MySpace Opens Up Apps to All Users

Launched in beta in March, MySpace has officially released over 1,000 applications to the public. Applications have been popular with the MySpace crowd for some time - the "Fridge Magnets" where other users can rearrange the familiar lettered magnets to leave a message has been a huge success - although a lack of "official" apps has created some problems. Now users are free to implement any number of fun, useful or plain entertaining applications straight from MySpace, developed by fellow MySpace denizens.

A few MySpace Apps of note:

	Top Pics displays your favorite images and photos from MySpace and Photobucket. 45,131 installs.
	Users can display their favorite cocktails and send friends virtual drinks (not all alcoholic.) 8,665 installs.
	Sync your iTunes library with your MySpace page. Your entire library is available and you can add more than six million songs and music videos. 12,552 installs.
	Create a cause, join an existing cause and recruit your friend to join you in activism. Each cause you choose shows how much money has been raised by fellow MySpace users. 6,860 installs.
	Visitor Counter simply displays how many friends have visited your profile. Could be useful for marketing/branding purposes, kind of like an RSS counter on a blog. 4,280 installs.
	Shopit Store allows users to list products and services for sale from their profiles. 626 installs.

Most of the applications are, of course, geared towards the young, social, entertainment-focused crowd that has made MySpace the leader in social networking. So far, true business applications are few and far between. There is a business category - it has job searching apps, Lending Club, newsClicker and business 3.0, which claims to "allow businesses to have their information and products listed on social networks."

All of the applications we tested are very easy to add to a profile, but do take up quite a bit of space on a profile page. Look for crowded pages to ensue. It could be fun to see these applications all over friends' pages, or it could be serious overload. If you're looking to build a business profile by adding apps, be sure to keep it under control.

Before adding an application, MySpace will ask if you want to show it on your profile, your home page, if you want to allow email from the app, and if you want to send updates to your friends. Choose wisely, as this could be a launching pad for application spam.

"MySpace was the original open platform, and the MySpace Application Gallery is the evolution of that vision, taking MySpace users around the world to the next level and empowering them to take control of their online presence in new and exciting ways," said MySpace co-founder Chris DeWolfe in a press release.