A Mashable reader spotted an interesting new development today: a MySpace-branded Google startpage called MyStartSpace. An ad for the page also appears at MySpace.com/mystartspace.
The reader speculated that this could be a partnership between the two companies (especially after the MySpace-Google ad deal), but I think it's highly, highly unlikely - the WhoIs data for the domain shows that it's registered with GoDaddy, and customizing a MySpace page to remove all the extraneous stuff is easily done (visit the MySpace layouts sites for ways to do this). Meanwhile, the search itself is powered by Google SiteSearch - hardly a sign of an official partnership. So whoever came up with the idea is likely an independent developer with a bit of free time who wanted to create something cool and generate a few dollars in Adsense.
I do, however, think it's a cool idea: it's known that MySpace users are also heavy Googlers - even more so since the integration of Google search into MySpace in December 2006. Perhaps further tie-ups, like a MySpace version of the Google personalized homepage, or a MySpace-branded Google Toolbar, could be worth a try. And to whoever created this: nice work on the design!
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