MySpace Officially Surrenders to Facebook

This week, MySpace officially threw in the towel. On Thursday, MySpace and Facebook announced a deal that would allow for people to go on MySpace using their Facebook account while bringing all their information from Facebook with them. Once they are on MySpace, they can gain new likes and interests as if they were on Facebook. MySpace is calling this "The Facebook Mashup".

Although this signals the official end for MySpace as a Facebook competitor, the signs of the end have been coming for a while. In September, MySpace relaunched itself with a new logo, saying that they are no longer a social network. Instead, they are now involved with social entertainment by promoting online media. Even though MySpace has fallen off the map as a place for conversation, it still pulls its weight in music promotion, and that is why Facebook was so interested in MySpace. With the launch of Ping, an iTunes music social network, two months ago, Facebook wants to ensure that they will be ready for any possible competitions in the future. 

I’m not really sure about this move for Facebook. I’ll admit that MySpace does do a good job of being a venue for music, and I actually go on some bands’ MySpace pages every once in a while. Yet, Facebook is Facebook, and I expect them to create a far superior music community on their own without the help of another site.  So if Facebook was looking to impress me, I don’t think that accepting the white flag of a now beleaguered website was the best way to do it. 

Is Zynga's Dirty Secret Really That Bad?

In my presentation last week, I concentrated on online gaming, which included covering Zynga. Zynga is the largest and most well-known developer of Facebook game applications. With hits like Farmville and Mafia Wars impressing dozens of brands to invest in them, Zynga is making large profits and ensuring their future financial viability. Yet, they are still trying to maximize their profits by selling user information to third parties. Not surprisingly, these sales have caused lawsuits and other troubles for the company.

In this article by Coffee Today, it discusses the latest major lawsuit against Zynga. This class-action lawsuit is by a group of people who had their information sold by Zynga to third parties. Interestedly, Zynga is not worried about their legal troubles, and seem to shake it off like it’s no big deal.

Is Zynga entirely wrong by doing this? Sure, they definitely should be more open to the fact that users’ information is being sold, but should users really expect the game to be entirely free? After all, Zynga should be able to make a profit somehow. Although people are worried that the information could end up in the wrong hands, this information will most likely be used for advertisements and nothing worse, and advertisements that are targeted directly from the users’ information will most likely be integral in the future of Internet surfing. As long as the information is going towards better targeted online advertisements, I think that it is acceptable for Zynga to profit from their non-paying users if they accept to the terms and conditions. 

What do you guys think?

Vloggers: The Narcissists of New Media

I can't stand it.

Do you know when someone stands up in a room like they are more important than anyone else, and says something like they are God's gift to all of us, just so they can have all the attention? I call it grandstanding, and I hate it because it makes the rest of us feel like we are all lesser beings.

I feel the same way about "vlogging." When we were watching the Lonely Girl video in class, I almost wanted to turn away because watching her just aimlessly talk to me got on my nerves. See, I am a big believer in the phrase that some people are "all style, no substance," and I feel that if you have nothing worthwhile to say, just don't say it. No matter how well you can say it or how cute you think you are when you say it, please just avoid talking. Reserve those random thoughts for a lame Twitter account, or a Facebook status... Sorry, but I had to get that rant out of my system.

Ok, I'll admit that I may be over exaggerating and over generalizing people that "vlog." I am sure that there are a lot of people that enjoy following and watching vloggers. Also, I am sure that a lot of vlogs have great content that people are interested in learning more about. Yet, you have to understand where I am coming from. I am a person who likes to be low key, and I can't stand when someone always has to be the center of attention. One thing that I love about the Internet is that it is based on pure substance where your content has to be authentic and interesting or else people won't pay attention to it. I feel that vlogs represent the complete opposite, and promote personalities that are unauthentic and tailored to a specific "invisible audience," which Nussbaum referred to in "Say Anything." These people will do anything for people to watch their vlog. Whereas, I feel that a traditional blog is more likely to show the authenticity of the author and his work. Even though blogs and other new media are not free of bloviation, I rarely feel that like I am being talked down to when I read a blog. In my opinion, I think that most vloggers are just looking for more attention than everyone else.

In the end, I know that this is really just my own personal vendetta against vlogs. Some people love them, and perhaps, I just haven't found the vlog that was right for me. Yet, I don't think that time is coming anytime soon. I'll continue to blog, post, tweet, and even check-in, but if you ever expect me to vlog, don't hold your breath.


(Seriously, buddy, you made me smirk, but do you really have nothing else to do?)