Valleywag Accuses MySpace of Spam 2.0

Via Threadwatch.org, today Valleywag publishes an article from journalist student Trent Lapinski (digest version), critizing MySpace. Lapinski argues these five points:

1. MySpace is NOT a viral success.
2. MySpace.com is Spam 2.0.
3. Tom Anderson did NOT create MySpace.
4. MySpace's CEO Chris DeWolfe is connected to a past of spam.
5. MySpace was a direct assault on Friendster.com.

The article features some interesting history behind MySpace, but is also filled with manufactured outraged; particularly in the digest version.

How is MySpace not a Viral Marketing Success?

The argument Lapinski makes is that MySpace was created by eUniverse and eUniverse spammed their current users of other sites they owned in order to start off MySpace's user base. Well... first off that is just a smart business move by targeting a market that is already into social sites, the target market. Besides that however, MySpace has or had something(s) that people wanted and it is because of that thing or those things which makes MySpace the success story it is today.

A very interesting thing that is a product of MySpace is that a lot of start up sites are using MySpace to quickly reach tens of thousands of web users. I am going to admit that bleeek.com will be one of them.

MySpace an "assault" on Friendster?

That is some creative wording on Lapinski's part. Another way to phrase that, "MySpace beats out Friendster". There is nothing new with taking an idea and improving upon it, and there is definitely nothing new with listing and analyzing a competitor in your business plan. More power to MySpace for doing this very successfully.