MySpace relaunches, with a little help from Justin Timberlake

MySpace has thrown open its completely redesigned site for all users this week, coinciding with the release of the site’s co-owner and singer Justin Timberlake’s new single. The new, pretty much unrecognisable new MySpace has Timberlake’s images and links to buy his single posted all over the site.

The one-time social networking heavyweight underwent a major facelift in September, which made it virtually unrecognisable for older users. The new MySpace avatar was in beta for the longest time and was available to users through invite only. 

The snazzy new start screen with Timberlake all over it

Timing perfectly with co-owner Timberlake’s new single ‘Suit & Tie’ featuring Jay-Z, the spanking new MySpace has thrown its doors open to all and sundry this week. The social networking website is now concentrating on making music its USP and has based its current UI around it.

MySpace has been subjected to many changes and makeovers in the past years as it saw its rise as the world’s largest social networking website and then its gradual descent while sites like Facebook and Twitter garnered users. In a move to play safe, MySpace has centred itself around music, allowing users to access music, artists and playlists easily.

In an interview with CNET in October, MySpace COO Chris Vanderhook had said that the site had given up on trying to compete with social networking giant Facebook, the ‘uber social network.’ Instead, said Vanderhook, MySpace would look to fill a void left by competing services like Spotify and Pandora. It figures that it take this route, with former member of boy band NSync and solo singer Timberlake at the helm of affairs at MySpace.

The entire site has a very Metro UI feel to it

The new MySpace is now allowing users to sign up and use all its features. Like most modern sites, MySpace too now allows you to build your profile on its site by logging in through Facebook and Twitter. You can also use your old MySpace credentials to log in at this moment too.

The site’s design has incorporated the music aspect too. Each page has an audio deck at the bottom of the page, something we’ve got used to on audio streaming and discover sites like Grooveshark. Users can queue and play songs right from the deck while they trawl through the rest of Myspace to discover new music.

MySpace also has a ‘People’ tab that you can use to ‘connect’ with friends and artists alike. The ‘discover’ tab is fun to use with its Metro UI like horizontal scroll to discover new artists that are arranged in Pinterst like image heavy squares. Scroll over an artist to find more options like Connect and Share. You can start playing a channel merely by clicking on the play button.

The Pinterest-esque Discover tab

While MySpace has revamped its entire layout, traditional rival Facebook has released a new personalised search function called Graph Search. In a move to get users to stay on the site for longer, Facebook has designed this feature to help users connect with more people with similar interests around. You can find friends who share a similar interest as you, find movies recommended by your friends and even view photos with specifically asked queries.