Scoble met MySpace's CTO Aber Whitcomb last night at some swanky and packed Mix06 party in the US. He asked what were the secrets to MySpace's success. Here's the answer:
1) They made sure influentials in Hollywood (stars, bands) were among the first users.
2) They listen to their users and add features frequently (usually noticeable new features every week).
3) They let the users tell them what to do. He mentioned that other services, like Friendster, tried to tell their users what not to do.
4) When MySpace visitors first log on they already had a friend: the founder Tom. That was in contrast to other services where you had to work to find your first friend. His page also gave you a template to get started.
Wow! Check out how many friends Tom has. Nearly 65 million! There's the member number right there. In fact, it could be higher - you have the opportunity to delete him from your friends' list.
Posted by: Stephen | March 23, 2006 at 12:05 AM