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MySpace Takes on Google News and Digg

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the climbing-mount-improbable dept.

cyberianpan writes "According to a Times Online article, MySpace is going into the news business. They'll soon be premiering a service that will scour the internet for news stories and let users vote on which ones receive the most exposure. This approach blends elements of Google News and sites such as Digg and Netscape, which rely on readers to submit stories and determine their prominence. One could see where this might be the 'holy grail' of internet news. Not only will you be able to tap into the wisdom of the crowds, but ultimately your recommended stories could be influenced by the likes and dislikes of your friends/heroes."

17 of 123 comments (clear)

  1. Uh, "the wisdom of the crowds"? by daveschroeder · · Score: 4, Funny
    The "'holy grail' of internet news"?

    And "ultimately your recommended stories could be influenced by the likes and dislikes of your friends/heroes"?

    All in the same paragraph as "MySpace"?

    Hold the phone... where do I sign up?

    After all, it worked marvelously for Digg!

    And instead of taking contributions everyone - which works out famously on Digg, by the way - or instead of using intelligent algorithms to uniformly aggregate news from a wide variety of news outlets around the world, this instead filters down to the existing membership and intellectual level of MySpace?

    What could go wrong?

    ...

    More like "the collective whim of whatever quasi-viral story du jour interests MySpace users at the moment".

    Yeah, I realize News Corp owns MySpace. But give me a break.

    1. Re:Uh, "the wisdom of the crowds"? by Lord+Ender · · Score: 4, Funny

      After all, it worked marvelously for Digg!
      One of the top articles on dig right now (as we speak) is: "Check out what my friend found in a bag of Tostitos".

      Enough said.
      --
      A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
  2. About time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Myspace will bring some much needed credibility to the mainstream media.

  3. Wisdom of the crowds? by casings · · Score: 4, Funny

    The day I want some 13 year old emo kid brigade to guide me with their "wisdom" will be a cold day in hell.

    1. Re:Wisdom of the crowds? by powerpants · · Score: 4, Funny

      Just wait. In 10 years, that emo kid will be your boss.

  4. maybe not the best idea by jonno317 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Tapping into the collective wisdom of the MySpace crowd might not be the most productive thing in the world...

  5. Re:It's Coming by cyphercell · · Score: 2, Funny

    Why do I feel like I'm about to enter into a tug of war for the essence of my soul?

    --
    Under the influence of Post-Cyberpunk Gonzo Journalism
  6. The average myspace user says... by CompMD · · Score: 3, Funny

    "OMG I HAVE A MYSPACE ON TEH INTARWEB!"

    Do you really trust this person to help provide useful news?

  7. Yeah, but who'll see it? by Mike+Hicks · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah, but how often will the news be this instead?

    Sorry! an unexpected error has occurred.
    This error has been forwarded to MySpace's technical group.

  8. The name of the new service by TodMinuit · · Score: 4, Funny

    Dungg.com

    --
    I wonder if I use bold in my signature, people will notice my posts.
  9. List of most frequent stories by r_jensen11 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Britney Spears...
    Jessica Simpson...
    American Idol...
    OMG Ponies!

    Oddly enough, it's similar to /., only different topics.
    Most frequent stories on /.:
    Linux is ready for the Desktop!
    Ground-breaking new hard-drive capacity!
    New, ground-breaking graphics cards!
    OMFG Ponies!

  10. well... by Lxy · · Score: 3, Funny

    I, for one, welcome our new Myspace over.... OMG PONIEZ!!!!!!

    --

    There is no reasonable defense against an idiot with an agenda
    :wq
  11. Here's your Pitchfork and Burning Torch by wsanders · · Score: 3, Funny

    "What could possibly go wrong?" Well, how about "Triumph of the Will", only with NASCAR. Or for the less serious maybe some of the mass hysteria scenes from "Spongebob Squarepants."

    I'll take my content filtered by The Man, please.

    --
    Give a man a fish and you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish, and he'll say "WHERE'S MY FISH, YOU IDIOT?"
  12. "Wisdom of crowds"? by uhlume · · Score: 4, Funny
    On MySpace? Let me fix that for you...

    ultimately your recommended stories could be influenced by the likes and dislikes of a bunch of cretins.


    ...Hm. Now it reads like they're going into competition with Slashdot.
    --
    SIERRA TANGO FOXTROT UNIFORM
  13. Spam by cliath · · Score: 2, Funny

    Finally! I have been waiting for a place to find all the information I ever wanted on free iPhones, ring tones, Target gift cards and penis enlargement supplements.

  14. Typical story by kingturkey · · Score: 2, Funny

    hey! geuss wat? i just got my FREE voucher for that handbag i was telling u about! You can get 1 to, just click this link. Be quick before they all run out!

  15. Isn't the rest of their site incredibly broken? by sahonen · · Score: 2, Funny

    Shouldn't they worry about fixing the functionality they already (are supposed to) have instead of trying to add new functionality?

    --
    Make me a friend and I'll mod you up