There are plenty of interesting stories popping up today (check out Google Trends if you haven't already), but I think the launch of AOL's new MySpace rival AIMPages (formerly AIMspace) is the most significant. Richard MacManus really nails it when he says that AIMPages is "tearing down those 90's Walled Gardens". But it's more than that: AOL has realized that the only way to beat MySpace is to build a platform that's wide open. I've said many times that MySpace should stop developing me-too efforts like MySpace Video (not as good as YouTube) and instead realize that MySpace is an aggregator.
All those companies that feed the MySpace beast are building an eco-system around the MySpace audience. Now AOL is taking that to the next level, stating from the outset that AIMPages is a platform, not a venue. They even let you include MySpace widgets in your page! Look at all the modular ajax start pages out there and imagine how much more appealing they'd be when connected to a social network. It's like Ziki for teens. On the surface it seems ironic that AOL is attempting to tear down a walled garden, but increasingly they seem to be surrounding themselves with the right people (Marc Canter, for instance).