If you have any connection to the online marketing space then you know MySpace has been on the way out for a couple of years now. Well, apparently the situation is far worse than popularly known! The following graphic is from the Silicon Alley Insider shows how the once mighty Facebook competitor has crumbled:

A chart showing the dramatic decline of MySpace visitors over the past 12 months.

The Rise and Fall of MySpace in the News

The Original MySpace LogoHere is a list of articles depicting MySpace’s rise as the sweetheart of social media to where it is now; it actually starts in 2003 but I thought some peeks at the former MySpace occupants starting in 1997 would be good for a smile or two. I have to say this social property has sure had its ups and downs!

1997 (yes, really!)

January 17th, 2007: Courtesy of Web.Archive.org, here is possibly the original owner of MySpace.com… sexy site!! 😉

2000

May 10th, 2000: The online storage company, MySpace.com

2001

June 7th, 2001: “In Web Storage World, No Space at Myspace”

ON Sunday at 8 p.m., Myspace .com disappeared. Typing in its Web address yields only an error message.

Since more and more commercial Web sites have the life span of fruit flies, that would not usually be news. But when Myspace.com, an online storage locker, bolted its virtual doors, it also deleted an untold number of files stashed there free by its registered users, which the company says numbered 7.5 million as of last week. (read on)

2003

August 31, 2003: The MySpace phenomenon began… this is the earliest image of the MySpace launch.

2005

July 19th, 2005: “News Corp.’s Place in MySpace”

In less than two years, MySpace has emerged as one of the hottest sites on the Web. It has more page views than Google (GOOG ). And with 22 million members, and a growth rate of 2 million a month, it stands to rival MSN (MSFT ), Yahoo! (YHOO ) and AOL (TWX ) as one of the major destinations on the Web.


2006

August 8, 2006: “Google: MySpace Savior?

2007

MySpace logo says "a place for friends"

October 17th, 2007: “MySpace, Skype Announce Partnership

October 18th, 2007: “Web World Eyes MySpace

Rupert Murdoch, hailed as the smartest media executive when he bought MySpace, now faces questions over his next move in the digital world as the social network tries to fend off growing rival Facebook.

November 7th, 2007: “MySpace Popularity With Teens Fizzles

2008

The switch to an entertainment focus prompts a new look

April 5th, 2008: “MySpace Forms Joint Music Venture

April 10th, 2008: “MySpace Inks Global TV Distribution Deal

September 25th, 2008: “MySpace Music Launches”

November 20th, 2008: “McCartney, Guns N’Roses Albums to Launch on MySpace

2009

February 4th, 2009: “MySpace: 90,000 sex offenders removed

April 23rd, 2009: “MySpace co-founder DeWolfe to step down

June 23rd, 2009: “MySpace to cut 300 international positions”

August 20th, 2009: “MySpace scoops up popular Facebook app iLike”

2010

February 10th, 2010: “MySpace CEO is Out After Less than a Year”

February 11th, 2010: “MySpace CEO Van Natta steps down

March 10th, 2010: “MySpace outlines makeover after exec shake up”

August 31st, 2010: “MySpace Hands Over Updates to Facebook

October 8th, 2010: “Hey New MySpace Logo, New Gap Logo Has Some Words For You

Tweet from @GapLogo says: "That new MySpace Logo? I mean I know I have very little room to talk but holy shit."(Thanks to the NewSanity blog where I found this handy image)

October 27th, 2010: “‘New MySpace’ narrows focus to entertainment”

November 18th, 2010: “MySpace’s Facebook Mashup – Why Bother?

November 19th, 2010: “MySpace surrenders to Facebook in battle of social networks

MySpace has finished being a social network and a direct rival to Facebook, according to its chief executive, Mike Jones. …

Talking to The Telegraph at the Monaco Media Forum, Jones said the bold statement: “MySpace is a not a social network anymore. It is now a social entertainment destination.”

Further November 19th news: “MySpace Deepens Ties with Rival Facebook”

MySpace on Thursday began letting members tap into entertainment preferences expressed in Facebook profiles in a deepening of ties with the firm that snatched its social networking crown.

2011

February 3rd, 2011: “News Corp. says it’s ready to sell MySpace” (USA Today)

Rumors of MySpace’s eventual sale to an entity outside the News Corp. family have been swirling for some time. But Carey’s confirmation in today’s call suggests News Corp., which bought MySpace in 2005 for $580 million, would prefer that sale to happen sooner rather than later.

February 4th, 2011: “Will MySpace Sell for ‘Nickels on the Dollar’? One Suitor’s View” (Forbes)

News Corp. paid $560 million to buy MySpace in 2005, but if you want an idea of how much it might sell for this time around, try moving a decimal point. Maybe two.

February 23rd, 2011: “Chart of the Day: The Utter Collapse of MySpace” (Silicon Alley Insider)

That brings us full circle to the post that got me on this little research expedition and I believe it also makes for an excellent conclusion to a story with an unhappy ending.

The last gasps are audible. R.I.P MySpace.

by Ross Dunn, CEO and SEO Specialist, StepForth Web Marketing Inc.
Increasing the bottom line online for businesses since 1997
Follow Ross on Twitter: @rossdunn