This level of community building is not available on IM platforms like MSN and takes community building to beyond the online communities discussed.

MySpace has also begun to offer an IM platform which links social networking with chat room functionality.  This is a particular significant aggregation of features, as social networking is now offering the social interaction speed that chat rooms offered in the past.  As Foster (2006) suggests this could speed up the time it takes for social bonds and the community to develop.  It is the culmination of these features that has perhaps led MySpace to become one of the largest social networks and indeed websites on the Internet (Madden and Fox, 2006). 

From Habbo’s point of view this is significant competition within a community environment, as for social networks the focus is on the community building and ‘friendship’.  Arguably MySpace grew off the back of music (Rosenbush, 2005), but it is the social bonds and community that keeps a cohesive community using the site for long time periods, that is the primary threat.  Certainly it is meeting socialisation and ‘affective’ needs, which are particularly important for Habbo’s audience of 11 - 18 year olds.