MySpace To Roll Out Redesign with Room for Advertising

As part of a yearlong initiative to redesign and rethink the core functionality of its site, MySpace is launching a new user interface this week in hopes of making it easier for members to communicate with friends and family. But analysts say the major motivation may be as much about attracting advertising dollars as making navigation more user-friendly.

The changes will roll out throughout the week, and are based on results from multiple in-home usability studies, online surveys, impromptu testing, focus groups, and user messages and comments sent to the profile of Tom Anderson, president and cofounder of MySpace. MySpace is working with Adaptive Path, a best-of-breed "experience-strategy" and design firm based in San Francisco, to usher in some of the user-interface changes.

"A year ago, we set out on a path to rethink the way people interact with the fundamental features of MySpace," said Anderson. "These changes lay the groundwork for what is to come -- by the early fall, we expect to reveal an entirely new and remixed MySpace that deepens the engagement of current users and attracts new ones."

Making an Advertising Splash

The changes begin with the splash page. On Wednesday, U.S. users will see a branded splash page sponsored by a major advertiser. On Thursday, users will see an entire new look and feel that features a more intuitive and simplified log-in system, the company said.

The new splash page features a larger creative palette for advertisers, allowing for a flexible platform to put a large percentage of the page into a brand. It also highlights new content -- news, blogs, video and music, including "top 10" charts from the MySpace community.

Social networks are ultimately a brand-advertising vehicle and demographic-targeting tool on which it's difficult to succeed with performance-based advertising alone, according to Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling Market...