2008 Woodie Awards
MySpace: A new online star that isn't Google
Anick Jesdanun, AP
Issue date: 2/15/06 Section: News
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The Internet has a rising star whose name isn't Google.
Just over 2 years old, MySpace now has 2 1/2 times the traffic of Google Inc., and it quickly eclipsed Friendster as the top social-networking site where users build larger and larger circles of friends.
Credit luck and acumen: MySpace learned from predecessors and figured out the right tools to package. And when its founders noticed heavy usage among musicians and fans, MySpace embraced that community with custom features.
"It's like being at a giant music conference 24 hours a day every day," said Greg McIntosh, 27, guitarist for Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Great Lakes Myth Society.
College students, meanwhile, can rate their professors and find classmates or alumni. Others play games, view classified ads, send online party invitations or rate the brave on how "hot" they are.
Sure, none of these features is unique, but what's the point of going elsewhere if your friends are already on MySpace?
"I noticed a lot of my friends talking about it, so I went on it and signed up," said Magda Olszanowski, 24, a University of Toronto senior. "And I've really pressured my friends who don't have it to get it."
Instead of using e-mail and instant messaging, Olszanowski keeps in touch with many friends simply by posting bulletins on her personal MySpace page, known as a profile. There, friends can send her a private message or post a public comment; they can see her photo album or read her Web journal, called a blog.
The free, ad-supported site has gotten so popular among teens _ a quarter of its users are registered as minors _ that parents, schools and law enforcement officials have taken notice, warning of sexual predators and other dangers.
Big media noticed, too. Last year, News Corp., the media conglomerate controlled by Australian native Rupert Murdoch, bought MySpace's owner for $580 million in cash.
The U.S.-heavy site now wants to expand internationally and on wireless devices, and it is adding such features as video-sharing to become more like a Web portal.
Just over 2 years old, MySpace now has 2 1/2 times the traffic of Google Inc., and it quickly eclipsed Friendster as the top social-networking site where users build larger and larger circles of friends.
Credit luck and acumen: MySpace learned from predecessors and figured out the right tools to package. And when its founders noticed heavy usage among musicians and fans, MySpace embraced that community with custom features.
"It's like being at a giant music conference 24 hours a day every day," said Greg McIntosh, 27, guitarist for Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Great Lakes Myth Society.
College students, meanwhile, can rate their professors and find classmates or alumni. Others play games, view classified ads, send online party invitations or rate the brave on how "hot" they are.
Sure, none of these features is unique, but what's the point of going elsewhere if your friends are already on MySpace?
"I noticed a lot of my friends talking about it, so I went on it and signed up," said Magda Olszanowski, 24, a University of Toronto senior. "And I've really pressured my friends who don't have it to get it."
Instead of using e-mail and instant messaging, Olszanowski keeps in touch with many friends simply by posting bulletins on her personal MySpace page, known as a profile. There, friends can send her a private message or post a public comment; they can see her photo album or read her Web journal, called a blog.
The free, ad-supported site has gotten so popular among teens _ a quarter of its users are registered as minors _ that parents, schools and law enforcement officials have taken notice, warning of sexual predators and other dangers.
Big media noticed, too. Last year, News Corp., the media conglomerate controlled by Australian native Rupert Murdoch, bought MySpace's owner for $580 million in cash.
The U.S.-heavy site now wants to expand internationally and on wireless devices, and it is adding such features as video-sharing to become more like a Web portal.