Image sharing service Photobucket
is crying foul over a recent move by the social networking site
Myspace.com to block its content in user
profiles .
Photobucket in a recent promotion encouraged its users to post a slideshow in
their profiles advertising the
Spiderman 3 movie. The
marketing campaign violated Myspace's terms of service that prohibit users from
posting third-party advertisements and prompted Myspace to block all Photobucket
content.
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Photobucket claims that it received no advance warning before the site
blocked user-created movies from Myspace profiles and bulletins.
"We are not happy about this and we’re pretty sure you’re not happy either,"
Photobucket said in a posting to its users.
"We believe that by limiting your ability to personalize your pages with
content from any source, Myspace is contradicting the very belief of personal
and social media."
Photobucket said that users would be unable to embed videos and "remix"
video mash-up files in their Myspace profile page, but that the files will
remain available on Photobucket and should work at other sites which allow video
embedding. Regular photos and slide shows will still be accessible on Myspace.
In a statement provided to vnunet.com,
Myspace said that the videos are being blocked because a recent Photobucket
promotion encouraged users to violate Myspace's rules.
The company also denied Photobucket's claims that it didn't receive any
warning, instead arguing that the comapny willingly chose to continue the
Spiderman campaign.
When contacted by
vnunet.com, Photobucket maintained that it
had not recieved any warning from Myspace. Furthermore, the company said that
the movies did not generate any revenue for either Photobucket or the
advertisors. Photobucket also pointed out that slideshows with the same
advertising content were still being allowed on Myspace.
"Myspace became successful because of the creativity of you, its users, and
because it offered a forum for self-expression," said Photobucket.
"Limiting users’ ability to post their content would seem to be contrary to
Myspace’s mission and certainly to ours."
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