The age range of MySpace members may be more broad than commonly thought, if a report by TheStreet.com is to be believed.
According to data from comScore Networks, MySpace is experiencing declines in the numbers of younger members (under 21), while at the same time experiencing increases in the numbers of older members (those between 21 and 54).
Given that 30-something gamers are quite common, it’s not too ridiculous to think that people in their 30s, 40s and 50s might also be interested in being involved in social networking sites like MySpace.
The only question is, with a more diverse membership, will MySpace still be cool?
How many times have you said ”I’ll google it”? Well you’re not the only one, with the expression now becoming so common that “google” is now officially a real word.
Two of the world’s leading English language dictionaries, the American Merriam-Webster and the UK Oxford English Dictary, have added “google” as en entry.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines google (and yes it is lower case) as a transitive verb that means “”to use the Google search engine to obtain information about (as a person) on the World Wide Web.”
With the release of “Hacking MySpace” in August, I’ve started setting up a companion blog/web site for the book at www.myspaceismyplace.com.
The companion web site will provide links to all the software used in the book (which is all freeware or opensource), and links to layouts and other MySpace resources. It was also contain all the code examples in the book.
I’m also planning on running MySpace-related news, and a series of articles about the “Masters of MySpace”, where I will be intereviewing the owners of outstanding profiles.
A new study from the University of Massachusetts attempts to answer the question that every aspiring blogger is asking - what makes a blog successful?
Dr Ganim Barnes surveyed 74 of the “biggest and best” blogs in the business to find out what makes a blog successful. Dr Barnes described the bloggers who participated in her study as the “most experienced, business savvy and respected bloggers who are at the forefront of innovation in the blogosphere.”
The survey discovered a number of “truths”, including:
- Blogs take time and commitment
- Blogs must be part of a plan
- A blog is a conversation
According to a report in Business Week, Fox Interactive Media is looking for a search partner for MySpace.
Fox Interactive sees search as an untapped revenue opportunity, and all the likely suspects - Google, Yahoo and MSN - are expected to compete fiercely to be the search engine of choice.
It will be interesting to see how such a deal affects the search preferences of MySpace members, and what contribution it makes to Fox Interactive’s bottom line.
The dangers of social networking sites for kids are well known, with there being cases of sexual predators using sites such as MySpace to meet kids. Sure, kids aren’t meant to be using services such as MySpace, but it’s not hard for them to pretend to be older in order to sign up.
A US company, Industrious Kids, has launched a new social networking web site called Imbee.com, which is designed to provide a safe haven for kids aged between eight and 14. Before an account for a childen can be set up, a parent needs establish their own identity and to authorise the membership using a credit card. The child’s profile is only accessible by invited family and friends, and is not indexed by search engines such as google. Imbee costs $3.95 per month for one adult and two children.
A new blog aggregator - gnoos - has been launched to make it easier for Internet users to find Australian blogs.
Currently it’s quite difficult to find blogs in a particular country using tools like Technorati or Google Blog Search.
Gnoos’s main page also tracks updates of Australian blogs, Australian media reports, and global blogs.
While gnoos is still a relatively basic tool, there’s a lot of potential for it to grow into something much bigger, especially if it can gain the support of the Australian blogging community.
Google has added video capabilities to its AdSense advertising network, according to a report in the Advertising Age. Video ads can now be placed on web sites that currently display Google graphical ads. The videos ads are static when first shown, and the user needs to press a play button to actually activate the videos.
Google is rapidly becoming the Microsoft of the Internet (irony intended); what pie doesn’t it have its finger in? Mind you, it’s a bit hard to be too critical, since Google does such a good job with most of the things it does.
I’ve had a couple of questions from readers asking what the URL is of the Australian version of MySpace.
If you’re in Australia, you’re automatically taken to the Australian version of MySpace when you visit http://www.myspace.com
If you’re not in Australia, you can visit the Australian site by going here http://au.myspace.com/
A couple of New York teenagers have been taken into custody after attempting to extort $US150,000 from MySpace.com.
According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald the teenagers were thrown off MySpace for hacking into other users’ accounts. The pair then threatened to distribute information about how to hack into MySpace if they were not paid the money by MySpace.com.
The pair were taken into custody by undercover police officers posing as MySpace employees. They were each charged with sending a threatening letter, attempted extortion, and illegal computer access. Bail was set at $US35,000.