Since Facebook’s announcement of Connected Profiles feature and Open Graph initiative, the social network has faced criticism and raised concern over privacy on the Web. While Facebook is complicating its privacy settings and urging users to make everything public, MySpace this week announced that it will roll out simplified privacy settings in the coming weeks, for the benefit of its network’s users. Though it has fallen significantly in the battle of the social networks, this move may help MySpace capitalize on Facebook’s mishaps and woo former users back to the network.
In a letter to users on the MySpace Company Blog this week, Co-president Mike Jones wrote,
“We want our users to know we are planning the launch of a simplified privacy setting for our user profiles. While we’ve had these plans in the works for some time, given the recent outcry over privacy concerns in the media, we felt it was important to unveil those plans to our users now. We believe users want a simpler way to control their privacy.”
Jones notes in the post that these changes have been planned for some time, but Facebook’s actions have prompted MySpace to move forward with them now. MySpace’s simpler privacy tool lets users make changes in just one click, with options to make user profiles either public, friends only, or public to anyone 18 and older. Compared to Facebook, MySpace’s new settings are like night and day. Facebook requires users to adjust settings for nearly every aspect of their profile, or risk having it exposed to the entire Web. Now, MySpace’s simple one-click option offers the simplicity that Facebook does not.
Currently, MySpace’s also allows users to limit certain elements of their profiles to “friends only,” such as photos, blogs, and 
personal information – but it is still not nearly as complicated as Facebook’s system. In an effort to make the transition as simple and easy as possible, Jones wrote, “MySpace will default the setting to ‘friends only’ for any user who previously had any granular page setting to ‘friends only.’ Users can change this option with one click if they choose.” MySpace is doing everything it can to distinguish itself from Facebook – but will it help?
MySpace has only 114 million users, compared to Facebook’s 400 million, and Quantcast.com shows that MySpace and Facebook have not been equal in traffic numbers since January 2009. Though MySpace will most likely never reach Facebook’s numbers, the network now has the perfect chance to reposition and reinvent itself. MySpace should continue with the simplicity trend and make everything on its network simple, from the site’s design to actions like search and messaging. If MySpace is successful, it stands a good chance of increasing its numbers to become a strong Facebook competitor once again.
What really sets MySpace apart now is its leaders, who are clearly listening and paying attention to what users want, and they’re responding positively. Changes on Facebook nearly always draw criticism from users, but rarely are changes made to correct or address these complaints. MySpace can use this to their advantage. In addition to emphasizing its simplified privacy features, MySpace should take this opportunity to stress the network’s focus on — and continued commitment to — their users. If users feel listened to and taken care of, they may be more likely to go to the network who will give them what they want — and MySpace seems to be doing just that.
Feature image by svilen001 on Stock.Xchng.
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