MySpace Envious Of Facebook's Widget Success

Posted on June 30, 2007

The Financial Times is reporting that MySpace is making plans to open its network to allow outside companies to create widgets just like Facebook recently did. Facebook's widget move was considered a big success and it sounds like MySpace is not about to let the move go unchallenged.

The expected change in approach is a reaction to the success of rival Facebook, which last month unveiled a similar step to open its network to outside developers. Although it has less than half as many users as MySpace in the US, Facebook's approach has won it strong backing from other consumer internet companies, which hope it will give them an easier way to reach the network's 27m members.
More than 1,000 applications and services are already available, letting users do things like publish slideshows of personal pictures to their Facebook pages, or add a box that keeps track of when their favourite bands are playing concerts nearby.
"The [Facebook] platform is interesting," Mr DeWolfe said in an interview with the Financial Times. He argued MySpace's current technology approach gave its users many of the same benefits but said: "We'll probably offer users the choice of both."
The aim was to attract more online companies to create services for MySpace's users. "We'll be bringing in more developers."

If MySpace opens it doors wider to developers it will be interesting to see which companies benefit. iLike, which provides a music widget, was one of the suprises after Facebook opened its doors to developers. iLike started adding 300,000 users daily from Facebook users adding the iLike widget to their profiles.