MySpace to follow Facebook, will "probably" open platform
MySpace will likely move to open its platform to outside developers of applications, much like Facebook has done, according to MySpace co-founder Chris DeWolfe in an interview with the FT.
Facebook’s open approach to outsiders — letting them freely plug in their services, and allowing them to make money — has sparked significant activity at the site — so much that it has raised questions about whether Facebook may eventually catch up with MySpace.
MySpace has provided limited access to developers, and forbids third-party sites from making money (under its terms of agreement).
“The [Facebook] platform is interesting,” Mr DeWolfe said in an interview with the Financial Times. He argued MySpace’s current technology approach gave its users many of the same benefits but said: “We’ll probably offer users the choice of both.” The aim was to attract more online companies to create services for MySpace’s users. “We’ll be bringing in more developers.”
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About the Author, Matt Marshall
Matt launched VentureBeat in September of 2006, with the realization that no one else was covering the entrepreneurial and tech innovation scene with the velocity or depth that he was. Prior to founding VentureBeat, he covered venture capital for the San Jose Mercury News from 2001 to 2006. In 2002, Matt was awarded "Journalist of the Year" by the Northern California Society of Professional Journalists. Prior to working at the Merc, he was a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in Bonn, Germany from 1995 to 1998, and a writer for the Washington Post in 1994. Matt holds a PhD in Government and an MA in German and European Studies from Georgetown University. In addition to VentureBeat, Matt is also the Executive Producer of DEMO, the leading launchpad event for emerging technologies.
