Promoting Your Business on MySpace
The question of whether or not MySpace can be used to promote a business is certainly debatable. MySpace is intended to be a non-commercial website by nature but there is a different between blatant commercialization and mentioning a product or service you offer and providing a link as a useful resource to visitors of your website. This article will take a look at the opportunities to promote a business on MySpace by providing information on determining whether or not your method of business promotion is permitted on MySpace and information on how to promote your business without being accused of spamming MySpace.
Review the Terms of Service Carefully
The terms of service provided by MySpace can provide the greatest insight into whether or not there are ways to promote your business through MySpace. Members of MySpace are asked to review the terms of service before becoming a member. Each member should carefully read through this entire agreement to come to a better understanding of which types of activities are allowed on MySpace as well as which types of activities are prohibited.
One of the stipulations of the MySpace reads as follows, “Non-commercial Use by Members. The MySpace Services are for the personal use of Members only and may not be used in connection with any commercial endeavors except those that are specifically endorsed or approved by MySpace.com. Illegal and/or unauthorized use of the MySpace Services, including collecting usernames and/or email addresses of Members by electronic or other means for the purpose of sending unsolicited email or unauthorized framing of or linking to the MySpace Website is prohibited. Commercial advertisements, affiliate links, and other forms of solicitation may be removed from Member profiles without notice and may result in termination of Membership privileges. Appropriate legal action will be taken for any illegal or unauthorized use of the MySpace Services.”
This section of the terms of service stipulates that MySpace is created for non-commercial use unless Myspace.com has approved the use of a member’s website for commercial purposes. Therefore care should be taken when designing a MySpace website to ensure the website will not be deemed to be a commercial website by MySpace administrators.
When In Doubt, Ask Questions
Those who are unsure of whether or not their MySpace website, as they have designed it, will be considered a commercial website should consult with MySpace administrators. This step is not necessary unless the member is concerned their content will be perceived as being commercial. Reviewing the terms of use agreement can provide a great deal of information but some users may still be concerned with the possibility that their website will be penalized if the administrators deem it to be commercial in nature.
Contacting MySpace is a fairly simple process. Members can use the, “Contact MySpace” link from the MySpace.com homepage. The contact page enables members to select a subject and a subtopic and submit this information. Once this is done MySpace provides some preliminary information which may be relevant. If this information is not useful to the member they can email a detailed request to MySpace.
Avoid Spamming at All Costs
If you determine there is an opportunity for you to promote your business through MySpace, care should be taken to ensure the promotion does not cross the line into spam. Spamming is taken very seriously by the MySpace administrators and it may result in links or content being deleted or the privileges of membership may be revoked when a member is found to be guilty of spamming.
Links to your ecommerce website integrated into your MySpace website isn’t considered spamming. Depending on how it is used it may not even be considered advertising, and therefore prohibited, by MySpace administrators. However, visiting other MySpace websites and placing a link to your ecommerce website on each website you visit would be considered spam. These individuals may or may not be interested in the website you provide but even if they are interested sending these links to numerous websites unsolicited is often considered to be spam.
Finding Old Friends through MySpace
The MySpace community is a wonderful forum which allows members to make new friends. While most users of MySpace are aware of the opportunity to make new friends through their interactions in the community, some of them may not realize MySpace can be used to find old friends with which you have lost contact. Although most people have the best of intentions of staying in contact with friends, this often does not happen. There are a number of reasons including careers, family obligations and social commitments which prevent old friends from staying in touch. Fortunately, MySpace offers a way for these old friends to reconnect. Although there are countless ways for old friends to find each other on MySpace we will describe three methods for finding old friends on MySpace which are popularly used by members of the community.
Let Them Come to You
The easiest way to reconnect with old friends on MySpace is to let them find you. Joining MySpace and creating a website profile may be all it takes for some members to find old friends within the community. If you are looking for an old friend, chances are they often wonder about you as well. If this old friend is already a member of MySpace they may occasionally search for you by name, nickname or interests throughout the community. MySpace has a search feature which gives users a variety of options which can help them to find long lost friends.
While this may seem like a passive approach to finding old friends on MySpace it can be very effective. It is especially effective when the lost friend is already a member of the community and is actively seeking to reconnect with you as well.
Do Your Research
A more time consuming way to reconnect with an old friend on MySpace is to search for them. This process can be incredibly time consuming and possibly fruitless or it can be extremely easy and rewarding. When searching for an old friend, begin your search by entering their complete name into the search feature and using the search by name button. If your old friend is a member of MySpace and has used his full name you will find him easily. There may be multiple results especially if your friend has a common name but you will likely recognize your friend when you come across his MySpace website.
If entering your friend’s complete name does not return any useful results you can also try entering their nickname. Members who do not use their full name when registering on MySpace often use a nickname as their moniker. Even if they don’t a search of the nickname may lead you to your friend’s website if his other friends refer to him by this nickname in their comments left on his website.
Finally, you can try using keywords related to your friend’s favorite hobby in searching for an old friend. This method is likely to be the most time consuming and may return countless result of those who share the same hobby as your friend.
