not thing 23 just news... or is is it?

The microcosim that is my world is finally slowing down. With birthdays, family events, housing sales and the end of school this is the first time I've had to just sit. Wow. Summer really does start at the solstace. :)

Anyway. I'm getting back into this blog for the new 23 and thought I would share some nerdy news.

Not sure if your a Face book or a My space fan. If you do Myspace then look out... Major cuts and thinning of the ologopoly that is social blogging/journaling/networking.

My space is going to have some trouble....

Last week, MySpace trimmed 30 percent of its staff in the US as the social network looks to become a more “efficient and nimble team-oriented company.” Apparently that goal also includes massive cutbacks abroad, as the company announced this morning that it is trimming a whopping 2/3rds of its international staff.

MySpace will eliminate 300 of its 450 staff members outside the US, as well as close “at least 4” of its international offices. Although the social network remains a big player overseas, today’s news comes as no surprise, as much like in the US, MySpace has fallen behind Facebook in most other countries.

For its part, MySpace blames the cut backs on the organization having become too bloated under its past leadership. CEO Owen Van Natta said in a statement:

“With roughly half of MySpace’s total user base coming from outside the U.S., maintaining productive and efficient operations in our international markets is important to users worldwide and our immediate financial strength.”

“As we conducted our review of the company, it was clear that internationally, just as in the U.S., MySpace’s staffing had become too big and cumbersome to be sustainable in current market conditions. Today’s proposed changes are designed to transform and refine our international growth strategy.”

While that sounds like the typical reasoning for a layoff, as anyone who follows the numbers knows, the truth of the matter is that the staff only became too large because the social network started shrinking. Layoffs will help get costs more in line with reduced revenue, but for the site to save itself, it needs to define what exactly is going to “transform” it back into a winner. And that remains far from clear.