Social Networks & Online TV

MySpace now offers short clips of Doctor Who Sometimes you just have to get cautious when navigating on websites overcrowded by things meant to attract users because pretty often all they manage to do is push us in a sort of a maze of add-ons and extras.

There are, of course, straightforward and “cleaner” sites which might do without things like videos and downloads, remaining instead loyal to mere text and pics, but this does not necessarily vouch for a better website, or a more enjoyable and extended online experience. An example of sites which used to keep things really simple are social networks such as Facebook and MySpace.

From a moment on, however, they decided to expand their content and offer their users more — currently they’re advertising their proposal to watch our films and television on their online communities. As we learn from The Times, Facebook recently closed a deal with ABC News to provide coverage of the US presidential election. It’s only business logics that ABC should try to draw some of Facebook’s 56 million users. Apparently, MySpace will offer from now on short clips of BBC Worldwide’s shows, like Doctor Who and Top Gear.

Once more, the agreement gives the chance to MySpaceTV (http://vids.myspace.com/) users to subscribe to a BBC Worldwide channel and watch and share clips from all present and past shows. They agreed on ad and revenue sharing. News Corp (MySpace owner) has been feeling their way towards this video oriented strategy ever since Facebook became quite a rival. At this time, there are a few shows available on MySpaceTV such as Roommates, Prom Queen and LonelyGirl15. You may want to go and see for yourself as it ranges very wide in content, from comedy and humour to strange material and loads of channels, from ExerciseTV to Holiday Kitchen. You can enjoy it all for free and experience “online TV” getting more of that direct interaction which our local TV and also recent movies fail to offer.