ROUND 1: CRUNCHING NUMBERS
MYSPACE: If you’ve been living on this planet since 2003, chances are you know what is, or perhaps even have your very own, MySpace. That’s because over 175 million (that’s right – million) users have signed up for a MySpace account from the time it launched, becoming the most popular social networking site on the Internet.
FACEBOOK: Facebook has had to play catch-up to the MySpace monster. It went live in February 2004 and has managed to attract a modest 23 million active users, two million of which are from Canada. The Toronto network alone is the single largest regional network on the entire site. Not bad for a country that is one-tenth the size of its neighbour!
Bigger is not always better, but in this case there is no denying the global dominance of MySpace. Facebook frowns.
SCORE: MYSPACE – 1
FACEBOOK – 0
ROUND 2: NETWORK NIGHTMARE
MYSPACE: If the primary purpose of any social networking site is to connect friends in a series of networks, then MySpace does a poor job. On MySpace, all users are part of one big “MySpace network”, where members have little to nothing in common except for the fact that they were all crazy enough to make an account at one point in time.
FACEBOOK: On the other hand, Facebook is far more effective in connecting friends. Users interact across more than 47,000 different networks that mimic real-life affiliations according to cities, schools, or employers. So, if you’re looking for an old friend from your school, you’ll know exactly where to find him.
MySpace gets caught in its own worldwide web! Facebook scores!
SCORE: MYSPACE – 1
FACEBOOK – 1
ROUND 3: PROFILE PUNCH
MYSPACE: The main unit of interaction on a social networking site is the user profile. MySpace mastered the user profile by truly giving the member their space. MySpace members enjoy a greater level of personalization by adding music, backgrounds, HTML, and embedded videos to their profiles, which you can’t do on Facebook.
FACEBOOK: Meanwhile, Facebook does allow its users to add details about their favourite movies, TV shows, music, books, and activities, but there’s nothing special you can add to your Facebook profile that MySpace won’t already let you.
What’s the point of having two profiles when you can have one that does it all? MySpace gains ground…
SCORE: MYSPACE – 2
FACEBOOK – 1
ROUND 4: LAYOUT LIGHTWEIGHT
MYSPACE: In all the years that I have been surfing and making websites, there are few that I find more cluttered than the MySpace layout. Worst of all is the mound of MySpace ads. Frankly, it doesn’t matter how many users you have because if they can’t log on without an animated smiley screaming at them, they won’t come back.
FACEBOOK: Next to MySpace, Facebook’s template is refreshing. Its template is clean and easy-to-use with minimal, non-invasive advertising. Look no further than the Facebook and MySpace homepages to compare ad overload.
Facebook is the layout lightweight champ! The game is tied…
SCORE: MYSPACE – 2
FACEBOOK – 2
ROUND 5: EXTRA EXCITEMENT
MYSPACE: One thing MySpace has that Facebook doesn’t is a celebrity fan base, including popular musicians like Avril Lavigne. But no one wants to be Avril’s MySpace friend if (a) the user may not actually be Avril, and (b) you’re not really her “friend”, but just another wildly obsessed Internet fan.
FACEBOOK: With Facebook, you can give gifts, poke your friends, and see what your friends have been up to on the site via the news feed. Furthermore, photo albums are much easier to manage on Facebook than MySpace and you can post on a friend’s Wall without loading a new page.
Facebook has a series of unique features that give it the edge. Face it, MySpace. It’s over.
SCORE: MYSPACE – 2
FACEBOOK – 3
ROUND UP: Anything MySpace can do, Facebook can do better. The social networking phenomenon has taken the world by storm and, ultimately, it’s up to you whether you want to be Facebook’s friend or foe, but MySpace isn’t my space. If you’re looking for a realistic, user-friendly and fun way to interact with your friends, then Facebook is clearly the superior site. In your face, MySpace!
Web Links:
www.myspace.com
www.facebook.com