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Nostalgia alert: There’s a documentary about Myspace in the works
The once-popular social media site Myspace is getting a documentary about its history. Gunpowder & Sky and The Documentary Group have teamed up for the project.
The Internet Archive will host 490,000 music tracks 'lost' by MySpace
When MySpace announced that it had "accidentally" (and there are question marks around that) lost 12 years of content last month, former users were devastated to learn that many of their audio files -- which they assumed would continue to exist on the site like a digital archive -- had been lost forever. But The Internet Archive comes bearing good news, having managed to salvage a collection of MP3s it's calling the "MySpace Dragon Hoard."
MySpace lost 12 years of user content
In the early 2000s, MySpace introduced us all to the world of social networking. Within a few years it became huge platform for music, where bands could share their songs and users could customize their profiles with their favorite tracks. Even as its popularity faded in the shadows of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, and as music streaming sites came to dominate, MySpace hung on as a music platform. The fact that it helped launch artists like Arctic Monkeys, Panic! At The Disco, Sean Kingston and Kate Nash -- as well as its Justin Timberlake-themed redesign -- gave it a certain amount of credibility.
Anyone can steal your old Myspace account by guessing your birthday (updated)
You probably haven't touched your Myspace account in ages, but you might want to pay it a visit just in case -- as it turns out, it's trivially easy for someone to take control. Security guru Leigh-Anne Galloway has discovered that Myspace's account recovery site only validates your real name, user name and birthday. Given that the first two are easily obtainable, you only really have to guess the birthday to hijack an account -- and that's not necessarily hard depending on how publicly someone celebrates the occasion. In theory, someone with a knack for Google searches could impersonate you with little to no warning.
CNN will expose Reddit user if he ever trolls again
Over the weekend, Trump tweeted out a gif (that his staff found on Reddit) depicting an archive clip of him wrestling with WWE CEO Vince McMahon, whose face was overlaid with the CNN logo. The stunt quickly drew condemnation from both sides of the aisle and also instigated CNN to track down the person who initially posted the gif that Trump lifted without attribution, one HanAssholeSolo (or HAS). While the reasoning behind why he didn't call himself "HanAssholo" and save a syllable remain unresolved, we now know exactly why he's not going to be doing anymore trolling: it's because, if he does, CNN will tell the world exactly who he is.
Time Inc. confirms Myspace has been hacked
Time Inc. only got the keys to Myspace.com a few months ago, but it's already having to confirm some bad news: the social network has been the target of a hack. In a press release, the company says that just before the Memorial Day weekend (or Spring Bank Holiday in the UK), its technical teams were notified of someone trying to sell Myspace usernames, passwords and email addresses that were registered before June 2013.
Time Inc buys... MySpace?
MySpace still exists. Crazy, right? The once monolithic social network had been fading into irrelevancy until it was relaunched with a little help from Justin Timberlake back in 2013. The fresh coat of paint wasn't enough to reinvigorate the platform, however, and it's now being sold as part of its parent company Viant to Time Inc. Yep, that's the same Time Inc that publishes Time, Fortune, Entertainment Weekly and a whole bunch of other magazines. The company described the acquisition as "game changing," most likely in reference to Viant's broader ad-tech business. MySpace does, supposedly, still have a part to play in that offering, but it's notable the site was barely mentioned in the footnote of today's press release.
From Friendster to Facebook: Social networking do's and don'ts
Have you ever heard of Pownce? How about Jaiku? Maybe even something called Yahoo 360? If you haven't, don't worry. You're probably not alone. These are just a few of the many social networks that have come and gone, most of them vanishing either through acquisition or simply due to lack of audience adoption. That's surprising, when you think about the sheer volume of social networks that have come our way over the years and the few that remain. Let's face it: There are only a handful of social networks these days that people care about; namely, Facebook, Twitter and, to a certain extent, Google+, even as newcomers like Ello emerge. Some oldies like Myspace and Friendster are still hanging on, but as very different incarnations of themselves. Myspace, for example, is now almost entirely about music discovery, while Friendster currently describes itself as a social gaming site; a far cry from its heyday as one of the "original" social networks. So what does it take for a social network to resonate with the public? And what makes one succeed where others fail? Here, we examine lessons learned from social networks past and present to see if we can suss out what they should or should not do to prevail in the ever-changing winds of the fickle internet.
4SRS: the FBI built a list of Twitter slang to keep up with the kids
Forget passwords: the FBI wants to crack your internet slang. Thanks to a FOI (freedom of information) request published over at Muckrock, we now know that the Bureau is TCOB (taking care of business) when monitoring the nation's social media use. Bypassing UrbanDictionary or the odd Wikipedia definition, the FBI compiled its own 83-page list of over 2,800 acronyms that range from the well-known, like LMAO, TMI, YOLO and SMH, to the outright ridiculous, including EOTWAWKI (end of the world as we know it) and IITYWTMWYBMAD (if I tell you what this means will you buy me a drink?) The agency says the list will help agents "keep up with your children and/or grandchildren," and also invites them to add their own. Perhaps that's why AMOG (alpha male of group) and DTP (disturbing the peace) have made it in, but we secretly hope it was an Engadget reader who added KIRF (keeping it real fake).
