Yeah, MySpace was the hip thing before Facebook, but with the latest issues over FB privacy, they’re making their move to get back on top. They’ve announced that they’ll let their users make the default setting for updates “friends only.”
Mashable said, “MySpace’s privacy strategy appears to be the exact opposite of Facebook’s current strategy, as late last year we saw the company dramatically alter privacy settings for members to encourage public updates. That move caught the company some flack, but controversy around Facebook’s “Like” button and Instant Personalization features dominate headlines now.”
And issues of security may become an even bigger issue in the face of the murder of an Australian teen. She was lured to her death by a man with a fake profile. Of course, she may have chosen to befriend him, but it still makes us all a bit more aware of the potential dangers involved in social networking with strangers.
Mike Jones, MySpace Co-President blogged, “We respect our users’ desires to balance sharing and privacy, and never push our users to an uncomfortable privacy position.” Hint, hint. He went on to say, “MySpace’s core value of allowing self-expression and representation of yourself remains true, without the fear that your unique contribution to MySpace will be unknowingly used for an alternative purpose.”
That being said, the company hasn’t made the promised changes just yet — they’re merely striking strategically while the iron is hot. Watch for their changes in the weeks ahead and we’ll see if it’s enough for the company to reclaim some of its former glory with internet speed.
Tags: Facebook, Internet Speed, MySpace, Social Networking