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Stop the madness of comparing Facebook and MySpace!
June 25 Update: I have moved this story back to the home page, because for once it appears I may have been right. Ars Technica is pointing to a survey by UC Berkeley PhD student Danah Boyd. Titled “Viewing American class divisions through Facebook and MySpace,” the survey looks at the different groups of people using both Facebook and MySpace. I said this same basic thing last week. It’s time for people to stop comparing the two. Of course since Ars Technica is on auto-promote on Digg, it should be on the front page shortly.
Alright friends, this post might make me seem like I have lost my mind, and that's ok! I just don't seem to "get" why so many compare Facebook and MySpace or consider them competitors. Someone help me understand.
The latest example of this is Duncan's post about the (false) rumors that MySpace traffic is on the decline. He also notes that he does not understand the appeal of MySpace. His charts compare MySpace and Facebook traffic on Comscore and Alexa. Of course the Alexa chart is worthless, but why compare the traffic between the two? It's like comparing a Porsche with a Hummer. Yes, both cars, but they are completely different.
Yes, by definition they are both social networking tools. You can "friend" people on both services. But I believe that is really where the similarities end. Facebook is a business-oriented tool, while MySpace is for fun. I have never had someone say to me, "Allen check me out on MySpace and here is my Facebook id."
How many people are on both services and use them both actively? While I believe many users may have a profile on both, I am willing to bet that most users are using one or the other. Growth of one does not mean the other suffers. Both can continue to grow independent of the other. So let's stop the madness in comparing the two. Let's talk about them on their own individual merits. Thank you.
Do you have accounts on both? Do you use them actively? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Facebook is for business? I think you’re confusing that with linked in. Facebook started out as a college social network and is full of pics of drunk parties etc. It’s EXACTLY the same demographic as myspace.
Most of my friends have both facebook and myspace accounts, and literally use them interchangeably.
Sorry, the exams I took when I was a young boy said I was not retarded. I am not confusing Facebook and LinkedIn. While it may have begun as a college social network, it is not just for college students anymore.
Can you show some examples of the interchangable nature that you speak of? Can I customize "my" page on Facebook as I can on MySpace? Can I share links the same on both?
The demo is not the same my friend.
Your arguments make no sense.
1.) Who cares if the steps to post a link are not the same? You can do both on either. You can also share photos, videos, & other things you like on both platforms.
2.) The demographics are the same. Facebook started out as a college thing, now they’ve opened it up to everyone. It clearly is NOT a business network, because if that were the case they would be focusing on those types of features (contact sharing, job boards, etc.) which they clearly are not. They focus on photo albums, wall posts, “notes,” etc. Clearly more of an entertainment platform. MySpace started out as that musician thing, but now it’s full of teens - adults, using it for the same shit: messaging with friends, making their profile their own, etc.
Just because you can’t customize a profile on the facebook doesn’t mean they’re targeting different audiences. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Maybe the exams you took as a child were retarded too.
I noted at the beginning of my article that they are both social networks. They don't target the same user, nor does the same user use both. If we think about it from a business standpoint… it would go like this:
MySpace >>>>> Facebook >>>>> LinkedIn
People like Jason Calacanis are using Facebook to push his Mahalo project. I don't think he has a MySpace page for the project.
But we can disagree, no worries.
My MBA says I am not retarded :)
I agree with the CN comments so far. Facebook is better than MySpace, but LinkedIn has more value for managers. See my comments on my blog at http://billso.com/2007/06/20/facebook-vs-myspace/
Agreed. They targeted different crowd.
While SOME PEOPLE MAY USE THEM AS THE SAME THING (ie, only as a social network), Facebook is slightly more ‘mature’.
While there are endless applications you can add to your page and you can move the sections around, pages are generally uniform, and finding people (particularly for business or locating Alumni) is so much easier.
Also, you’ll find many more “important” people on Facebook. It’s a networking tool that connects ‘busiess’ type people to ‘the masses’ (I’ve always hated that; ‘the masses’), much the same way MySpace (as was already mentioned) was originally for bands to get their music out there.
Even if they are the same, you have to see that they target a different audience. It seems as though even if you started off with MySpace, ass you get older, you go to Facebook. Granted, I’m about to be 25, & I use both. I’ve been on the Space for about 2 years? Maybe 3. And I just got the Book a couple months ago. Whenever I log in to one, I log into the other. I like a lot of the apps that Facebook has, but I wish it was more customizable (like MySpace). Likewise, I like MySpace, but I wish some people would stop clogging up their pages with 436272726 videos and songs that all play at the same time, which I appreciate that I haven’t seen many people on Facebook do.
That being said, there are many similarites and differences to the two sites. However, millions of people continue to log in/sign up each day. So who cares which one is “better”? The only person that makes a difference to is the user; which network is better FOR THEM.