of which can now be found in a navigation menu on the left side of the page. 

Also included in the profile page enhancements is a feature that is part of MySpace’s latest initiative.  Twitter must have made an impression with decision makers behind the scenes because the once dominant social network has decided to experiment with a “follow” function, a feature that can be found on the right side of the user’s profile page.  What it does is not only allow you to follow people on MySpace, but also on Facebook, YouTube, and of course, Twitter as well.  Coupled with the cleaner look, this is one feature that could make the site more appealing to businesses and professional users.  

The immense popularity of Facebook has resulted in thousands of deleted and abandoned MySpace profile pages.  Social networking is a very unpredictable sector, but it wouldn’t be farfetched to say that the site will never enjoy the same level of success again.  And while there is no guarantee that cleaner profile pages will help it regain some of the relevance it lost, it certainly appears to be a step in the right direction.  MySpace still sees tens of millions of visitors every month in the U.S. alone, and those type of numbers make it pretty important regardless.