MySpace, chances are you have one or if you do not your friends do. For those that have been on the web for a while, you might remember a website called SixDegrees. SixDegrees was based on the concept that a person was connected to another person by no more than six degrees. So I might know a guy, who knows a girl, who might also know a different guy, that knows a person, that knows you. Get the idea? MySpace is the new SixDegrees but with more features. MySpace also recently topped a list of the 25 worst designed sites on the web today. It does not take much to see why MySpace would top this list. In a world of sites like Netvibes, Digg, and even Netflix with their Web 2.0(ish) AJAX driven websites that contain flashy interface items, MySpace is very much what people are now refering to as Web 1.0. MySpace, has a very “old” web feel to it. The buttons are generic and the layouts are very simple and lack any kind of flashiness.
Yet, this website still receives in the upwards of millions of page views a day. People are addicted to MySpace. If you are a band, you practically need a MySpace to have any sort of credibility. This website has become ingrained into our existiance to the point that when you meet someone new one of the first questions likely to come out of their mouths (or yours) is “Do you have a MySpace?” Think about that for one second. The fact that you are most likely going to be asked that question just proves how much some people have come to rely on MySpace as a way to communicate with people they know. I know that for me personally, I have several people on my MySpace friends list that I have not personally seen in almost a decade, but I will send them a message on MySpace about once every month or so. MySpace has made it somewhat easier to stay in tourch with people, or borderline stalk them.
With millions of people hitting the MySpace a day, it is hard to believe that most people just do not question the user interface of the site. But considering that millions of people visit MySpace everyday despite its ugly apperance is proof that if you have a good idea, people do not care how it is packages. MySpace is ugly when compared to other websites around the web, but those other mor flashy websites do not have a tenth of the draw that MySpace has. Despite all it is lacking in the “coolness” factor when it comes to how you navigate, people still visit. I think that major lesson can be learned here. Many web developers and designers today go for the flashy, over the top, slick looks that you can pull off with all of the javascript, AJAX, and XML out there. They put so much effort into the interface that the content lacks and they wonder where the hits are. MySpace pulls in hits daily and it does it with a site that does not have the slickest look. Sure, you can jazz it up using one a hundred websites, but the backend that people use to post blogs, send messages, or look at pictures is very dull. It is however as simple as you can get. When you want to post a bulletin, you simply click on the link that says “Post a bulletin” and when sending a message you only have to click on the little box that reads “Send a Message.” As far as getting around the website is extremely simple to use and requires very little hunting to find the button or link that lets you do whatever you need to do.
MySpace has proven that you do not need the flashiest website to draw in vistors. Most people on the web do not give two shakes about AJAX or Web 2.0 but rather they want the site to work and without having to figure out too much. If you have a good idea, you can get it out on the web in the simplest of formats. You can always come back and adjust the look and feel later. If the idea is going to work, it will work without the flashy designs and layouts. As a result, I think many sites can learn from MySpace when it comes to creating a functional website.
Sidenote: I realize that MySpace sometimes does not work. This is something that has little to do with functionality and more with the traffice. I think MySpace does need to get more servers behind it so that it can handle the load of users that visit the site on a daily basis.
[Technorati Tag: Commentary]
[Technorati Tag: MySpace]
Michael Koby 
What MySpace Has Proven
MySpace, chances are you have one or if you do not your friends do. For those that have been on the web for a while, you might remember a website called SixDegrees. SixDegrees was based on the concept that a person was connected to another person by no more than six degrees. So I might know a guy, who knows a girl, who might also know a different guy, that knows a person, that knows you. Get the idea? MySpace is the new SixDegrees but with more features. MySpace also recently topped a list of the 25 worst designed sites on the web today. It does not take much to see why MySpace would top this list. In a world of sites like Netvibes, Digg, and even Netflix with their Web 2.0(ish) AJAX driven websites that contain flashy interface items, MySpace is very much what people are now refering to as Web 1.0. MySpace, has a very “old” web feel to it. The buttons are generic and the layouts are very simple and lack any kind of flashiness.
Yet, this website still receives in the upwards of millions of page views a day. People are addicted to MySpace. If you are a band, you practically need a MySpace to have any sort of credibility. This website has become ingrained into our existiance to the point that when you meet someone new one of the first questions likely to come out of their mouths (or yours) is “Do you have a MySpace?” Think about that for one second. The fact that you are most likely going to be asked that question just proves how much some people have come to rely on MySpace as a way to communicate with people they know. I know that for me personally, I have several people on my MySpace friends list that I have not personally seen in almost a decade, but I will send them a message on MySpace about once every month or so. MySpace has made it somewhat easier to stay in tourch with people, or borderline stalk them.
With millions of people hitting the MySpace a day, it is hard to believe that most people just do not question the user interface of the site. But considering that millions of people visit MySpace everyday despite its ugly apperance is proof that if you have a good idea, people do not care how it is packages. MySpace is ugly when compared to other websites around the web, but those other mor flashy websites do not have a tenth of the draw that MySpace has. Despite all it is lacking in the “coolness” factor when it comes to how you navigate, people still visit. I think that major lesson can be learned here. Many web developers and designers today go for the flashy, over the top, slick looks that you can pull off with all of the javascript, AJAX, and XML out there. They put so much effort into the interface that the content lacks and they wonder where the hits are. MySpace pulls in hits daily and it does it with a site that does not have the slickest look. Sure, you can jazz it up using one a hundred websites, but the backend that people use to post blogs, send messages, or look at pictures is very dull. It is however as simple as you can get. When you want to post a bulletin, you simply click on the link that says “Post a bulletin” and when sending a message you only have to click on the little box that reads “Send a Message.” As far as getting around the website is extremely simple to use and requires very little hunting to find the button or link that lets you do whatever you need to do.
MySpace has proven that you do not need the flashiest website to draw in vistors. Most people on the web do not give two shakes about AJAX or Web 2.0 but rather they want the site to work and without having to figure out too much. If you have a good idea, you can get it out on the web in the simplest of formats. You can always come back and adjust the look and feel later. If the idea is going to work, it will work without the flashy designs and layouts. As a result, I think many sites can learn from MySpace when it comes to creating a functional website.
Sidenote: I realize that MySpace sometimes does not work. This is something that has little to do with functionality and more with the traffice. I think MySpace does need to get more servers behind it so that it can handle the load of users that visit the site on a daily basis.
[Technorati Tag: Commentary]
[Technorati Tag: MySpace]
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