By Rubina S.
ROME, Nov. 28 -- There are many
friends-based websites, but only two have emerged as the dominante forces in social
networking: MySpace and Facebook. Myspace.com or Facebook.com are for students (and now, many adults) the preferred way to stay in contact with friends and associates online.
Is one better than the other? The Matthew Online investigates, and has this to say:
Photos: When it comes to photos, Facebook got it right since the beginning. While MySpace had set limitations on the number of photos a user can upload, Facebook gives its users the ability to create photo albums, each providing space for 60 images. MySpace is catching up though. It too is providing the same function plus the tagging function that is widely popular in Facebook.
Customization: The main aspect that makes MySpace so popular is the option for users to edit their profiles according to their taste. All they need to do is copy pre-made codes from MySpace editing websites and paste them into their profiles. Facebook does not accommodate codes, which, on the plus side, adds elements of professionalism and simplicity. Also, many MySpace profiles take extremely long to load due to excessive amount of widgets the users have inserted.
Applications: Facebook
may not offer the ability to insert codes, but it does offer an open
platform, which holds thousands of applications. After its success,
MySpace recently decided to team up with Google and make one as well.
Facebook applications come in every form and content. Some examples
include: Cheek Kissing, Free
Gifts, and the popular Cities I've Visited
application.
Music: MySpace's strength lies in its band profiles. But now Facebook also has that option, and is expanding dramatically. Check out Facebook Pages for more information. Both sites allow music tracks to be uploaded onto the users' profiles.
In this back-and-forth race, MySpace is still more popular than Facebook in terms of number of users. However, Facebook's growth rate this year
is almost 100 percent higher than that of MySpace's.
Will Facebook be able overtake MySpace?
According to Maria D'Alessandro, a John Cabot University student who is fond of both MySpace and Facebook, "In the end it all comes down to the power of simplicity" -- a vote for Facebook -- "versus portal mistake" -- a reference to MySpace's confusing user interface. "Sooner or later, Facebook will surpass MySpace's popularity".
Stay tuned.
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