In February 2013, MySpace opened in beta a new network for connecting musicians and other artists with the world. But is it right for your brand? Engauge’s latest report, the “Myspace Skinny Paper,” includes a handy checklist to help you decide.
We're kicking off our upcoming Social Media Marketing Boot Camp with a special keynote presentation by Ella Chick (left), the digital producer at Anderson Cooper 360°. She'll discuss how the network uses social media for breaking news and leverages social media to draw attention to organizations and causes. Learn more about our program and register here. 
When you said were BFFs with these social networks, you lied. This infographic shows 10 sites that came and went as Facebook captured the general audience and new sites popped up to take their places.
9 Ways to Watch Obama’s Inauguration Online (Mashable)
Barack Obama’s second inauguration ceremony is happening today at 11:30 ET, followed immediately by the inaugural parade, the commander-in-chief’s ball and the inaugural ball. Looking for a place to watch online? Mashable has rounded up nine options for you.
ComScore released the list of the 50 most-trafficked U.S.-owned Web properties today, and Pinterest just made the cut. It’s the first time the upstart social network has made the list, but MySpace still came out ahead, securing the 47th spot.
HootSuite, a Web-based social dashboard, has 4 million users, the company said today. HootSuite netted its first million users over a two-year period and its final million in just four months. The fastest growth occurred in the U.S. and Europe.
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Justin Timberlake Teases Sexy New Myspace (Mashable)
Fifteen months after its acquisition by Specific Media, we’re finally getting a sneak peek at the new Myspace. Justin Timberlake — who took an ownership stake in the new MySpace — tweeted a link to a video previewing the new service. AllThingsD The promotional video previewed a drastically different, horizontally oriented user interface and a continued emphasis on music, one of the site’s strong points in its nearly 10-year existence. In 2010, there was another attempt to revive the site with then-CEO Mike Jones at the helm; back then, the aim was to create a “social entertainment site” aimed at Gen-Y, Web-savvy users. The Verge Myspace looks like it will integrate well with the dominant Facebook and Twitter platforms — there’s a short clip that shows off finding friends through Facebook as well as posting tweets directly through Myspace. The new service will also encourage users to “bring their stuff,” specifically photo albums, videos, and playlists. AllFacebook It appears that users will be able to bring more information and details from their Facebook profile. Currently, those who sign into Myspace through Facebook automatically import their profile photos, as well as basic information such as birth date, current city and relationship status. WebProNews “We’re hard at work building the new Myspace, entirely from scratch. But we’re staying true to our roots in one important way—empowering people to express themselves however they want. So whether you’re a musician, photographer, filmmaker, designer or just a dedicated fan, we’d love for you to be a part of our brand new community.” That’s all it says at new.myspace.com. There’s an email signup box, and Myspace said it will send an invite your way “very soon.” Read more
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Facebook Cleared to Issue Stock for Instagram Deal (The Wall Street Journal)
Facebook received approval Wednesday to use stock in its acquisition of photo-sharing application Instagram, clearing the way for a deal that has lost about a quarter of its value since an agreement in April. At a state hearing in San Francisco, Calif., to review the acquisition’s stock component, the California Department of Corporations found the deal to be “fair, just and equitable,” allowing Facebook to issue shares to Instagram. Los Angeles Times But Instagram founder and chief executive Kevin Systrom said in the hearing that he understood the ups and downs of the public markets and that the transaction is now worth more like $750 million. Business Insider The fairness hearing was the last regulatory hurdle the two companies had to face before the world’s largest social network could buy the hottest mobile photo-sharing startup. The companies opted to issue shares under California law rather than through the Securities and Exchange Commission, in part because it’s a faster process. San Francisco Chronicle
At the fairness hearing, Systrom was asked how his company made money, according to the Los Angeles Times. “That’s a great question,” the paper quoted Systrom. “As of right now, we do not.” AllFacebook The word on Wednesday was that Facebook could consider purchasing Waze, developer of a well-liked, free, community-based traffic-nav app. Waze has nearly 6,200 users talking about it and the app has garnered 126,000 likes. Read more
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Empire State Building Shooting: There’s No ‘Crime Scene Filter’ on Instagram (BetaBeat)
After the fatal shooting at the Empire State Building in New York City on Friday, every smartphone owner in the vicinity began tweeting about the drama, many uploading photos taken on the fly – to Twitter and, perhaps more strangely, Instagram. Slate When photos like this one, depicting a crumpled, bloody man on the sidewalk appear on Instagram, I wish there was an option to “dislike” it. It feels uncomfortable to see 95 “likes” — in the form of sweet little hearts — beneath an image labeled as “dead man.” The Poynter Institute Meanwhile, The New York Times explained the graphic photo it posted on its homepage. People on social media expressed plenty of opinions about the decision, as people on social media are prone to do. Mashable There are many businesses housed inside the Empire State Building, near the location of the shooting. Among those businesses is LinkedIn, which alerted Twitter followers about two hours after the shooting that all staff in its Empire State Building office were “accounted for and safe.” ABC News A search of the apartment of the gunman killed by police outside the Empire State Building showed the shooter apparently had no intention of returning home after shooting his former co-worker. Police found an envelope with his keys left behind for his landlord, leading investigators to believe he did not expect to be back. Read more
What if all your favorite social networks were dinosaurs? Here’s what Reddit, StumbleUpon, Google+, MySpace, and Facebook would look like if they roamed the earth as prehistoric animals.
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The Best of Google I/O: Project Glass, Nexus 7 Tablet, Nexus Q Home Entertainment System, and More (Fast Company)
Google announced a slew of new products at its annual developer conference, including the long-awaited Nexus 7 tablet and Nexus Q (pictured left), a home media streamer for Android devices. Betabeat A black orb with a glowing blue stripe, the Nexus Q is not just pretty, it’s Apple-quality pretty. The Verge The Nexus Q is not intended to be a standalone device and requires one or more Android smartphones or tablets to provide access to Google Play content. Engadget Google announced it’s adding support for the purchase of movies on Google Play, as well as TV shows by episode or by season, and even magazines all available now. The New York Times On the underside of the Nexus Q is its most intriguing feature, a simple inscription: “Designed and Manufactured in the U.S.A.” The Verge The 7-inch Nexus 7 tablet will come pre-loaded with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Google’s latest operating system. Available in black or white, an 8GB version will be priced at $199, with 16GB for $249 this July. All Things D Building the Nexus 7 tablet was no easy task, says Asus chairman Jonney Shih. First off, Google gave the company only four months to build the product. Then there was the task of building a high-end tablet that could sell for just $200. Plus, he said, Google can be kind of demanding. Wired In Jelly Bean, Google has a proper Siri fighter, but she has no fancy name a la Siri or Samsung’s S Voice. In Jelly Bean, the voice assistant simply emerges with a tap of the microphone icon in the ever-present search box on Android’s home screens. Ars Technica There’s a big question that always looms large over the announcement of any new Android version: These features look nice and all, but will my device ever be upgraded? VentureBeat Stop the dadgum presses! Googler Louis Gray just told us about a new Google+ feature that you won’t read about anywhere else. The Next Web If there’s one thing this year’s Google I/O opening keynote will be remembered for, it’s the skydiving, biking and abseiling demo of Google Glass. If you missed the epic moment, here it is. GigaOm However, when you stand back from all the announcements made by Google and increase the periphery, you start to notice that this is a company that is fighting a lot of battles on many fronts. In some places it is winning, but most places it is trench warfare. Read more
