MarthaSpace will Flop if It Fails to Bridge

Martha Stewart Living Omimedia (MSLO) is planning to launch its own version of MySpace late next year. The plan, according to CEO Susan Lynne, is to create a social net that would appeal to women aged 25 to 45, and allow members to share photographs, scrapbooks, recipes and similar projects with one another and home design experts.

MarthaSpace will only succeed if it builds a bridge to other communities where people are talking about these topics - like Blogher. MSLO needs to help their own in finding each other but they also must reach out to what is probably an equally large number of consumers who are talking about these topics on other properties. In other words, they need a picture-in-picture approach.

Also, I am concerned that the long development cycle could cause issues. By the time the site launches late next year this whole space will have changed. Someone can come along and potentially eat their lunch before they even launch. (Fine print: Edelman represents MySpace but I don't work on the business.)

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Comments

[Rex Hammock]

It does seem odd to announce something a year in advance. Oprah's folks should launch one next week. Also, it's unfortunate that someone called this "the MySpace of ..." as that misses the point. The tools of community and conversation and engagement and identity and personal expression that MySpace and blogging and tagging and Flickr and etc. have pioneered will soon be everywhere -- and everything will need to be able to live in endless combinations of pictures in pictures so that whatever I create can be displayed wherever and whenever and however I choose.

[Brian Balfour]

Late next year?!?! Thats a joke. Any person with a decent amount of programming knowledge could build something like that in two weeks easily.

I agree this will fail. The social networking scene is changing so fast that by late next year Myspace could easily not be the top social network.

In addition there are already two full fledging social networks just for women in existence.

-Brian
http://www.socialdegree.com

[Nick D]

Wouldn't it be easier to just have a Martha Stewart profile in MySpace instead of trying to have an entire "me-too" website? I bet there is already a Martha Stewart group on MySpace, MSLO probably sees it as a loss since there is no way to measure it as a monetized property.

[Alex]

I dont really understand who will do it.

I mean a martha blog? Id join that myself just for fun. But to be serious, is it really time for her fans (40s, 50s, 60s) to join a blog?

I dont know, maybe thats why im not a billionaire (yet).

New York Bathrooms

[John Wall]

I really like the picture-in-picture concept. It's a great way to explain the value of something that would normally get brushed off as "Some more Web 2.0 stuff"...
-John

[Stephanie Quilao]

While MarthaSpace is taking over a year to bake, why not come out today with the Martha Stewart Living blogs, forums, podcasts, wikis, memes, RSS feed. Who better to get web 2.0 appetizers and meals out there? MSLO is loaded with traditional media like TV, radio, and magazines, but virtually zilch in new media. And the name, why not call it something like YouEveryday, capitalize on a brand property you already have, and make it sound more about the user than the celebrity.

[Elise]

Don't underestimate the power of the Martha Stewart brand to this market segment. This is a brilliant idea, and if they even get it half right I predict it will be a huge success.