Quit MySpaceIt’s not just time to not log into MySpace any more, it’s time you delete your account.

Let’s be honest. Despite MySpace having just about every band you’d ever like on there, the website itself is a piece of crap. Always has been. And so is it’s functioning as a social website. Nevermind that the design still looks like someone hand-coded it in his mom’s basement, nevermind the fact that whoever designed it missed Interface Design class 101, nevermind that there’s better social sites and music related sites to be on. Those are not the reasons to leave MySpace and never have been, else you would have done so long ago.

Let’s look at the reason you are on there. All your friends are on there and so are all your favourite band, sharing their scoops and music. That’s about it. So you are there too. Understandable. You can handle the  add-requests from random idiots you never met before who then continue to spam your list with their new releases and parties you’re never goin to attend. But there’s something bigger going on. And it affects you.

Obviously already knew that media mogul Ruport Murdoch (also launched Fox News, just saying) bought MySpace years ago for $580 million and he intended to make billions with it. And you’ve probably already experiencing that you’re Facebook account is more active and interesting than your old Myspace account you hardly ever log into. And you’d be right, several sources already made pretty graphs of the steady decline in MySpace’s market share and user base. Despite them desperately launching new gizmo’s like a ticketing service and a music subscription service (not yet, but ‘soon’). Also, MySpace has made a $150 million loss and Rupert Murdoch calls it a big mistake. But that’s business, that doesn’t affect you, the user, right? Wrong.

A Financial Times article from December last year entitled The Rise and Fall of MySpace, though lengthy, paints the picture clearly. Behind the scenes, the ‘financial people’ and the people who created MySpace (Tom, you probably know him cause you never deleted that first friend who automatically added you) have always argued. But MySpace is on a short leash from its owners and they are not interested in rolling out new features and improvements. They are interested in profit, or at the moment, not making a loss. Which means ad revenues need to go up and spending on ‘hip new features’ down. They’ve already admitted defeat in the race against Facebook and in June last year fired 30% of its staff. My prediction: more ads on MySpace and stuff you need to click through and don’t want. In short, it’s not going to get better, not on the user-side any way.

And that’s exactly what Andrew Dubber demanded in his post Happy ‘Quit MySpace’ Day. In October 2009 he summed up what was wrong with MySpace and demanded it would be remade from the ground up to utilize its ace card: the fact that the website has every band in the known universe on it. Although he is in no position as a single user to make demands, he declared the 24th of October ‘Quit MySpace’ Day. If MySpace is the same piece of crap by then as it was a year ago, he (and I) would like to ask you to quit your account on Myspace. Because that would take away MySpace’s biggest asset: you, the user, the customer. All your favourite bands and friends won’t die, they’ll just go elsewhere. To some place better.

Don’t just stop logging into MySpace, but delete your account completely. Of course, you’re completely free to do that right now if you have no hope left, but if you have a flair for the dramatic do it on the 24th of October. Mark your calender, don’t forget to celebrate Quit MySpace Day.  Even if you have already quit.

Like this? Buy me a drink!