Saving Myspace: CEO Mike Jones Talks About Rethink, Relaunch and–Fingers Crossed–Resurgence

Mike Jones is perhaps one of the nicer Internet execs out there.

But, after much management turmoil at Myspace, it turns out the CEO is also the last man standing at the News Corp. unit, as it finally rolls out a new version aimed at reviving the troubled site.

That happened last night, as the yeoman’s work–under heavy pressure and intense scrutiny from inside and outside–done by Jones and his staff was finally launched.

The new beta version of Myspace moves dramatically away from its roots as a social networking site and distancing itself from Facebook, by becoming a “social entertainment” hub aimed directly at the Gen Y audience.

It’s a major niche play, in an arena Myspace was already well known for–with an emphasis on sharing and discovery of music, television, movies, games, videos and photos from within and without.

As I wrote:

“It is a bold, if risky, move, which could result in a dramatic decline of users or–despite the grim reality of second acts on the Internet–reset Myspace to begin a new cycle of growth.”