A battle fought. A battle won. Facebook emerging victorious. Right?
Obviously. This is a blog about videos…not the merits of either social networking community. Admittedly, I use Facebook every day and check my Myspace account every 2-3 months to see what it looks like for nostalgia sake.
But then…
Video credit: Myspace
Myspace released this cool video launching the new look and feel of the site. And it looks cool. Not just the interface, but the way the story is told. The song is interesting and pushes the video forward, creating excitement without being overly aggressive. Not to mention, the lyrics tease the idea of “being ashamed to want you back.” Myspace obviously has no problem poking fun at itself. Telling the story through a pure graphic interface, presumably the same way the new Myspace will look, makes me feel like this is how it would feel if I was using it. Granted, it’s from the point of view of Justin Timberlake’s profile…but still it’s the story of Timberlake connecting with an individual and his numerous fans. Showing how music will be integrated so heavily into the site was sexy too. I admit, I signed up for more information and checked my Myspace account after watching it.
Do I think this is the opening salvo of Myspace coming back to slay Facebook? No. Do I think they did a great job establishing themselves as something a little DIFFERENT from Facebook? Yes. I think they told that story very well.
Then I saw this…
Video credit: Facebook
It’s a video called “The Things that Connect Us” and it looks beautiful. It’s beautifully shot, the script is sparse and clever and well written. But what is the story? That Facebook is a device that connects us the way all the things referenced in the video connect us. Including making us feel less alone in the universe.
I think all of that is true, but I think some things are better experienced than said. I just wonder if most people are ascribing such lofty expectations to their Facebook experience. I think this video makes everyone who works at Facebook feel super good about what they do, but it feels out of touch with the user’s experience. There are some really overt emotional manipulations in this video too that I don’t feel were earned.
Did I cancel my Facebook account after watching it? No. Did I show everyone in the office the video as soon as they came in? Yes. Were our feelings unanimous? Not even close.
I know these videos don’t have the same focus. One is to announce a new product and one is to reinforce an existing product. But since they were released within weeks of each other I couldn’t help but compare them. For me, in the battle of videos…right now…Myspace takes an early lead.
What do you guys think? Leave a comment on this blog. We’d love to hear your take.
-Anthony
MySpace’s new branding and product was a clear winner in this battle. It totally made people think of how cool myspace was in the past and how awesome it potentially could be.
For me, I felt the Facebook video was a flop. Ever since going public I feel Facebook needs to justify to its investors and users that this product will stay around forever. Seems like a long shot since social networking is always evolving.