DMC: Trends To Watch (Part II)
The "MySpace ecosystem" extends far beyond the popular social-networking site itself, high-tech analyst John Barrett told the Digital Media Conference on Friday. The interconnected Web of relationships built on MySpace also extends to Friendster, Facebook and other community sites, he said.
People that have profiles on one platform usually also have a presence on several others, said Barrett, who is research director for Parks Associates. "The MySpace thread runs through all social networks" and layered on top of that are YouTube videos and digital photos from Flickr, he said.
Barrett also spoke about how consumers, namely younger ones, are taking in media. His main message was that many are top-notch multitaskers. Individuals are increasingly on their computers while listening to music and/or watching TV. "It's no longer one screen and two eyeballs," he said.
The analyst also said the bubble will "begin to bust" for many Web 2.0 start-ups. Five to 10 million unique monthly visitors are needed for a site to have solid footing in the new Internet economy, he said. Most new sites "don't have that kind of scale."
A major difference between the dot-com boom of the late 1990s and today is that the Sarbanes Oxley Act made initial public offerings too expensive for budding Web firms, Barrett said. That's why start-ups rely on investments from venture capitalists and other "angels" to save the day, he added.
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