MySpace Thursday rolled out a
beta version of its
e-mail offering,
MySpace Mail, striking fear into the heart of the U.S. mail service and citizens weary of postage price hikes.
"MySpace enters the mail category with the potential to be the second largest mail provider in the U.S. and the fourth largest in the world," the company said, according to news service AFP.
That scenario may not be too far-fetched. Currently, the social network has about 130 million users around the world, with 70 million in the U.S. alone.
And instead of worrying about stamps, MySpace Mail gives registered users free e-mail accounts with a @myspace.com URL. For instance, a user named JenTen could have a URL of JenTen@myspace.com. However, MySpace is advising users that they only get one shot to select a unique @MySpace.com e-mail address and matching MySpace URL, "so type carefully and avoid impulse decisions!" In addition, the service will not support e-mail domains ending with.edu (schools), .mil (government) or .gov (for safety and security reasons).
MySpace Mail users can also embed pictures from their online profile into e-mails and send videos and music clip attachments. The feature should appeal to musicians, MySpace said, who can choose a MySpace name and custom URL that can drive traffic to their profile. Obviously, the same idea could be used by businesses as well.
"Creating a simple, identifiable name and MySpace URL also helps search engines (like Google, Yahoo and Bing) find you," MySpace said on the site. "One crucial fact to keep in mind is the more often someone searches for your name and clicks your MySpace profile, the higher you'll move up in search engine rankings."
