Like a cockroach, MySpace continues to crawl forward even after its head has been chopped off. Yes,  Facebook has overtaken Myspace eMarketer shows us. TechCrunch predicted the fall of MySpace's empire back in May, and like vultures, we've all been watching. (Also, of note, MySpace today cut 30% of its U. S. staff, says Caroline McCarthy at CNET).

Sure, there's still thousands of people using MySpace, but its just not the giant it once was. Nowadays, MySpace exists mainly for celebrities and bands. At one point, businesses tried to make MySpace their space, but Facebook offered a much sleeker deal and so began the downward cycle.

Here are some of my thoughts on why MySpace is dying:

• Poor Design - You've seen it. Clutter. Just pick a random page and its busy enough to cause early eye-strain. The navigation tools aren't user friendly and the interface just screams 90s. MySpace assumed that its connectivity out-weighed simple design.
• Advertising - They could probably change the name from MySpace to AdSpace. Modern audiences want their ads to unobtrusive. MySpace made "LOOK-AT-ME!" obnoxious video ads famous.
• Bathroom Wall - I once heard MySpace called the bathroom wall of society. Of course every chat room, forum or social website has people without decency. MySpace just made the news more often with them.
• Younger Audience - Based on a presentation by Bob Hazlett of One Half Amazing the average user age on MySpace is significantly lower than other social media sites. This audience has less money, more time and less... restraint. Many migrate to other places, like Facebook, after they "grow out of" MySpace.
• Fluidity - Most social media sites rely on ease of use. The fact that each profile is so customizable often causes more confusion that personalization.

As MySpace takes its nose dive, I have very little remorse. The site will probably continue to limp along, and markets may even continue to seek a target audience there (musicians and teenagers) but most of us will move on to greener pastures.

What are your thoughts on MySpace? Sad to see it go? Hardcore supporter? Don't care either way? Why do you think its declining?

I write a lot about social media and what it can do for business. Today I want to get down to the heart of what it means for a company to be involved. First, as times continue to change, as the baby-boomers retire and the kids of yesterday are becoming adults, the demands customers make change as well. Right now 51% of adult social media users think companies should maintain a social media presence (from emarketer).

More and more customers are expecting to have a relationship with a company, not just one or two buying experiences. They want to be able to ask questions, get immediate answers, and know what's coming up. Unfortunately, the increase in demand for interaction is not being met. Most companies are far behind, failing to keep pace.

Why have a social media presence? Because as our world becomes more and more digital, we are losing that sense of personal communication. We call customer service and get a recorded voice. Recorded voices call our answering machines. We receive automated email. Most customers don't have the time to browse a store and ask a sales rep a million questions that they may or may not have an answer to. But if a customer can find time online to interact with a social presence and feel like someone knowledge is spending personal time with them, it makes all the difference.