MySpace is dead. Long live Facebook!

If someone thought I was in love with MySpace, they're wrong. MySpace is a good place to be because it allows you to mess up the pages and customise them yourself, and it has proven a good way to get in touch with and discover new bands. However, there's also a lot of problems with MySpace. First of all, nothing WORKS! Secondly, it is too big to be a true community. Most of my friends on MySpace are completely unknown to me, and search feature is crap. Third, the whole site is loaded with ads. Fourth, MySpace lost cred after being bought by News Corp. What's next then?

Contrary to analyst's prediction, Facebook has continued to grow. It is now the sixth most-trafficked site in the U.S. and 1 % of all Internet time is spent on Facebook, and some estimates suggest it will bring in $100 million in revenues this year. Why? Well, it provides an easy way to keep in touch with friends and family, links between people are defined, you can start groups and there's a real-time news feed where you can see what your friends are up to (who uploaded new photos, who's going to Glastonbury etc).

AND unlike MySpace which sold out as soon as it could, Facebook has turned down $750 million -$1 billion offers, and wants to stay independent, according to a recent article in FastCompany.

However - Among the only holes in Google’s portfolio is good social networking play, and after Google’s DoubleClick buyout goes through (if it goes through), this might be the next in its sight? Let's see shall we.

Finally - EMI and Itunes to offer non-DRM sales

EMI, Apple Announce DRM-Free Digital Sales Plan

EMI and Apple will now sell DRM-free catalog on the iTunes Store, according to a joint announcement issued today. The move is groundbreaking, and shatters a previously ironclad commitment to digital protections by the major labels. The decision means that well-known tracks from artists like the Rolling Stones, Norah Jones, Lily Allen, and Janet Jackson can now be downloaded in a protection-free format, an approach that eliminates usage and sharing restrictions. The company pointed to a refreshed product line that will feature "a much higher sound quality than existing downloads," and one that will be "free of digital rights management (DRM) restrictions". Specifically, the label will offer its catalog to digital music stores in a range of higher bitrates, including CD-quality fidelities. According to Steve Jobs, the DRM-free offering will be exclusively unveiled by iTunes in May. Other stores will offer the DRM-free catalog at dates thereafter.

The move represents a major shift, though several asterisks are dangling. The tracks themselves are being branded as "premium downloads," and will carry an elevated price tag above "standard," DRM-protected tracks. Instead of a standard, 99 cent, 79 pence, or 99 euro price tag, the premium tracks will be priced at $1.29, 0.99 pence, or €1.29. Both premium and standard tracks will sit alongside one another, and consumers will have the ability to upgrade their standard versions by simply paying the difference. That approach breaks an iTunes commitment to uniform pricing and format, and conflicts with earlier philosophies expressed by Jobs. But during the unveiling, Jobs noted that the offering means greater choice, and a more fine-tuned offering. "We think our customers are really going to appreciate this," Steve Jobs said. "iTunes will continue to offer its current catalog at the same price, alongside the DRM-free, higher quality versions." Jobs also disclosed that the iTunes Store has now sold more than 2.5 billion tracks.