Both MySpace and Facebook lost visitors in September, according to Nielsen/NetRatings, a Web-tracking service. The number of unique U.S. visitors at MySpace fell 4% to 47.2 million from 49.2 million in August, and the number of visitors to Facebook fell 12% to 7.8 million from 8.9 million.
I think this is the beginning of the end... The two sites are huge, and their traffic is still there, but there is a rot in the foundations: the users who built the sites - the college kids and young adults who made all the user generated content, created the popularity, and built the buzz, are no longer part of the community.
It is these early adopters, the keystone of the two sites, that are leaving for greener pastures. Turned off by commercialism, perverts, and just plan mainstream-ification of the sites, they are deserting.
Nearly 3,000 Facebook users have joined a group called "Official Petition to Keep Facebook Limited to Students." A note on the group's page reads, "Facebook just opened its doors to everyone on the internet. That means your mom, your boss, and every stalker in the world can now make an account."
Of course, that won't stop Yahoo! from buying Facebook for billions. Sigh.
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