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Threatened MySpace welcomes third-party developers

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myspace-api.gifFeeling the immense popularity of rival Facebook nowadays, MySpace will open its doors to outside developers to hopefully regain its dominant leadership in the competitive social networking segment. As they say, better late than never.

Initially announced in October 2007, this is an initiative of the newly assigned COO Amit Kapur to catch up with Facebook. The API will be released to third-party developers this coming February 5. According to independent consultant Ben Metcalfe who advised about this program:

“I can appreciate that in the past MySpace has not always been perceived as playing as well in this space as it could — especially around turning off widgets for unclear reasons. However, in the run-up to this launch, I’ve sensed a very different approach — one that understands the importance of playing well and being a good actor in the community.”

Unfortunately, this task is not as easy as it looks. Facebook has already built a massive collection of about 15,000 apps.

Via Computerworld

Originally posted on January 31, 2008 @ 7:17 am

Amit Kapur named COO of MySpace

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amit_kapur.jpgMySpace named Amit Kapur as its Chief Operating Officer. Kapur will be responsible for spearheading the development and implementation of all global business operations for MySpace’s more than 110 million users worldwide. He will also oversee the growth and expansion of MySpace partnerships across the upcoming Developer Platform and popular features including MySpace Mobile and MySpaceIM with Skype.

Kapur, 26, joined MySpace in 2005 as the company’s first business developer hire. In this early role, Kapur led the advance of the MySpace Mobile product through solidifying landmark partnerships with AT&T (then Cingular) and Helio. Kapur was also responsible for numerous business expansion initiatives such as company’s initial globalization strategy and deal negotiations across various partners.

In 2006, Kapur was promoted to Vice President of Business Development where he was integral to key business relationships and deals for MySpace including the landmark monetization deal with Google, the strategic product partnership with Skype to create a new instant messenger client, and the company’s first music licensing pact with Sony BMG.

Originally posted on January 30, 2008 @ 10:23 am

MySpace, MTV, AP to feature Republican and Democratic candidates in ‘Closing Arguments’

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MySpace and MTV, along with the Associated Press, announced “Closing Arguments: A Presidential Super Dialogue.” The event will offer candidates polling above 10%* a final chance to address the nation – particularly the energized and pivotal youth voting bloc – in advance of Super Tuesday, an unprecedented moment in U.S. political history, when more than 20 states hold presidential primaries or caucuses. Frontrunner candidates Hillary Clinton and Mike Huckabee are the first confirmed participants for the next installment of MySpace and MTV’s acclaimed Presidential Dialogue Series, taking place Saturday, February 2, 2008 at 6 PM ET on-air, online, radio and mobile phones. The Associated Press will distribute a live feed and on-demand highlights of the Dialogue to the 1,800 media sites in its Online Video Network; nearly 600 of those are local TV, newspaper or radio sites in states with Super Tuesday primaries. John McCain, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Barack Obama and John Edwards have all been invited to participate in the event as well.

A revolutionary polling tool, powered by Flektor, will enable viewers watching online to indicate their approval or disapproval of candidates’ responses throughout the course of the event and help guide the direction of the forum. A “popular vote” function will allow viewers to compare their opinions against those of the entire viewing community.

Originally posted on January 28, 2008 @ 11:11 am

MySpace names Jeff Berman Executive Vice President of Marketing and Content

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viewmedia.jpgMySpace announced that Jeff Berman has been appointed Executive Vice President of Marketing and Content of MySpace.

In his newly created role, Berman will be responsible for spearheading the development and implementation of marketing initiatives and campaigns for MySpace’s more than 110 million users worldwide. He will also oversee the growth and expansion of popular MySpace franchises including Music, Film, Comedy, Impact Channel, MySpaceTV, and the newly launched MySpace Celebrity. Berman will report to MySpace’s CEO and co-founder Chris DeWolfe.

Berman joined MySpace in 2006 as Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, where he led the creation of the Impact Channel, MySpace’s hub for social and political engagement. The Impact Channel houses the official MySpace pages for all of the major party Presidential candidates and a variety of non profit organizations, as well as tools to enable voter registration, fundraising, and volunteering. Berman was instrumental in developing an innovative partnership with MTV to launch the groundbreaking Presidential Dialogue series. Each an hour in length and held on college campuses nationwide, the MySpace/MTV Presidential Dialogues provides a national audience with the opportunity to engage with frontrunner presidential candidates from both the Republican and Democratic parties by posing questions online, in real-time, via MySpaceIM.

In 2007, Berman was promoted to General Manager of MySpaceTV, where he oversaw the launch of the company’s global video platform.

Originally posted on January 24, 2008 @ 5:33 am

MySpace to promote industry-wide Internet safety principles

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new media newsIn a joint effort to increase the safety of teens online, MySpace and Attorneys General in the Multi-State Working Group on Social Networking representing 49 states and the District of Columbia unveiled guidelines on online safety tools, technology, education and law enforcement cooperation based on the Principles of Social Networking.

The Attorneys General praised MySpace for its efforts to date, the progress it has made in improving online safety and its continued efforts to make specific improvements over the coming months. The joint effort recognizes that an ongoing industry effort is required to keep up with the latest technological developments and to find additional ways to protect teens. The Attorneys General called on other social networking sites and Internet providers with community features to adopt the guidelines and bring their sites up to par with MySpace in terms of safety.

“We thank the Attorneys General for a thoughtful and constructive conversation on Internet safety. This is an industry-wide challenge and we must all work together to create a safer Internet. The Principles we have adopted set forth what the industry needs to strive towards to provide a safer online experience for teens and we look forward to sharing our ongoing safety innovations with other companies,” Hemanshu Nigam, Chief Security Officer of MySpace, said. [Read more…]

Originally posted on January 14, 2008 @ 3:52 pm