Review: Virb* -- Myspace Killer?

Myspace

Virb*

Social networking: Chances are, you're participating in one form or another. Over the course of the past several years, we've been bombarded with a handful of prospective communities: Myspace, Friendster and Facebook being a few of the more prominent examples. With that said, it's undeniable that Myspace is the current reigning champion when it comes to mind-share and name-recognition. (Ask your mom if she's heard of Facebook -- then ask her about Myspace.) On the flip side of the coin -- Myspace may be one of the most reviled "most-used" websites to ever gain this level of prominence: Even the most ardent of defender would have a hard time keeping a straight face while denying the serious glitches that often accompany the viewing of member profiles.

Technically Speaking...

I'm no coder -- but it seems clear that the problems associated with Myspace are rooted in a poorly-built back end coupled with members' unchecked abilities to post audio recordings, videos and any number of animated images to their home page. Not since the early days of the "World Wide Web" has web real-estate been so -- abused. Myspace seems intent upon recalling the days of dancing cats and animated "under construction" signs: A simpler, uglier time when anyone could learn the basics of HTML and create a website -- and a time when just about everyone did.

Those days are not gone -- but "web-design" is no longer a weekend hobby, either: XHTML, Javascript, CSS, web-standards, sIFR -- chances are you're either "into" designing advanced web pages -- or you're still creating pages with frames and/or WYSIWYG page-editors. Web design has come into its own and a quick trip through the CSS Zen Garden is enough to make any aspiring designer buckle at the knees. As the medium matured, it seemed that blogs (of any worth) became a domain for the elite few: Those with the time, skill and patience to learn a difficult trade.

Blogging (and Friend Collecting) for Dummies.

Cut to 2003: Myspace enters the scene and provides free access (with advertisements) to a pre-made blog -- and easy access to every other member on the system. Users could suddenly say and post whatever they wanted (whether it be text, video, photos or audio) without the hassle of learning the down-and-dirty of how to do so. Further, they could choose from any number of awful template-based layouts (provided by 3rd party vendors) in an effort to express their "design" sense and personality.

This "open" policy has its share of critics:

Furthermore, MySpace is set up so that anyone can customise the layout and colors of their profile page with virtually no restrictions, provided that the advertisements aren't covered up by CSS or using other means. As MySpace users are usually not skilled web developers, this can cause further problems. Poorly constructed MySpace profiles could potentially freeze up web browsers due to malformed CSS coding, or as a result of users placing many high bandwidth objects such as videos, graphics, and Flash in their profiles (sometimes multiple videos and soundfiles are automatically played at the same time when a profile loads). PC World magazine cited this as its main reason for naming MySpace as #1 in its list of twenty-five worst web sites ever. Source.

If sites like Newsvine and Flickr can be referred to as Web 2.0 -- Myspace never made it out of Web Beta.

Still, it's virtually impossible to ignore the numbers:

According to Alexa Internet, it is currently the world's sixth most popular English-language website, the sixth most popular website in any language, and the third most popular website in the United States, though it has topped the chart on various weeks (it is possible that other websites have a greater number of unique visitors). The service has gradually gained more popularity than similar websites to achieve nearly 80% of visits to online social networking websites. It has become an increasingly influential part of contemporary popular culture, especially in English speaking countries. Source.

(As always, Alexa figures provided alongside a few million grains of salt.)

Web Two Point Oh-So-Pretty

(Set aside your hatred for the phrase Web 2.0, please.) Visually speaking, the web has passed into a new generation and "style" is the word. Sites like Flickr, Newsvine and Digg bring functionality and form (beauty and brains) to the realm of social networking. Technologies now allow web developers to create aesthetically pleasing templates and layouts which allow users to customize their space in a fairly non-destructive manner -- and sharing between other popular sites is becoming more and more common, which means efforts don't have to be abandoned or duplicated.

Enter Virb* -- a direct competitor to the pure "social-networking" sites -- Myspace and Facebook.

Musical, photographical, videoical, everythingical.

You like stuff. Virb likes stuff. Use it to keep all your stuff in one place and you'll be surprised at how many other people like stuff, too.

First time visitors are greeted with a site of minimalistic beauty -- obviously pared down for simplicity. (The best way to describe the layout: Imagine an Apple Retail Store -- now render that visual into a web page.) Large, colorful graphics and strong lines are used to catch the eye, while a copious amount of white-space provides balance and welcome breathing room.

Upon signing up (an easy process more information added below) the default layout for user columns is borderline dull -- but the aim may have been for inoffensive. This initial layout can (fortunately) be customized in one of two ways: Via a set of basic tabs (colors, fonts, etc.) or via an advanced tab (break out your design books -- full CSS and XHTML/HTML accepted here).

