MySpace Gets Into the News Biz
News Corp. is taking aim at Google News and Digg with the launch of MySpace News.As ZDNet's Steve O'Hear notes, Myspace News is a hybrid approach that blends the aggregation of Google News with the voting capabilities of Digg.
A year ago I couldn't imagine MySpace getting into the news arena, but the site has made an effort to expand beyond the teen/tween demographic that marked its early days. If presidential candidates are congregating on MySpace, then I guess a news feature is appropriate, too.
My unscientific analysis of the site reveals:
- On the plus side, the submission and removal process is quite easy. Unlike Digg, MySpace News is a "set it and forget it site." You don't have to submit each article -- an RSS feed will do the trick. Also, removal instructions are clear and simple.
- On the minus side, a quick scan through recent headlines shows that some of the material has a racy tone, which could certainly turn off conservative-minded news outlets. It'll be interesting to see if MySpace News tweaks its settings to remove the NC17 stuff or if it adopts an anything-goes attitude.
Regardless how this site plays out, it's certainly worth a few minutes of investigation. Worst case scenario: 30 seconds of submission effort could yield a few extra page views.
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