If you are wondering how Facebook plans to compete with MySpace as a platform for celebrities to connect with fans look no further than the just-launched Facebook Fan Box. It is a Facebook widget bands and celebrities like Lance Armstrong can place directly on their own Websites which show their Facebook status updates, how many fans they have on Facebook, an d a”Become a Fan” button which makes you a fan through Facebook Connect. The Kings of Leon have a Facebook Fan Box on their Website.
Bands and celebrities are becoming wary of managing their relationships with fans on sites like MySpace and Facebook. Just the contact information alone is invaluable for most bands. Their online fans are their marketing armies, and smart celebrities want to control those relationships and the entire experience. The Facebook Fan Box lets them use Facebook’s ubiquitous sign-in and stream, while drawing fans to their own sites where they can centralize their online presence.
Facebook doesn’t care as long as the social connections and messaging goes through Facebook. It is more than happy to deliver its stream and extend the reach of its members’ social connections beyond Facebook proper (which is what Facebook Connect is all about). But this particular move should be appealing to those celebrities who want to take back control of their fanbase from the social networks. Of course they can connect to their sites through their Facebook Fan pages as well. But whoever gives these personality brands more power will end up winning their loyalty, and all of their fans will follow. Is this the start of a federated MySpace powered by Facebook?
Sometimes it seems like this is getting out of harm. But is Myspace still a viable treat to Facebook? Seems like Facebook may be Facebook’s biggest threat.
i work with a lot of artist and yes Myspace is still viable. No other network allows for the kind of connection to fans as myspace does. the customization allows for great branding and the music player has yet to be beat by facebook.
Myspace need to refresh their brand and get back to the street level promotion that made them popular in the first place.
Since when did the bandwagon become “street level promotion”?
The people made MySpace what it is, and now, what it isn’t. Rupert’s money can’t even save this ship.
street level promotions like sponsoring parties an events like hot import nights is how the core of myspaces audience learned about it. unlike facebook myspace grew without the help or bandwagon mentality of the tech snobs. they poo pooed myspace until facebook opened up. Myspace people and Facebook people are not really the same. But twitter on the other hand thats the new myspace and thats who myspace should emulate a lil better.
It is just an facebook.com/connect iframe. Easy and good. They can add more features later.
A walled garden in a widget is still a walled garden.
Exactly.
But noobs need to start somewhere.
Realy works =)
let’s hope the UI is fully customisable. from the above screenshot, it looks ugly, over-sized and out of place.
…. and MySpace is now “NoSpace”
Myspace is becoming less and less relevant everyday. It’s full of spam accounts and of those that are real they are increasingly becoming inactive as the user base moves on. It’s become a sad joke that represents the painful birth of the Web 2.0 era.
Don’t agree with me? Log onto it and look around. I’m willing to bet you the majority of your friends have either closed down their accounts or have not logged on in over a week or two (an eternity in online terms).
But myspace has Rupert.
MySpace? Is that still a thing?
It’s a thing that will go away more and more over time.
To tell the truth i have never been a myspace fan… But since Facebook came on the scene i was hooked! It’s user-friendly, less time-consuming and really convenient! So, myspace was a great pioneer but it’s lost its bite.
I say it time and time again, Facebook are the smartest guys in the Valley right now (besides TC of course).
MySpace has had a “fanbox” for quite a while now for artists to put the status/mood on profiles and other places.
it feels like the grown up (facebook) is starting to make the child (myspace) look useless. the irony is so think I can barely type this comment.
