MySpace Apps Open For Business

MySpace Apps Gallery has been in private beta for a while. This week marked its debut into the public eye. MySpace Apps is meant to compete directly with FaceBook, a company that has offered third party applications for quite while.

Much like FaceBook's ubiquitous applications, MySpace Apps seems full of silly games and quizzes. In stark contract to FaceBook, however, MySpace leads off with a way to opt out of the applications altogether, a welcome relief for those of us who have no desire to add Friend Purchases, quizzes and other junk to the already cluttered MySpace interface.

Not only did MySpace get it right by offering a way to opt out of Applications, it nailed the second issue I have with FaceBook's applications on the first try as well. You can also set your MySpace to keep your data private from applications that your friends add. This is necessary in the face of the rise of greyware like SuperWall, applications that seem useful or harmless that mine your data and that of your friends.

The page for their applications set is actually one of the cleanest ones on MySpace. It is quite pleasant to look at in a sea of bells, whistles, blinking sidebars, terrible music and glitter graphics. They have given users a variety of ways to sort the applications, from categories to most recent, which makes it much easier to find what you want. I found it easier to browse the applications on MySpace than on FaceBook, as a matter of fact.

I was prepared to hate MySpace Apps. I am pleasantly surprised to say that while I won't be playing with them (no time – I've already opted out), if I had the time, I might be drawn in. Even people who have trouble figuring out how to add bells and whistles to their profiles should find MySpace Apps very easy to use over all, and that is key in making them a success.