Are you volunteering? Because I could call Hef and get this rolling :)

It’s a reflection of the sheer penetration of online social networks into the real world, but Playboy have now announced that they’ll be doing an special edition issue; “Girls of MySpace“.

Really, it’s a stroke of genius for Playboy. With a multitude of initiatives, particularly their clothing and accessory line, they’ve done a lot to reinvent themselves over the past few years. It’s mostly an attempt to lose the tacky image and reinvent themselves as ‘cool’. Making themselves appear coupled with MySpace is going to do just that. Inevitably a lot of guys are going to buy that issue, particularly male MySpace users. But how many girls are also going to buy it? I’d say a few more than usual. Afterall, MySpace is a social network - who wouldn’t buy a copy of a magazine because one of their ‘friends’ is in it.

It’s also a natural line extension for a lot of MySpace users. As UNEASYSilence put it, MySpace is “already overflowing with countless women wearing little to nothing”. Want to see the proof? Just take a look at MySpace Babes and The Net’s Hottest Guys and Girls. Sure, MySpace has its share of fake profiles, but it also has its share of some very real girls wearing close to nothing. Playboy is simply going to monetise that fact to their own benefit.

Of course, MySpace will also benefit from it. Great exposure, more people signing up after they see the issue (and no doubt trying to find these girls on the site). But at the end of the day Playboy is likely to be the biggest winner from it.

Is this something I’d want for Rogue Connect? Probably not. I don’t think Playboy’s image has come far enough (yet) for the association to keep with the image we're working to cultivate. GQ on the otherhand…

I think they've raised the bar a little too high for that! LOL

Plus, I think you have to be under 18 to be naked on MySpace...? ;)

I do not think that this will be of any good. But I am not surprised at all for such interest of "sex mag" such as playboy in the ever "revealing world" of myspace. I hope that what will come next here is an agenda of people with morale to take action to the growing culture of myspace.

A distant memory from college days -- I am absolutely amazed that Playboy still exists. I had thought it had been swept aside by the beer-and-cheesecake magazines like Maxim!