Is this the new MySpace or a Justin Timberlake song?

Update: I've just tried signing up for an account with a bit of fake information, but I've yet to be able to make one. I can't tell if it's because I put in an age that's under 18 (note: I'm 25) but it appears my IPs are now blocked from signing up. Anyone else have more luck than me?

Original Story

Well, both actually.

Yes today not only can you fans of JT – and I bet there are simply tens of you that are also KG readers – rush out and get his new single from iTunes or whatever other new fangled tech the kids use, but you can set up your new MySpace profile too.

This is the same “new” MySpace that we sort of profiled towards the end of last year. It's been undergoing a private beta for the past few months and has now been set loose on the public. However you'd be hard pressed to tell looking at the new signup page, as it's dominated by a giant image of Justin Timberlake, the name of his new single, the name of an artist he worked with and the fact that if you sign in to MySpace, you can hear it.

I appreciate that tie ins can be useful, but when your entire platform appears to hinge on whether a user wants to listen to a new Justin Timberlake single or not – someone who hasn't released much for over half a decade – surely all can't be well. It's a music social network, not a Justin Timberlake one.

Seriously, this is the MySpace homepage. Why is the MySpace logo barely a footnote and a giant tuxedo wearing man staring at me? If I had no idea who he was, why would I ever sign up to this site?

KitGuru Says: It doesn't show a lot of confidence in your brand if you take its first outing and plaster yourself all over it in an effort to promote something else. Suit and Tie it all you want, it doesn't dress up the fact that MySpace just seems irrelevant, when the site's logo is smaller than the giant coiffed hair do that dominates the homepage.

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