MySpace Founders Leaving in News Corp Shakeup

MySpace can provide it, and Facebook is the platform

(NEWSER) - High-ranking executives at both Facebook and MySpace confirm that the companies are in talks over some sort of content partnership—a development that isn’t a big surprise to at least one observer. Formerly intense competitors in the social-networking sphere, Caroline McCarthy writes, now “Facebook’s the one providing the platform for the content; MySpace is the one providing the content itself.” More»

(NEWSER) - News Corp. has hired former Facebook executive Owen Van Natta to run MySpace, the Wall Street Journal reports. The expected move may be announced as early as today. The hiring comes fast for MySpace, which announced Wednesday that current CEO Chris DeWolfe was stepping down, along with fellow co-founder Tom Anderson as president. More»

Rival that's overtaken his MySpace merely 'directory,' not network

(NEWSER) - Rupert Murdoch today insulted the rival of his popular MySpace, calling Facebook the “flavor of the month” and a mere “directory”—on the occasion of his social networking sinking to the No. 2 spot in worldwide traffic. The media mogul said Facebook was not a real social network, and pointed to MySpace’s entertainment focus, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. More»

MySpace's marketing-friendly makeover part of sites' evolving drive to cash in

(NEWSER) - A makeover planned to begin Wednesday for MySpace is the latest sign of the continued struggle to make social networking the cash cow many thought it would be when News Corp. bought the site three years ago, the New York Times reports. MySpace's user base has grown from 16 million to more than 118 million since—but still falling short of profit targets. More»

Despite missing revenue targets, Mashable scribe not afraid to 'wax poetic'

(NEWSER) - MySpace fell short of revenue targets in the most recent quarter, but, Adam Ostrow argues in Mashable, it’s still proven a phenomenal deal since Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. bought it for $580 million in 2005. Revenues from its unit are pulling close to its purchase price and it’s on track to make more with music downloads, sponsorships and targeted ads. More»