YouTube Now More Popular Than MySpace

Goodbye tacky profile pages. Hello video snippets of all sorts. Video-sharing outfit YouTube has apparently overtaken MySpace in the latest popularity rankings by Alexa.

From the Guardian Unlimited:

The video sharing site has taken a 3.9% share of global internet visits a day compared with 3.35% for MySpace, according to internet analysis company Alexa.

Okay, granted that Alexa rankings are limited to a subset of Web users, namely those running Internet Explorer and have the Alexa toolbar installed, the ranking can still provide a viable proxy for popularity. However, I’m not too keen about the US$ 1 Billion price tag being attached to YouTube.

Its success has been such that a price tag of as much as $1bn (£536bn) – far more than the £332m that Rupert Murdoch paid for MySpace – has been put on the company and rumours are circulating of a possible initial public offering.

It’s likely just hype. Still, the YouTube owners might want to cash in on their baby’s popularity while things are hot. Question is, for that price tag and an iffy nature its inherent value, are there any takers?