When Was MySpace Started?

Are you interested in how social networking on the Internet began? MySpace is one of the first social networking websites. It was previously the most popular social networking site on the Internet, but it was overtaken by Facebook in 2008. Despite this, the site still remains immensely popular throughout the world.

MySpace was inspired by the website Friendster. Friendster is also a social networking website, and allows for individuals to connect and talk with each other through the Internet.

After Friendster was launched in 2002, a

number of individuals realized the potential behind the concept of social networking websites. In August 2003, the first version of MySpace was launched. The website used a number of the most popular features from the Friendster site, but changed them enough that there were no copyright issues.

Development of MySpace

The developers of MySpace worked at eUniverse, and thus the first version of MySpace didn’t deal with the startup issues that most websites have to overcome. Even the first version of MySpace had a sophisticated background which included server capacity, technical expertise, finance, and bandwidth.

The starting CEO for MySpace was Chris DeWolfe, and he was managed by Brad Greenspan. Brad Greenspan was the founder of eUniverse.

Since eUniverse employees were the creators of MySpace, they were also the website’s first users. These employees recognized the potential of MySpace. They would hold contests among each other to see who could sign up the greatest amount of new users.

The entire eUniverse company believed in MySpace, and the resources of the company were used to market the website to the country. Before MySpace began, eUniverse has an immense amount of subscribers. Thus, eUniverse marketed MySpace to their vast network of users. The innovation of eUniverse’s marketing plan helped MySpace quickly become the most popular social networking website on the Internet.

MySpace As a Free Site

When MySpace was first launched, Chris DeWolfe suggested to his fellow employees that MySpace should charge a fee for basic services. However, this idea was rejected. Brad Greenspan was adamant that the website should remain free.

He believed that by offering a free website, the MySpace community would grow exponentially. The developers of MySpace were able to make money by purchasing equity in MySpace. When MySpace (along with eUniverse) were bought in 2005, these employees then gained a significant sum of money.

In an unprecedented deal, MySpace was bought for almost six hundred million dollars. MySpace was purchased by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation (also referred to as Fox). Since purchasing MySpace, the News Corporation has launched a MySpace version for the United Kingdom in July of 2006. The purpose of the United Kingdom MySpace is specifically to market to the music scene in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom version of MySpace has been successful in this purpose.

MySpace's Redesign

Since its purchase by Fox, MySpace has been redesigned. In 2007 and 2008, Fox launched a new format for the popular website. For example, the user home page was redesigned. It was altered to include such things as status updates, applications, and subscriptions.

Many of these changes were added to compete with Facebook, which was growing in popularity at the time. In 2008, MySpace music was launched, and another updated version of the MySpace profile was released. Most recently, new features were added in 2010.

For example, there is now an application which allows individuals to receive recommendations for games, music, and videos based on their search histories. Additionally, individuals who are interested in computer games can now receive updates and alerts for new “game news.” The website recently announced that within the next year, approximately twenty to thirty brand new micro apps will be released. Additionally, the website plans to go mobile.