We are really excited to announce the arrival of the new version of MySpace! Check it out at http://new.myspace.com when you have a second. Within this short overview we are going to go over the main changes in the New MySpace in addition to privacy implications.

For starters – Wow! Visually the New MySpace is much more appealing and modern than the previous version available. Opting for a sleeker, streamlined look, the new version offers a few different things that are comparable with other social media outlets and a few very distinct opportunities. When first looking at and navigating the New MySpace, it seems eerily familiar. It has a few different characteristics that have been pulled from a few different places. The very sleek ‘Discover’ page is visually stimulating, a very nice change to how the website used to navigate. This is based upon the popular culture items that are trending… which are similar to Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+. Another neat option to compare to other outlets would be how we are supposed to connect with our friends. With a close semblance to a visual Google+ the user is allowed to ‘Connect’ with their friends via organic search, Facebook connection or Twitter.

The contrast to the other social media outlets would be the emphasis on music. The original MySpace had more of a push for ‘home-grown’/local musicians to be able to network and meet/make new fans in other cities. This updated version offers a more person experience to the average user. The user is allowed to create a musical queue or mix to enjoy very specific music. The music playlist is very new and unique feature that will set MySpace apart for personal usage. It’s professional implications and uses are still up for debate for relevance, but there is a huge marketing factor that comes into play when you try to connect to the New MySpace via another social media profile such as Facebook.

This image is a screen shot of what information the user, who connects through Facebook, is allowing the application access to. We blogged last week about the new privacy changes within Facebook’s Data Usage Policy and implications of it, this is a great example. If a user easily connects their Facebook account to this MySpace, they allow access to their Basic Information (name, profile image, gender, networks, friend list, user ID along with other public information), e-mail address and profile information. What this can do for the marketing community is huge. Does it allow everyone the same opportunity to request this type of information from any application? This is a lot more information collected than our team has seen in the past. Neat, new MySpace or not, please be sure to read what you agree to!