Facebook starting to nip at MySpace

SAN FRANCISCO, May 25 (UPI) -- Watch out MySpace, Facebook -- with new applications designed to enhance user experience -- is catching up as the online place for U.S. teens to socialize.

Facebook, during its F8 conference in San Francisco, unveiled a major makeover, announcing dozens of new partners and a number of new applications designed to broaden its appeal among U.S. teens, The Hollywood Reporter reported Friday. Applications, or widgets, being added to the site come from such companies as Amazon, Microsoft Corp. and Warner Bros. Records.

An Amazon application will allow Facebook users to write and display book reviews on their profile pages as well as a link to buy the book. Facebook's ready acceptance of widgets is in contrast to MySpace, which has been more reluctant about adding the add-ons.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg called the overhaul a "social operating system."

MySpace has roughly 67 million users. Facebook, originally targeted for college students but since expanded to other age groups, now has 24 million users and is growing at a faster clip than MySpace.