Blog: To Myspace No More?

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If you're reading this over on the Myspace version of the blog you'll probably have noticed that Myspace has had yet another redesign recently, apparently in an attempt to make it even LESS helpful, user friendly and easy to update than it already was. A NOBLE GOAL and one which, amazingly, they have MORE than achieved. Well done, Tom Myspace, well done!

This isn't me having a MOAN about Things Changing - well, it is a bit, but I mean not in the way that people BLEAT about Facebook making small adjustments or Twitter changing the order of their buttons or whatever. I would have LOVED it if Myspace had ever changed for the better, but over the years it has gradually got worse and worse. The trouble was that it was SO poorly designed to begin with that people started creating HACKS to make it a bit more customisable... HACKS that gradually became part of the system, with extra added FUDGES built in, only to be all WIPED AWAY by overall updates which destroyed loads of work the users had put in. It's been pretty much an object lesson in How Not To Do A User Centre Webpage Thingy.

The fact that it TOOK OFF so MASSIVELY and for such a long while is a testament to what a GOOD IDEA it was to make webpages for bands (and people who liked them) relatively easy to get going and link up together, so good in fact that the CRAPNESS of the system didn't put people off. But these sort of things don't HAVE to STAY rubbish - I mean, look at YouTube as a GOOD example. Another BRILLIANT idea which has remained true to its basic purpose but gradually got better and better at the thing it is supposed to do. Uploading videos this week I've been AMAZED by how quick and easy it's become, by how much the quality has improved, and at the little improvements (e.g. the different privacy settings you can have) they've made. It was a good thing made gradually BETTER.

Also these days you don't really NEED myspace - there's a ton of social networks that are MUCH more easily used, and HUGELY better places for keeping your music online. I believe I may have occasionally mentioned the MAJESTY of our Bandcamp site now and again, for example.

What I'm building up to here is saying out loud something i have been MUSING upon for a while i.e. Shall I just abandon the myspace page? Does anyone actually VISIT it, apart from (it seems at the moment) people selling badges and American rappers who can't spell? I always update the BLOG but DOES anyone read it there? And would they mind awfully coming over to the main webpage version instead?

I mean, I'll keep the page open and put LARGE re-directs all over it pointing people here instead, but IS there any point in doing anything else there? I haven't updated the GIGS bit for months, for instance - does anyone actually USE that? Any comments would be very VERY welcome - stick them HERE if you have a THORT, I would be most grateful for it!

posted 26/11/2010 by MJ Hibbett

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Comments:

"I haven't updated the GIGS bit for months, for instance" - it shows how long it is since you tried to because there is no longer a gigs section (or if there it it's so hidden away that I can't find it). You have to create an event, which takes longer, and then invite people to it, which takes even longer. Pointless.
posted 26/11/2010 by Tim Eveleigh

it has to be said that MySpace DOES look a bit "Ceefax" these days
posted 26/11/2010 by stevedomino

I deleted the Lardpony and Vom Vorton myspaces a while ago and I was instantly INUNDATED with gig offers! two gig offers! via email!
posted 26/11/2010 by tom vorton

Weirdly I looked at my Myspace yesterday for the first time in AGES and it was like a walk down memory lane. Give it up Tom!
posted 26/11/2010 by Frankie

Myspace sucks, as Pete Green would say. I for one would say it's not that useful anymore, so I'd be more than happy to see a deletion (in true Cybermen style:)
posted 28/11/2010 by Warren

I told you so.
posted 29/11/2010 by Pete Green

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