Let’s face it: the overall design choices made by the MySpace developers are like daggers in the eyes of Allah. Tom needs to hire Jeffrey Zeldman, and fast.
There are a number of one-stop shopping sites for MySpace codes that will serve to beautify the atrocity, but there’s only so much you can do with triple-nested tables used for page layout before, as a designer, you get woozy and nauseous. Each day as web designers stumble onto the site they weep openly. I know I did.
Is Ghetto A Design Choice? Yes, yes it is. In the comments there’s a post from a downtrodden MySpace dev who cites Tom:
In a direct quote from Tom “I want the design to be ghetto simplistic so that everyone can use it.”
Kudos, Tom. Mission accomplished. It’s also so ghetto simplistic that anyone can b0rk it with with completely insane design choices. “I think yellow text over this golden sunset background will present a compelling challenge to my friends.” “Alpha blending is awesome! I’m going use it everywhere!”
Fortunately someone was kind enough to throw together a Firefox Greasemonkey script that removes the atrocity and restores profiles to the simple, generic but readable default. Check it out, and thanks, Derk. That, along with the Firefox AdBlock extension, makes MySpace at least palatable if not enjoyable.
Notice how I didn’t leave any indication that I actually have a MySpace account. I prefer to leave that dark aspect of my life far from the spotlight of my heavily-trafficked blog. Also, I think it’s what Fibonacci would do.
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myspace caters to a bunch of jank ass kids and pitiful young adults, so why bother with design? There is a group of skanks on my team at work who are wild over myspace and they fit the typical profile of the butt nasty group who uses it. So, what is your myspace profile?
Comment by Mr. Viddy 12.27.05 @ 6:34 pmkim here. you post on my bbs, nwtekno… found this in your profile.
*swoons*
Of all the stalkers I could pick up from nwtekno, you’re definitely the most welcome!
Shamefully, all my friends from back in the day decided to swarm the place at once. I was left with little choice but to set up shop. I would happily close down my spot if they would get their acts together. Perhaps I should just turn my page into a big promo for Outfoxed, or I could launch a particularly infectious anti-Murdoch meme. Yes…
Comment by Barry 12.27.05 @ 9:06 pmthe fact that so many giant dildos use myspace and that they are totally saps and sub-cool, makes my know that i am for sure the more cooler of the people we are are discussing..like shit, ya know and the fact that johnny dildo owns the shit…shit…i’m way into more underground forms of cyber connectedness…straight…fred
Comment by fred 01.06.06 @ 9:00 amLeave a comment
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kim here. you post on my bbs, nwtekno… found this in your profile.
anyway, myspace on the whole is a fugly atrocity in pretty much every aspect. why anyone who considers themselves remotely “underground” would maintain a profile on a site operated by fox news is beyond me. not to mention the clientele itself, which is equally as atrocious as the shite design. i’ve met cool people off friendster, tribe, orkut et al… but my brief foray into myspace was so depressing that i deleted my profile. when they sold out to satan i chortled. i openly mock anyone who uses that crap. :D the only way a greasemonkey script could improve a myspace profile would be to render a blank page that says “for the love of [insert diety here], delete your myspace profile now and encourage anyone you respect to do the same.”
Comment by kim 12.27.05 @ 6:14 pm