News Corp sells MySpace to Specific Media for $35 million
Today News Corp. announced it has sold its struggling social networking site MySpace to ad firm Specific Media for $35 million. The selling price is a far cry from the $580 million News Corp paid for MySpace in July 2005.
A press release from News Corp, acquired by AllThingsD, quotes Specific Media CEO Tim Vanderhook: “There are many synergies between our companies as we are both focused on enhancing digital media experiences by fueling connections with relevance and interest.”
For a few years, News Corp has been trying to shop MySpace to other suitors, asking for at least $100 million. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick was reportedly interested in the music-focused social network but the deal fell through for undisclosed reasons.
News Corp is unloading a site whose traffic has plummeted since its high point in 2006. The number of new unique users decreased 11 percent and its monthly pageviews is reported to be 18 million (partly thanks to Facebook stealing market share). In 2006, its monthly pageviews hovered close to 30 billion.
MySpace’s new owner is among the largest online advertising networks in the U.S. and “helps marketers buy digital ads across the Web, online video, mobile and even the TV,” the Wall Street Journal writes. Specific Media is based in Irvine, Calif., and has raised more than $110 million in funding.
‘Twitter for Newsrooms’ becomes official resource guide for journalists
By Chris Hogg
Twitter today introduced a new portal for journalists called Twitter for Newsrooms. The resource is similar to Facebook for Journalists, in that it offers best-practice advice and tips on how reporters can use the social media outlet in their day-to-day job.
The information portal offers a number of sections relating to various journalistic tasks: reporting, engaging, publishing and a section called “extra.”
- Under the reporting section, journalists learn about using search to its fullest potential. You can learn about in-depth advanced searching techniques and finding sources; Tweetdeck and Twitter for Mac; mobile tips; and how to use Topsy to find older tweets.
- Under the engage section, users can learn how to use Twitter to connect with audiences, share news and build community. This section includes case studies, tips on how to brand your Twitter presence and a glossary.
- In the Publish section, journalists are given tips on everything from a toolkit called Web Intents, to a WordPress plugin for Twitter, to official display guidelines on using tweets in media, and an image gallery of Twitter logos.
- Finally, in the Extra section, Twitter provides links to blogs, support/help items, DMCA issues and Twitter in other languages.
While a lot of these tips may be familiar to Twitter veterans, Twitter for Newsrooms offers a wealth of information for journalists who are just starting out on the social platform.
What do you think about Twitter for Newsrooms?
Politico, Random House partner to create 2012 election e-books
News site Politico and publisher Random House are teaming up [PDF] to release e-books on the 2012 U.S. presidential election. The books, ranging between 20,000 and 30,000 words each, will detail the campaign trail and provide descriptive accounts of the election season. They won’t be released after the election but will be available during those frenzied political months.
The series will be reported and written by Mike Allen, Politico’s chief White House Correspondent and Evan Thomas, award-winning writer and author.
“This partnership offers a chance to honor and update for a new era the tradition of great campaign narratives,” said Politico editor-in-chief John F. Harris in a press release. “Virtually every day our reporters and editors have occasion to think, ‘If only we had a way to use everything that is in our notebooks and in our heads.’ The e-book series will give us an opportunity to tell those stories in a way that is hard to do in the rush of daily business.”
A page on Politico will act as a virtual bookstore, allowing consumers to purchase both physical and digital titles directly through a range of retailers, with more specific details forthcoming.
The first book, on a topic yet to be determined, will be released before Christmas.
Survey: Consumers don’t know the benefits of 4G, two-thirds won’t upgrade
The smartphone market may soon be buzzing with 4G devices, but a recent study found many consumers aren’t aware of why this next-gen technology is any better than its predecessor.
Almost half of respondents “can’t currently identify the main benefits of 4G networks,” according to survey results from Morpace. The fourth generation of cellular wireless standards may be getting a lot of press, but only 18 percent of consumers have smartphone with 4G capabilities.
If consumers were looking to buy a 4G phone, what’s the main deciding factor? Nearly two-thirds said price was a key determinant, followed by network capabilities (58 percent) and touchscreen features (51 percent).
However, smartphone lovers might not be so keen on going the 4G route anytime soon. “At 34 percent, a minority of consumers say they are likely to upgrade to a 4G phone before the expiration of their current contract,” Morpace writes.
The survey provided some recommendations for 4G marketers. “It is obvious that a targeted communication plan about what 4G is and how consumers benefit could increase revenue streams from 4G networks,” Morpace suggests, adding, “cellular phone service providers who are willing to invest in their technology and educate consumers, coupled with a significant increase in network sizes will increase their market share.”
Photo by Brandon Shigeta
Music dashboard coming to Facebook?
Facebook may soon launch its own music dashboard as it prepares to conquer another media sector.
The social media powerhouse has been talking with music-streaming services such as the European Spotify, GigaOm’s Om Malik writes. It’s unclear which other online music services Facebook is interested in.
The music dashboard will be accessible from a tab called Music found at the left part of your profile, Malik says. “This tab will show up if a user has listened to music with one of Facebook’s partner music services.”
A playback/pause button will be displayed where users find the Chat service now. “Mouse over it and you can see what is playing on whatever service you might be logged into using Facebook Connect,” Malik writes. “It also allows you to play or pause a track once you discover it on Facebook. It is also linked to the play buttons in the news feed.”
Other features Malik predicts the dashboard will include: notifications to let you know what your friends are listening to; an area to hear songs your friends recommend; top songs and albums from your friends; and a page listing all the tracks you’ve listened to and the number of times you’ve listened to each song.
Facebook is expected to announce its music dashboard in August, during its f8 developers conference.
Chris Crum of WebProNews says this music project is in light with how people interact on Facebook. “Musicians are already hosting special events (like paid concert streams) on Facebook. Facebook is where people are talking about music and ‘liking’ all of their favorite artists to keep up to date.”