Myspace began the social networking experience when it launched online in early 2004.
Just one month later, Facebook launched and the race was on. Now they each pull close to 120 million visitors per month. Both sites recently overhauled their look and, in Canada, Myspace has a new boss as they try to re-capture some lost glory.
Our families and our friends are not always in the same community, and many people find friends all over the world.
To keep in touch, people tend to use social networking sites, spending hours on Facebook or Myspace talking to people and updating lives.
Facebook and Myspace are clearly the two top networks. In late May 2008, Facebook overtook Myspace as the global leader. Weeks later, both sites began a major overhaul.
Facebook's new General Manager for Canada, Dave Stevens, said Canadians like and use social networks more than most other nations. There are more than four million Myspace users in Canada. According to Stevens, content is the key to the future.
"It is really a lifestyle thing. We want to make Myspace a portal that gives you access to all the content you want. We call sites like Facebook utility sites that don't allow you to discuss and exchange content the same as we do at Myspace," said Stevens.
Thirty-seven year old Stevens admits he spends most of his life on the net and he is paid to do it. He has used Facebook and he thinks it is time for networks to take the next step.
As a result, Myspace now offers added features such as a karaoke application to let others hear users sing, a new TV-video interface much like Youtube, photos, events, calendar and messaging.
"Our goal is to make the site self-sustaining, super-helpful to users and attractive to advertisers so that we are very much a profitable site. That is very important," said Stevens.
