Is Myspace Making A Comeback?

Remember Myspace? The social network that started it all that has lost significant ground to the likes of Facebook and Twitter? Well, it's trying to make a comeback.

It's been about 10 years since I logged into my Myspace account and there are plenty of reasons why. The social network now focuses on music artists and enthusiasts rather than on the general public. Niche social networks are not uncommon and can be quite useful; however Myspace has been somewhat of a chameleon throughout its existence, starting as a social network for all internet users and morphing into the social network for musicians when pop star Justin Timberlake became co-owner of the network last year.

It's no secret that Myspace in no way compares to the ubiquity of other social networks of today, and it is trying to change that. Its tactic? Emailing users old photos of themselves in order to entice them to log back in and rediscover the network.

I applaud Myspace for devising an innovative and creative way to lure its users back in. However, my opinion is that Myspace should focus on its growth as a social network for musicians and the like, rather than trying to compete with the already established and successful social networks geared towards the larger population.

If I were to receive an email from Myspace that included decade-old pictures of me, I would immediately be deterred. Why? Because it is an explicit form of displaying my lack of privacy on the network and revisits a past life. In my opinion, users might be more likely to deactivate their accounts instead of finding it useful. Besides, now there is an app called Timehop which serves the purpose that Myspace intended with its marketing ploy: it revisits old pictures and posts from the past, but privately on your personal mobile device.

Nowadays, internet users are much more private online and careful with the photos and content they post. 60% of teen users keep their Facebook profiles private and college graduates are increasingly urged to manage their online reputations when searching for jobs. A nationwide survey reported that nearly 39% of companies used social networking sites to search for employee candidates. Europe has even go soon far as to instill the "right to be forgotten" to protect individual rights in the digital age. These facts prove the point that Myspace's marketing tactic may have gone too far- privacy is incredibly valuable to internet users and Myspace seems to have infringed on that right by emailing users old photos of themselves in an attempt to win them back.

Myspace may have missed the boat on this one. Why not continue on the path to being the leading social network for the entertainment industry? Rather than focusing on retaining forgotten members, they should have focused on rebranding their network into the social network for musicians and producers to be on.

What are your thoughts? Would Myspace's tactic have worked for you to re-join the network?