MySpace is extremely popular and receives a lot of traffic, but is not for the serious blogger.
The advantages to MySpace include the ability to upload and share video, audio and image files as well as a blog. But blogging is not the main business of MySpace, MySpace’s central focus is social networking.
One of the problems we have with MySpace in terms of blogging, is not many people would want to send their business associates or family to a site that displays the kind of material MySpace users post. MySpace does give you a link to your blog, so you could send your direct link to someone, but if they had to search for your blog it is nearly impossible to find. For example, in order to find work–friendly blogs, we tried to find blogs on cars and dogs; we were given a list of blogs that had more to do with sex than cars or dogs.
If your primary interest is social networking and non–professional blogging, then MySpace will work for you, otherwise try WordPress.
After a quick registration, establish your profile page with background information such as where you’re from, what you look like and where you attend(ed) school. Additional information describes your personality, your likes, dislikes and interests.
You can customize your profile page to reflect your personality with customized skins created by you or others. You can choose to use MySpace’s profile editor that helps you change colors and font or you can input your own HTML or CSS code.
One of the newest additions to MySpace are apps. Apps can include games and surveys, pictures, causes, various online utilities and so much more.
Profiles also include the usuals like photo albums, the ability to send and receive comments upload dozens of photos and add music and videos to your page.
Believe it or not, MySpace values your privacy and it gives you complete control over your profile’s privacy settings. You can make your profile viewable to everyone on MySpace or use your privacy settings, located in the “My Account” tab, to limit who can access your page such as your circle of friends or block individual members. You can also report spamming messages and account abuse.
Users must be at least 14 years old to join MySpace. MySpace will delete profiles of members that have lied about their age to obtain a membership. Additionally they will delete your profile if you are between the ages of 14-17 but represent yourself as 18 or older.
MySpace provides contact information to report suspected underage members and objectionable content. They also have a useful section on online safety tips for MySpace users and tips for parents, which include instructions for parents who want to limit or delete their child's profile.
Every time you login, you can see who is online and strike up a conversation or browse through members’ profiles. When you click on a member’s photo or name, you can view their profile, post comments and invite them into your circle of friends. When you add someone new to your circle you can also see their network of friends. After only a few invites, your friends list can increase to dozens of people. Additionally, you can browse, join and post comments on hundreds of blogs and forums.
The many extras on MySpace include games, videos, music, books and events. Dozens of games are offered on MySpace; choose from six categories: Action, Arcade, Card & Board, Puzzles, Sports and Word & Trivia. Numbers next to the game title indicate how many MySpace members are currently playing. Click on “See Who’s Online” and challenge someone to a game.
There is plenty to watch on MySpace videos, music videos, member-generated videos and network and cable television programs, courtesy of YouTube and Hulu. MySpace has joined forces with video site Hulu and offers full episodes of many popular television programs and movie clips. However, like network television, there are commercials.
In keeping with the times, MySpace has introduced MySpace mobile. You can receive free text alerts when someone posts comments or sends you a message and download mobile apps.
The exceptional music section consists of a huge database and is often used by new artists to promote their music. You can search for music by artist, album or genre and access the artist’s profile page. Read the artists' biographies, listen to their songs and watch their videos as well as download them to your profile page. You can also post comments and in some cases become “friends” with the band.
MySpace has a large selection of groups for MySpace members who want to connect with people who share their interests. Join as many groups as you want. Choose from over 20 categories like games, sports & recreation, jobs/career, religion & beliefs, schools & education and more. Next to each group category is a number indicating how many groups exist in that category. With 10,000 or more groups for each category, there is no shortage of choices.
MySpace makes it easy to find friends. If you are looking for a specific person you can search by name, display name or email address. You can also narrow your search by school and interest. If you go to the browse section and select advanced search you can make your searches more specific by narrowing down specifics like age range, relationship status, body type, lifestyle, sexual orientation or education.
MySpace has a pretty extensive FAQ section that really covers all kinds of situations from underage usage to account hijacking. They also address questions parents might have about their teen’s profile in the myspacesafety section of the site.
If all else fails, you can contact MySpace directly through a submission form.
MySpace does not encourage random people connecting. They want you to know who you are talking to or have common friends or interests. Although you are not prohibited from striking up friendships with strangers, nor are strangers prohibited from contacting you; members are not completely inundated with random friend requests.
However, a few spam messages do slip through.
MySpace lives up to its reputation as the social networking site that started it all with a comprehensive feature set, massive global community, and thriving music scene. There is a wide variety of networking features enabling you to connect with other members, and the ability to customize your profile page makes it an excellent resource to express yourself. MySpace’s extra features allow members to listen to their favorite music, watch their favorite TV shows and watch user–generated videos. It’s tough to get bored while surfing MySpace.
If you prefer a social network with a more “friends only” approach and straightforward interface, we suggest checking out the #1 site, Facebook.
