MySpace debuts ‘drag and drop’ profiles

 “Profile 2.0 is everything users have been asking for,” said Tom Anderson, President and co-founder of MySpace.  “You can now make your profile look different to different groups of friends. It gives users the privacy and customization they want.”

The key features included in Profile 2.0 are:

Drag and Drop Visual Interface: MySpace users will now be able to alter their profile simply by dragging and dropping modules (like comments or friends) into any location to create new profile layouts. In addition, users now have fast and intuitive editing and loading functionality to customize each profile module.

Viewing Flexibility: Profile 2.0 enables users to display certain information on their profile to specific friend categories that they create or have already created through ‘Friend Categorization.’  For example, a user may choose to share specific profile modules like their calendar with their classmates and share their previous companies with co-workers or any other group of their choosing.  Profile 2.0 gives users more control over the information that is shared on MySpace, who views it and when. 

Themes:  MySpace has created approximately 50 new profile styles and themes giving users the ultimate flexibility to revamp their profiles at whim whether they want a quick change or a unique new look. The easy to use one-click themes will also feature popular celebrities, fashion designers, films, musicians and sports figures in the coming weeks.  

In keeping with MySpace’s long standing commitment to providing the best user experience during new product updates, all changes will be completely opt-in and were first beta tested with users in Canada along with online surveys, impromptu testing, focus groups, in-home usability studies and user’s messages and comments sent to Tom’s profile.

Users will be offered the new profile, but have the option of keeping their current profile including any CSS functionality they have added.

This announcement marks the next wave of MySpace’s global redesign initiative launched last year and comes only months after a new splash page and navigation redesign.

It follows multiple milestones for MySpace including surpassing Yahoo! to become the top publisher of online display advertising in the U.S., accounting for 15.9% of all display ads viewed in June and hitting an all-time high with domestic unique users and engagement in August according to comScore; seeing approximately 75 million users domestically and 122 million worldwide unique users.