New face for MySpace as site upgrades

— -- A major overhaul of MySpace, to make its debut on Wednesday, could greatly alter the social-networking market.

The redesign — internally dubbed MySpace 2.0 — is the handiwork of a six-month, companywide project to widen its appeal to non-tech users in a big bid to increase its global base of 118 million unique users.

If successful, the digital makeover could signal the next stage of growth at what is already one of the world's most popular websites. MySpace anticipates an influx of social-networking neophytes and businesses to its new-and-improved site.

MySpace has revamped the appearance and enhanced functions of its home page; site navigation; search; MySpaceTV Player, a video player; and Profile Editor, which lets users customize their profile.

There's a spanking-new interface, heightened security, availability on mobile and instant-messaging services — and the ability to create categories of friends at work, school and family, among dozens of other new features.

"It cleans up the user experience," says Dave McClure, a start-up adviser and angel investor in Silicon Valley. "It is a streamlined, easier-to-use version of MySpace."

The overhaul comes as dozens of social-network sites scramble for a bigger slice of the nearly $50 billion online-ad market. Facebook has ramped up revenue with the sale of banner ads through an agreement with Microsoft, targeted-ad programs for local businesses and the sale of virtual gifts. Those gifts, such as a birthday cake or a popping champagne cork, are affixed to a user's profile in the manner that someone would sign a high school yearbook.

Even Yahoo, AOL and Microsoft MSN are closely watching MySpace and Facebook to see how people use e-mail and instant messages there, says Emily Riley, an analyst at JupiterResearch.

MySpace is banking on the notion that social-networking holdouts are the same folks who resisted e-mail and text messaging.

The idea is to simplify things so they're comfortable with MySpace, a company co-founder says.

"The renaissance of our site touches on making things easier for someone who has never been on the Internet, or rarely uses it," says MySpace President and co-founder Tom Anderson. "We want anyone online to consider MySpace. We want it to be as ubiquitous as e-mail."

MySpace has enjoyed unprecedented success among younger Internet users and music fans, while rival Facebook has carved a considerable niche among those who are older. That might change a bit with the new MySpace, Riley says.

What's more, the new MySpace's intuitive search function makes it easier for current members to find and invite friends who don't use the site, Riley says.

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