The difference, visually:

1. My page, customized via the basic tabs.
2. These pages, customized via the advanced tab.

Unfortunately, this sets up a bit of a "lower class/upper class" dichotomy, and my lowly color changes didn't seem very impressive once I began to peruse some of the more talented members' offerings. Design envy set in almost instantly and while I hope to learn enough to close the gap -- this won't be an option for most members.

This problem could be solved fairly easily by hiring some top designers to create a set of templates (a la Blogger) that users could then utilize -- if the default layout underwhelms.

Still, this much is obvious without ever leaving the front page: Virb* aims to attack Myspace on its weakest fronts -- visual design and elegance.

Myspace users don't give a damn about visual design and elegance.

Designers and aficionados can rave about Virb's pretty facade until their throats go raw: Myspace is ugly because most users don't really care enough to do anything about it. Simply besting Myspace on visual design and ease of use isn't going to induce a massive migration of users. (Though, it might persuade users to stick around once they arrive.)

The only current appeal of Myspace is the guarantee that you'll know someone if you sign up for an account: People tend to sign up for Myspace whether they plan to use it or not -- just because it's there and everyone else seems to have an account.

This is important: Noting this large grouping of impressionable consumers, record labels have set up faux "band blogs" in an effort to gain a modicum of tech cred. It's a phony marketing ploy of the highest order, and Virb* needs to emulate the tactic.

Perusing Virb* Music -- it appears they've embraced the idea and added a few interesting updates: The "band blogs" are fairly limited (Virb* being just out of beta) but early featured artists such as Modest Mouse suggest big plans for the (near?) future. (It's interesting to note that even on Virb* -- users appear to believe that the band members are going to read their comments.)

Artist pages include sample tracks which can be streamed on-site or added to a personal playlist, which is then made available on member homepages. (Of note: Said jukebox is "off" by default.) An iTunes plugin (virbtunes) can be downloaded and automatically creates a list of recently-listened-to songs. The plugin was easy to install but I was disappointed to find that links to the iTunes store are not created when building the list, though this seems like an easy feature to implement in the future.

It doesn't appear possible to upload music to Virb* and aspiring bands may need to contact the site administrators to inquire about the possibility, or to find out if it exists in some hidden capacity. (Myspace is often touted as a way for local musicians to get word out about their music -- time will tell if Virb* manages to compete on this front.)

Update: As has been pointed out in the comment thread, it is possible to upload music. When signing up for an account, users are presented with four options:

• PERSONAL

  Standard account type. (i.e. People, Bloggers, Photographers, Individual Filmmakers, etc.)

  *You must own or have the right to distribute all content you upload.

• MUSIC

  Account type for anyone uploading original audio content. (i.e. Musicians, Bands, Singer-songwriters, etc.)

  *You must own or have the right to distribute all content you upload.

• MUSIC ORG

  Account type for music organizations (i.e. Record Labels, Management Companies, Booking Agencies, Publishing Companies, Performing Rights Organizations, etc.)

  *You must own or have the right to distribute all content you upload.

• ORG

  Account type for organizations (i.e. Charities, Businesses, Non-profit Organizations, etc.)

  *You must own or have the right to distribute all content you upload.

"Personal" account holders can't upload audio content but the option to create a "Music" account in order to do so seems to alleviate one of my initial concerns.

Other areas that will play a vital role in bringing in members:

• Fasion
• Design
• Comedy
• Art
• Sports
• Writing
• Groups

Many of these sections (linkable from the footer on virb.com) lead to pages which are still under construction. While this isn't altogether surprising at this early stage of development -- going live (after a private beta, no less) really ought to mean a finished product, and this could turn some vital early adopters away.

One of the most intriguing features -- and one that actually works -- is the ability to sync Flickr accounts to Virb* profiles, populating a "module" with a series of recent Flickr uploads. (A separate module is in place for photos that are uploaded from a hard drive.)

The "networking" aspect of Virb* appears to be pretty strong -- beyond the aforementioned iTunes and Flickr integration, users can search for and interact with friends by leaving announcements, blog posts and filling out user profiles. All pretty standard, really -- but with a tip of the design hat that (at first glance) pushes these offerings above similar Myspace fare. Still -- as Microsoft recently discovered with the Zune -- all the social features and networking in the world mean squat without a significant user-base.

In the end...

Virb* is certainly too young to read much into comparisons, especially considering Myspace has the obvious benefit of a sizable head start. With that said, a promising initial lineup appears to point to lofty goals that should make a strong and lasting impression -- especially for those who have grown weary of the ambiance surrounding Myspace.

Success will ultimately depend on walking a fine line: Grabbing a large enough user base to stay profitable on the one side -- grabbing the right user base to stay bearable on the other.

Virb* will most certainly win over the design crowd, but in the end -- that may not be enough to guarantee a strong showing against the behemoth that is Myspace.

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