MySpace used to be the most popular social networking site on the planet, but how long ago was that? These days, MySpace has been struggling to keep users immersed in their platform.
But perhaps there is hope on the horizon. According to TechCrunch via Jolie O’Dell from Read Write Web, MySpace is planning on rebranding around the slogan “Discover and be discovered“.
While this slogan is by no means a bad one (you can debate that with me in the comments), MySpace will face a few issues in their rebranding efforts.
Here are a few reasons why MySpace will fail in their attempt to re-emerge as a go-to social networking site.
1. Facebook, Twitter and Google Buzz have emerged.
Facebook used to be a direct competitor to MySpace and obviously, has emerged as the most popular social networking site on the planet. The combination of conversation, applications, photo and video sharing has turned Facebook into a one-stop aggregrate for your friends.
Twitter has carved out a nice niche as a social networking site, focusing on shorter messages with more updates. Individuals tend to connect with more people on Twitter and share/collaborate on content through links and retweets.
Google Buzz, the newest social networking platform, takes a direct focus on conversation. While the platform is still very new, Google is bound to utilize the plethora of their website tools and integrate them into Buzz. Don’t be surprised to see Buzz used more and more as people catch on with the website.
2. The MySpace website design is weak.
MySpace’s website design does not necessarily come off as the best designed site in comparison with the others.
Facebook has spent a great deal of time on their website design and recently changed it to make navigation much easier. Twitter has done well maintaining the basic format of the website, and cleaning up their front page with a new, sleeker design undoubtedly helped the growing platform.
If MySpace wants to succeed with their rebranding efforts, they should focus on creating a basic website with clear, focused navigation and features. Some may characterize MySpace profiles as a Facebook profile completely covered in apps. Sometimes less is more—and it could benefit MySpace as Facebook becomes more and more application focused.
3. Users may not give the “new MySpace” a fair shake.
Facebook used to focus on the college demographic, and it turned MySpace into the “kiddish” social networking website (focusing on a younger demographic. Is it realistic to believe that MySpace can shed the immature image?
As you can probably assume, MySpace has a long way to go before they can win the trust and attention back of their former users. While the website’s success is by no means set in stone, I’m pessimistic on the idea that the website will effectively rebrand and become a respected social networking platform again.
What are your thoughts on MySpace’s future rebranding effort? Are you optimistic or pessimistic on the future of the site?