Big deal. I think it’s laughable that Facebook would even try to compete with MySpace Music. I think that the only reason artists are getting on Facebook is because they have to not so much that they want to. Seriously, I have a Facebook artist page and it’s about as interesting to look at as the piece of toast with the face of Jesus on it and about as interactive as Pong. The problem with Facebook trying to compete in this realm is that they don’t understand the artist and the unique expressive needs of the artist. It feels like that first Apple commercial in ‘84, everybody looks and feels the same…get in line…you are not an individual, you are merely data. Wow, a widget is supposed to all of a sudden be a threat to MySpace Music which is what they do best and the reason it started in the first place…laughable.
church
is it an iframe? i don’t understand
I see where you are coming from, I must admit I created a Myspace account and never used it and I have a Facebook account again not updated that for a while in fact I have forgot my log in details.
I am sticking with Linked in for now and giving away quality iPhone apps via http://www.appgiveaway.com
I forgot to mention another website I am a big user of Twitter
@cactus – its javascript by default, but you can iFrame it, too. they have advanced tips for changing width, # of fans that show up, etc.
TC — where is your Fan Box?! itd fit in the sidebar pretty well i’d guess.
iframe would make more sense, as a user could be authenticated w/ their facebook account and fan the page w/o ever leaving it
thanks for the response
Hey, I too added Facebook Fan Box to my blog
I’m kind of surprised that this is getting so much publicity.
Sure, it’s nice to have, but seeing as these tools are meant to be embedded into another site, and those ‘other sites’ will often be built by a capable programmer, doesn’t it make more sense to use a twitter api and allow customized design around the feed?
Why the “kings of leon” developer decided to use the facebook feed is somewhat lost on me. It definitely looks out of place on an otherwise well branded site.
Widgets man, whod’a thunk?
so not exciting or innovative. “Take that, MySpace”?!? really?!? to be honest, the title excited me, but the content of this article is nothing more than a press release.
RE: “this particular move should be appealing to those celebrities who want to take back control of their fanbase from the social networks”…how do celebrities NOT have control of their fanbase on other social networks?
fan box, to me, sounds like nothing more than a glorified syndication widget.
Facebook…way too much hype and star f-ing on these comments board. gotta love the band wagon.
The “Become a Fan” button is really important. Now someone can become a fan (allowing you to message them as often as you want through Facebook) in a simple process. Right now you have to either point them to your vanity Facebook URL (provided you qualified for and got one) or they had to login, search for you and then get to your page. This simplifies the process of building a strong fan base on Facebook.
yet another solid little tool for extending facebook and adding simple social features to a webpage, and some super solid launch parters like Kings of Leon and Threadless. going to get this up on our site (www.hoodiepeople.com) asap.
dude … jizz in my pants… . O_O;;
can you customize the look & feel? It looks bad on their nicely designed site…. kinda looks like an ugly google text adwords box
If I had a music directory website could I put the widget on individual bands pages, to show status updates of that band or do only the bands themselves have access to the embed code?
I think the point is to NOT redesign it as it keeps the recognizable look of Facebook – something people already know and trust.
Agree with Robert Brady — the power is in the button, no need to visit FB, no need to search around or happen to see it pop up in ‘highlights’ – people who already love your site can take action right there.
what the fuck. facebook blog isnt working for me!
Facebook Connect would be huge on the Kanye West blog! Integrating both this widget and the comments plugin would generate some serious activity when you consider the amount of comments already there…
I wonder how many would mention the South Park parody?!
Facebook Connect would be huge on the Kanye West blog! Integrating both this widget and the comments plugin would generate some serious activity when you consider the amount of comments already there…
I wonder how many would mention the South Park parody?!
I think it’s laughable that Facebook would even try to compete with MySpace Music. I think that the only reason artists are getting on Facebook is because they have to not so much that they want to. Seriously, I have a Facebook artist page and it’s about as interesting to look at as the piece of toast with the face of Jesus on it and about as interactive as Pong. The problem with Facebook trying to compete in this realm is that they don’t understand the artist and the unique expressive needs of the artist.i just found this amazing website, it has all kind of <a title=”http://www.citidirect.co.uk/” from acleaning companies to estate agents to banks…
How come there is no ‘become a stalker’ button. You know, for hot chicks you find on Facebook.