10 years of social media's biggest players and payouts by the numbers
Facebook launched ten years ago in February 2004. A month later, so did this site. Social media hasn't, doesn't and won't stay still. As Myspace rises, Friendster declines. The pattern's repeated itself a few times already, and even Google hasn't quite cracked the magic social network formula, at least not yet. The crown currently belongs to Facebook, a company that's made some big, big startup purchases on the way, although Twitter continues to pack (arguably) more influence. A whole lot has happened in the last decade, but we've tried to squeeze the more interesting parts into something a little more visual. Check out the full 'graphic, right after the break.
Daily Roundup: the travels of Myspace Tom, a business card that plays Tetris, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Where are they now? The travels and trash talk of Myspace Tom
It was 2009 and things weren't looking good for Myspace. According to comScore, Facebook logged 307.1 million visitors globally that April, while Myspace failed to reach even half of that with 123.3 million users. One month later, Facebook inched out ahead of its predecessor for the first time in the US. There was no turning back. Today, Myspace is showing growth with 36 million users last October, up from 32.6 million the previous June, but it's largely lost its cultural cachet and barely resembles the site that captured the world's attention years ago. Under new ownership, Myspace has refocused its vision as a platform for musicians, re-upped its design and landed itself a hot new celebrity spokesman/investor. Justin Timberlake is bringing the sexy back to the social network, but whatever happened to Myspace Tom?
10 Years in Social Media
It's our birthday! And there's a good chance you found out via one of two social networks. However, back in 2004, when Engadget launched, Facebook was in its infancy and Twitter still hadn't hatched. While the former catered to Harvard's elite, Friendster and Myspace were still schooling us in the ways of social networking. Fast-forward 10 years, and Friendster is a social gaming platform, Myspace is a sounding board for musicians, Facebook and Twitter are both publicly traded companies and hashtags aren't just a thing, they're an epidemic. Every week in March, we'll bring you a new story that explores how the social landscape has changed since our inception. So grab a glass of bubbly, raise a toast and dig in. Here's to 10 Years in Social Media! Where are they now? Our first time By the numbers In Pictures . . . .
MySpace redesigns its iOS app, offers social radio and animated GIFs
When the going gets tough, the tough reinvent themselves in a desperate attempt to regain relevance. Speaking of which, MySpace has redesigned its iOS app to offer users the chance to upload animated GIFs and stream "social radio," designed to help you discover new artists. It's available for free on the App Store, and at least you'll get to hear full songs, unlike another social network's music app we could mention. [Thanks, Richard]
Billboard redesign brings charts streaming into the 21st century
Back in the old days, music charts were mostly good for hit single montages in movies about struggling bands. These days, chart-making stalwart Billboard's looking to offer up something more, bring its services into the era of streaming media, with a redesign that harnesses Spotify, Rdio and Myspace functionality, letting users listen to the day's tracks in order of popularity, the way they were meant to be listened to, we guess.
The Weekly Roundup for 01.14.2013
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 7 days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
The Daily Roundup for 01.15.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
MySpace relaunches with new design and Justin Timberlake all over it
A totally revamped and unrecognizable MySpace has just gone public, enticing new joiners with a track by Justin Timberlake -- who now owns a good chunk of the business alongside Specific Media. Based on the limited access teaser we saw back in September and the image above, this fresh incarnation of the social network retains the emphasis on music ("FREE Unlimited music and videos!") except with a more commercial (and actually less social) approach. In a similarly modern twist, the site lets you sign in with a Facebook or Twitter account as well as with your old MySpace details, which means there shouldn't be too many barriers to at least exploring it.
MySpace keeps Apple from Music app icon trademark
Apple's trying to file paperwork to nail down a trademark on its Music app icon, but the trademark is being blocked by a pretty unlikely source: MySpace. And it's not even related to the recent reinvention of the second-place social network, either. Back in 2008, a music service called iLike registered the mark above on the right, and the trademark office is saying that mark conflicts with the mark Apple is trying to reserve, presumably because they both use orange and two eighth notes. iLike was eventually acquired by MySpace, which means that company now owns the trademark that Apple is trying to pick up. This shouldn't be too much of a roadblock for Apple, however. It can appeal this decision, and perhaps argue that the two marks are different in some significant way. Or, it can probably license the mark from MySpace, hopefully for a nominal fee. Or, if the mark doesn't hold up at all, Apple could just redesign the icon and release a new one. Either way, this shouldn't be too much of a worry. We'll probably see a resolution in Apple's favor soon. [via Gizmodo]
Myspace teases slick new revamp with minimalist flair (video)
When it rebranded as My[___], the social network innovator was met with much deserved derision. It was widely perceived as a desperate attempt to recapture the interest of the hipster class that once propelled it into the mainstream, before being overshadowed by the creeping empire of Facebook. The spectacular crash of the brand eventually led to News Corp. to sell it to Specific Media and Justin Timberlake. Since then, the partnership has been quietly working behind the scenes to rebuild the site and return it to its former glory. Like most of the tech media we're understandably skeptical of any attempt to relaunch the flagging social service, but after getting a peak at the redesign we've gotta say we're rooting for it. Myspace (notice, no camel case) has be rebuilt from the ground up and bears almost no resemblance to its previous incarnations. There's still a heavy focus on music and an integrated playlist creator. Visually everything has been stripped down, with thin clean sans-serif fonts, large images and lots of soft grays. Instead of a vertically aligned wall of posts, profile pages are dominated by a large image that fills the window completely -- like Facebook's cover photos taken to their logical extreme. Images and status updates are arranged in a side-scrolling grid that clearly takes inspiration from some of Tumblr's flashier templates. It's all quite beautiful and even integrates with its popular competitors. You can sign up for an invite at the source and check out the teaser after the break.
