Today Is International Delete Your MySpace Account Day
Can Bloggasm Bring Social Networking to Its Knees?
In the latest demonstration of David vs. Goliath blogging, an obscure blogger is trying to take down the largest social networking site in the world.
According to Simon Owens of Bloggasm, a blog about online media and journalism, today is "International Delete Your MySpace Account Day." Angered by the time-consuming spam that he says floods his inbox, Owens hammered his 10 pet peeves on Jan. 20 to the wall of his blog. To MySpace users who have experienced any of them, he says, "Your account may be in need of deletion."
The list includes such gems as:
"You read yet another news account about how some child predator using Myspace has abducted a little girl or that some hoax MySpace account has caused a teenager to commit suicide."
"You're a girl who constantly gets marriage proposals from random men in the middle east."
And my personal favorite: "You visit someone's MySpace profile only to suddenly have music start blasting out of your speakers. Bonus points if it happens to you while you're at work."
Over the next few days MySpace haters from around the world began to notice. Other blogs picked up the story, even if they did not take the campaign seriously. From Digg and other social bookmarking sites, it spread to the MSM. Eventually Goliath took notice of all the little stones being slung its way, and a MySpace executive was quoted as saying that "Delete-Your-MySpace day is just about being controversial." (Facebook, the world's second-largest social networking site, declined to comment on this campaign.)
For his part, Owens planned to delete his account last night at midnight and has posted instructions to help others through the process, which can be quite difficult. He said he doesn't think MySpace will "crumble" tomorrow, but says he hopes that that his efforts will contribute a "negative PR cascade" that could force the company to change its practices. Whether he succeeds or not, Owens' effort has demonstrated that in the current media landscape, no company is immune to the power of the blog.
By Emil Steiner | January 30, 2008; 10:00 AM ET | Category: OFF/beat
Posted by: | January 30, 2008 11:32 AM
It's Sic Semper tyrannis, jacka$$
Posted by: mike | January 30, 2008 12:21 PM
Looks like the first guy just wanted to write "anus"
Posted by: | January 30, 2008 12:22 PM
This is obviously a ploy by Facebook. They hire a bunch of kids to start some s'it. No rules in guerilla marketing
Posted by: Sidmore | January 30, 2008 12:48 PM
Myspace may be for pedophiles but Facebook is for losers. We don't need social networking sites we need people to learn how to be sociable. That can only happen if you get out of your chair and go outside.
Posted by: KGK | January 30, 2008 12:53 PM
I agree on the anus and on the Facebook. How obvious can you get? Their users out of the blue start creating groups in support of the campaign and they refuse to comment. 1 word: SHADY
Posted by: Mark | January 30, 2008 1:07 PM
Ha nice use of latin! I deleted my account a long time ago. But with 200+million still using I doubt Myspace is going anywhere.
Posted by: Slack_Jaw | January 30, 2008 1:20 PM
Myspace is like speed dating for 12 yearolds and the men who love them. I dont see anyways that it would go out of biz unless the gov. stepped up and did something like with baseball.
Posted by: Dan Price | January 30, 2008 1:50 PM
I just quit myspace, I've been waiting for a reason to leave =)
Posted by: Cougar | January 30, 2008 5:15 PM
I quit myspace today. Not because it was The Day. Just because I too have been waiting for the right day. The idea that this was something planned by facebook is ludacris. Microsoft sucks monkey juice and that's all there is to it.
Posted by: Gabriel from California | January 31, 2008 1:13 AM
I suspect that Facebook declined to comment for the main reason that they realize they could be next. Just because people have flocked there doesn't mean that they're doing something right, they're just most likely the latest networking site not to do too much wrong... yet.
I deleted my Myspace account yesterday and turned a very critical eye towards Facebook. They don't send out spammy e-mail like Myspace, however they have applications that cause Facebook users to spam their friends just to use them. It's not any better and many groups on Facebook are created to petition Facebook to stop certain practices. I doubt that sort of thing would ever work on Myspace.
Posted by: urban bohemian | January 31, 2008 7:30 AM
I think that Simon did a great thing - I deleted my account and am happily using other less-targeted (and pr0n prone) social networking sites.
Posted by: Dave | February 4, 2008 3:02 PM
I DONT WANT THIS NO MORE!!
Posted by: COURTNEY HALSTEAD | March 31, 2008 7:52 PM
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Sic semper tyranus