MySpace is the behemoth that fragments the attention spans of 18-35 year olds, says conventional wisdom.

But does the megasite really deliver that much value to advertisers?

‘Online community developer’ Communispace’s latest study suggests that smaller, fully transparent, and branded communities attract more engaged users who create content instead of ‘lurking’:

The more intimate the community, the more people participate. […] 86% of the people who log on to private, facilitated communities with 300 to 500 members made contributions: they posted comments, initiated dialogues, participated in chats, brainstormed ideas, shared photos, and more. Only 14% merely logged in to observe, or “lurk.” […]

In a typical online forum, for example, just 1% of site visitors contribute, and the other 99% lurk.

- via MediaPost

So what does this mean for alts? By creating small, vibrant local communities of discussion online, alts can attract engaged audiences that marketers are seeking. MySpace hasn’t won.