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As far as I can tell MySpace really was the superior option, Facebook just happened to get more popular and get more critical mass for some reason.
by jimmaswell 12y ago
As far as I can tell MySpace really was the superior option, Facebook just happened to get more popular and get more critical mass for some reason.
- eli_gottlieb 12y agoFacebook had a distinct function: college students could organize parties on it.
- benihana 12y agoFacebook had a small, exclusive original audience. You had to have a .edu email, and you had to be at one of the chosen colleges to be able to sign up. I think the exclusivity and the fact that high schoolers with animated gifs all over their pages weren't on it made it popular to college students.
- guelo 12y agoThe next young crowd is always fickle, looking for the next hip thing to escape from the established path. That makes social networks inherently unstable over time. And that's why Facebook is always on the lookout for any new breakaway social network and will pay dearly to bring it under their umbrella.
- coralreef 12y agoMyspace was never a superior option. On Myspace you had friend requests from people you didn't know and most of your friend list was also random. There was no real value in your profile's social network. With Facebook you could 'creep' on someone you met at a party, or in your building, class, etc. People shared photos openly.
- abvdasker 12y agoThere are two small but hugely significant UX differences between MySpace and early Facebook that help explain why so many people abandoned the former for the latter: 1. Facebook didn't have any ads for a long time while MySpace was stuffed full of fairly intrusive ads. 2. Facebook didn't allow users to customize the appearance of their profile. Profile customization sounds good in theory, but in practice people end up making some hideous profiles when given too much control over appearance.