Move over, MySpace?!

That's what USATODAY is suggesting - that MySpace is facing so much competition that it may be "losing its cool." It cites some niche networks like WAYN (travel-oriented social networking) and vMix (one of the many video-oriented services, though probably more social), and it cites the view of one older teen moving on to Facebook (which practically owns the college market, so this is not new or unusual). The article also has a sidebar spotlighting four "MySpace invaders": Xanga, vMix, Facebook, and Whyville (an interesting pick that could just as easily have been Disney's Virtual Magic Kingdom and more logically been Imbee.com). Here's my theory: All the new niche sites are more additions to MySpace than competition. People use different sites for different things (photo-sharing, video uploading, blogging, socializing, etc.); many MySpace users have multiple accounts at multiple services (not to mention at MySpace itself); some college kids move on to Facebook, but many keep their MySpace accounts too because of the non-college network of friends associated with them – friends they'll want to keep in touch with. I don't think MySpace is even close to "losing its cool." Online socializing is here to stay and has proliferating tools, services, and access points. FYI, here's earlier coverage on social-networking niches: "New social networks," "Social networks keep morphing," "More SN niches," and "SN with a purpose."