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Harris: Has there been any pushback from the studios to gain more control of the content that users provide in regards to their materials?
Gold: It is natural that there will be some resistance to a reduction in control of messaging; but in truth, there is really less pushback than ever before, as the benefits have started to outweigh the costs. Marketers, especially movie studios, understand that consumers are in control. The studios live and die by word of mouth and always have. On MySpace, movie marketers send their positioning prompts into the network, but they know that the film is ultimately positioned by the consumer. Initially, it is all about positioning and creating awareness in the most efficient way, but the only real hedge they have in the world of consumer empowerment is creating a great product.
Harris: Is there a point where you think there will be user backlash because many of the MySpace profiles are "fake"? Will this make it more difficult for users to find real people to network with, or is it just a necessary evolution in the larger plans for MySpace?
Gold: That is interesting that you would ask that. Fake profiles are a very small percentage of the profiles on MySpace-- well below one percent of the 80 million registrants. For the average user, it is counterintuitive to create more than one profile because it makes it less efficient to communicate and connect. I think the reason it appears that there are so many is that, they are mostly created for celebrities and others who have a high visibility in the network. We work with celebrities, politicians and high profile individuals to eliminate the imposters, if that is their wish. Ironically, many people are flattered by fake profiles. It is all part of the proliferation of the individual's celebrity brand in this new mode of communication.
Harris: Recently MySpace announced a groundbreaking deal with Helio to offer free access to MySpace on mobile phones. What does this mean for MySpace's demographic targeting efforts? Is it an attempt to further corner the youth market, or do you see it leading to a wider audience base for social networking?
Gold: Our targeting efforts are pretty strong right now, as far as age, gender and location go. The real opportunity for targeting with mobile is place-based marketing--tailoring content to where people are and helping our advertisers to offer value to consumers based on situational marketing, as opposed to broad-based awareness.
Additionally, I think we will see members using mobile MySpace to gain insight on shared consumer opinions when they are looking to differentiate brands. Overall, MySpace looks to create efficiency and empowerment in the way people communicate, connect and discover; thus, mobile is a natural progression. According to comScore Media Metrix, we reach about 52 percent of the 15-20 year olds in America that are online. Any social network that does not extend its franchise to the mobile environment is making a fatal mistake.
Harris: What's next for MySpace?
Gold: We are looking to expand to new audiences. With such a huge part of the youth market already on MySpace, one of the opportunities for us lies in expanding our older audiences. We already have over 20 million members who are 35 or older, and this is growing rapidly as they get beyond the stigma of communicating online.
Another growth area for us is on the international front. We have opened offices in Australia and the UK, and we are expanding to many other countries in the next 18 months. One of the huge benefits of having Newscorp as a parent is in taking advantage of their global infrastructure.
Lastly, on the product side, we will continue to develop new features and work to be best of breed with the ones we have.
Jodi Harris is the editor of iMedia Connection's Entertainment Spot. Read full bio.
