MySpace apps arms race: the Murdoch Empire strikes back

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Thursday, 24 April 2008 18:21

Opinion and Analysis

Striking back against the rebel Facebook alliance, the MySpace Empire has announced the public launch of its “Applications Gallery”. No longer in ‘beta’ phase, the App Gallery is now fully operational, as the full counter strike against Facebook takes shape.

MySpace, which calls itself the “world’s most popular social network”, today advised the completion and battle readiness of the Applications Gallery , giving users the ability to “browse applications and integrate them into their MySpace home page and profile, giving them a more engaging and entertaining online experience.” 

In beta since March, the new live status means that “all consumer facing Application Gallery components” are now available. According to MySpace, this means that:

- The MySpace.com home page will feature an Application Gallery icon at the top of the page, so users can easily be directed to the Gallery

- Users will have one-click access to the Application Gallery from their home page through their individual “Control Panels”

- The Application Gallery splash page will be launched with featured apps in effort to further promote applications and support developers

Already, many MySpace users are reported to have been “enjoying and engaging with applications during the site’s beta phase”, with over 1,000 “approved applications” available.

These have emerged in a “variety of growing categories ranging from music, politics and causes, quizzes and polls, video and more”, with over “2.1MM installs” to the MySpace community.

Keeping with MySpace’s existing themes, all “approved applications will have their own profile page, similar to MySpace user pages, so users can easily “friend” any approved MySpace application. The Application Gallery will be accessible to all international MySpace users in their native language”.

Whether you can feel the Force flowing through you, or not, please read onto page 2.