Make a Plea
If all else fails, in searching for an old friend on MySpace you might consider making a plea for anyone who knows him to contact you on your blog or elsewhere on your website. You may find this leads to you being contacted either by your old friend directly or by someone who knows him and can provide you with contact information. This may sound like a farfetched search option but it is actually quite plausible. Many people enjoy the anonymity the Internet offers and are careful to avoid revealing personal details about themselves online. This may make it quite difficult for you to find an old friend on MySpace but it does not mean he is not a member. If he is a member it is likely he will find a blog posting on another website inquiring about where he is. This is because humans, by nature, can be quite narcissistic and it is not unusual for members of MySpace to routinely enter their own name into the search feature on MySpace to see if anyone is talking about them in the community.
Sell Yourself on MySpace
MySpace is a wonderful online community which is free of charge for members. Members of this service are able to create personal websites which can be used to tell other members of the community about their interests. Additionally, members can include pictures, video and music on their websites. Members can also include a blog on their website which they can use to express their opinions, share their thoughts or vent about their personal affairs. All of these different components of MySpace enable members to let others learn more about them. The purpose of creating a website on MySpace may be to find career opportunities, just make friends or network with those who share their business interests. In all of these cases it is important for the individual to really sell themselves through their MySpace website so others will be interested in joining their group of friends or learning more about them.
Launch Your Career with MySpace
MySpace was created as an online community for people to make new friends and connect with existing friends but it has turned into so much more. Some have found they could launch their careers through MySpace. While those with aspirations in the entertainment industry are most likely to be the ones who market themselves through MySpace there are others who have more traditional careers in mind who include resume type information on MySpace in an attempt to find a new job or career.
In either case the MySpace website should be designed to catch the attention of those in the chosen industry. For example, an individual seeking a career in the profession of library science may have outrageous interests and hobbies but designing a website to reflect these hobbies may detract from those who might otherwise consider the education and past work experiences of the individual. Similarly someone who wants to break into the fashion industry should strive to create a MySpace website which is trendy and edgy as opposed to mundane.
Increase Your Circle of Friends with MySpace
Those who use MySpace just to make friends can also benefit from designing a website that really promotes themselves. This website design should not only promote the owner of the website but should also be tailored to suit the tastes of the type of friends the individual would like to make. For example a diehard Yankee fan might want to incorporate a Yankee themed background to the website and include a song such as I Love New York into the website. This will make the website, and the individual, more desirable to those who share their interests.
Similarly those who want to make friends on MySpace who share a passion for a particular band might consider including the bands music on the website and posting new information about the band in a daily blog. This will attract fans of the band to your MySpace website and can help you to make friends with those who share your interests.
Network with MySpace
The MySpace community provides members with a wealth of networking opportunities. Although these opportunities exist, it takes a savvy user to not only find others with whom they would like to network but also convince these users to join in the networking opportunity.
Individuals who sell Avon cosmetics can be considered as an example of the importance of networking online. These salespeople are prohibited by MySpace to selling their products through the MySpace website but they can certainly find other members interested in the sale or purchase of Avon products and network with these individuals. Entering the term, “Avon cosmetics” into the MySpace search feature may reveal a list of other websites which use this term. Members can review these websites and determine whether or not they believe networking with these individuals would be beneficial. If it seems as though it would be beneficial, the member can either place a comment on the website or send an email or instant message to the other member. This can help to get a conversation started and may lead to more meaningful interactions which may include sales techniques or other industry tips.
Where Can MySpace Take You?
MySpace is a powerful online community which can take members virtually anywhere they want to go. MySpace was designed to allow members the opportunity to meet friends, reconnect with old friends, network and even meet potential romantic partners. MySpace may have started as a small project but has ballooned into a huge community with members from around the world. These members represent a variety of different races, regions, sexual orientations and occupations and can lead to all of the members learning so much more about the world around them.
Friends from Around the World on MySpace
MySpace is an expansive community and there are members from all over the world. This gives members the ability to meet and connect with members from different countries. Although these friendships may remain online and never turn into face to face meetings they can give an individual a greater understanding of the world around them. Through MySpace friendships with members from other countries, individuals can learn about the struggles experienced in other countries as well as the benefits of living in other countries.
Learn about Different Cultures on MySpace
Many people were raised with limited knowledge of other cultures. They may have had parents who were different races or another relative who was a different race or religion but for the most part they might have only learned in depth about a handful of other religions and cultures while they were growing up. This does not necessarily foster hate but it can lead to problems which relate to ignorance.
Members of MySpace come in contact with those of other races, religions and cultures all the time. In fact MySpace members may spend a great deal of time getting to know another member before they even know the race, religion or ethnicity of the other individual. This ability to get to know each other first and then learn more about cultural backgrounds can lead to more tolerance of others.
Making Connections Offline
We have already discussed how MySpace can help members to make friends around the world and learn more about different cultures but MySpace doesn’t have to take you miles and miles away. The fact that there are MySpace members around the world may give you the opportunity to make friends in other countries but it also means you have the opportunity to make new friends in your geographic area. Even those people who live in the smallest towns may find there are other MySpace members who live in their town. Getting to know these members creates the opportunity for MySpace members to take their online friendships offline and meet in person.
Meeting online friends in person can be a wonderful experience which can give the members the opportunity to really get to know each other better. Some members of MySpace may have joined the community just to speak to others online and may have no desire to meet others offline but for some, the opportunity to meet others offline after fostering an online relationship may be very appealing.
However, those who plan to meet online friends in person should exercise a certain amount of caution. Initial meetings should take place in a busy, public location that is well lit as opposed to a secluded location. Additionally, those who are meeting an online friend for the first time might bring along another trusted friend for security.