What Is the Difference Between MySpace and Facebook?

by Tina Gasperson

Your friends finally talked you into getting a Myspace account, and you dutifully learned how to “pimp your page,” posed for Myspace photos with puckered grins, and checked in each day to see who left you a comment. Just when you felt like you had it all down, now your friends are telling you to come on over to Facebook and do it all again. If “why?” is the first question that comes to mind, rest assured that there are differences between Myspace and Facebook that are worth taking a look at. You may find that you want to try having an account at both sites, or you may realize that one really is enough.

MySpace was first, and used to dominate the social networking scene. It was seen mainly as the province of the young and hip – no one over 30 need apply. And though MySpace gradually has become more popular with those in their 30s, 40s, and beyond, it is still teen-heavy. Myspace is a place to create a Web site that makes a statement about you, with customizable themes and a music player that can load and play a song automatically when visitors come calling. By default, your MySpace page is viewable by the public, but you can set the page to be viewable only by your MySpace friends. Over time, MySpace has developed a reputation as a “hook up” site and it has struggled with spam disguised as friend requests and hacked user accounts, but the site has worked to overcome these difficulties with tightened security safeguards and enhanced communication with users.

Facebook has been trending upward in accounts and visits and has overtaken MySpace in popularity in the last year. Facebook is less about “me,” and more about “us” with interactivity a main draw to the community. When you log in to Facebook, the first thing you see is a news feed of your friends’ activity, which you can click on or comment on. Because your friends’ other friends can do this too, there’s more of a community aspect with group discussions on photos, notes, and status updates. Your Facebook profile page is not as customizable as your MySpace profile page – no individual themes, no special music – everyone’s page looks just about the same except for the photos. By default, your Facebook profile is viewable only by your Facebook friends. You can open your profile to other registered Facebook users, but only a small portion of your information is ever available to the general public, making Facebook feel more private than MySpace. Although you could probably use Facebook to find a date, it’s more likely that you’ll find a new business contact or an old friend from high school.

Tina Gasperson (tinahdee@gmail.com), affectionately known as Computer Lady by her family, has been writing about IT, home computing, and the Internet for more than a decade.