Dear Will,

And thank you for writing about how you have been able to use MySpace as a marketing tool. I just started using it after being invited to join by a friend. It's easy to see why twentysomethings prefer something like MySpace to email; there is such a terrible level of spam with email, it's great to be able to use a tool like MySpace (or Café PMs, for that matter) as a filter.

The only downside so far for me is that I am having trouble figuring out how to customize my page. It's kind of clunky, aimed I suppose at keeping you from suppressing the ads.

Yours,

Paul

Dr Wilson, I didn't customise my page on the main part that it takes forever to load when you are viewing with a 56K modem. Not many people use them, but they still do here and there.

That and when you see some peoples customised sites that are so bright that they burn out your corneas, or so dark, that you have to highlite everything just to see. Then again there is also music, video and sound that automaticly uploads and plays. Normally I like some stuff, but I could go without hearing a lot of things that pop up.

Stilt Boy
WHAT, did you say 56k? Come on Stilt Boy even Usama Bin Laden has broad band internet access at his cave in the mountains of Pakistan, and I have it from a reliable source that he also has a "my space" account too, he's no dummy.
HAVE FUN
Al Angello

I am on 56K dial up at home. DSL is not available where I live and cable would cost to much to have run to my home (we do not have cable TV *gasp*). So I usually work online from my wireless laptop at starbucks or some other cyber Café'. But I hate sites that have a lot of flash and audio/video uploads, cause I can't view them from home!

Big Daddy Cool
Do you know the Dukes of Hazard?
Al Angello

To make sure we stay on topic here, I'm going to address videos & audio in myspace pages alone.

I agree that video and audio in myspace pages make them load SLOWLY. If I open a myspace page with vid. or aud. I either close the page right away or disable the offending media.

That said, you don't need these things to "dress up" your myspace page. Myspace uses basic html in most of its areas. Big Daddy, view my myspace and let me know if it's slow to load on your dial-up.

Here's a tip to those of you who wish to easily dress up your myspace. Google "myspace editor" and use one of those simple programs to "pimp" your myspace. Then go back into "edit profile" on your myspace and take a look at what the myspace editor did. Now you can change things, take out things you don't like (like every myspace editor's obligatory "this page created by" tag) and add other html bits that you'd like.

One more point here --->> link to your website!! If you're selling magic tricks, books or ugly shrunken voodoo fish people like my friend Doug, place banners for them on your myspace! This is free webspace folks! Its like having a free geocities site, except a) the ads are totally accepted -- they're ignored by the visiting community (Paul -- you need not worry about the ads on myspace -- the general population doesn't even see them because EVERY PAGE has got them!) and b) people actually GO THERE.

Will, don't get me started on Xanga. Xanga isn't valuable to our markets like myspace. Xanga could be an entirely different post.

I'm interested to discuss web profiler marketing with you all -- message me to discuss more.

mk

Wow- what an eventful thread..... Seems like some are for it...others are against it! All I have to say is Myspace is like an endless highschool reunion..I have met so many people, fans, and old friends from school through it!

I heard that Michael Jackson's CD sales went up during his legal troubles... Let Myspace be in the news as much as possible... all it will do is build people's curiosity and when they come to investigate, maybe they'll stumble across your page and book you for a show....It's really a cool site!!!

Look me up!
http://www.myspace.com/bryangilles

Bryan

I'm catching onto this thing, slowly. I have found some very creative people out there, and the level of visual sophistication among the best folks is high. This is an excellent tool.

Yours,

Paul

Michael,

Thanks for the tip on finding MySpace editors. Basically, you stick a CSS header in the "About Me" section of your profile, besides basic HTML elsewhere.

Yours,

Paul

http://myspace.com/docwilson

Just to keep it going...mine is http://www.myspace.com/jont0n .

As always a little late to the party but....

http://www.myspace.com/scott_xavier

A lot of the collegess I perform at actually use myspace.com a lot for promos.

Scott,

Indeed they do!

I am also late chiming in.

I never did mention or use myspace for magic performances, but my rock band has used myspace with great success, almost 25,000 hits in one year, its a tremendous marketing tool, especially for the price...FREE

http://www.myspace.com/haywire

Steven

Well maybe it is time to get a page up and running. Thanks for the suggestions!

Great networking tool. I've had a website since the internet came into existence and even ran a BBS (remember those?) back before the WWW. My space seems to be the next step in self promotion. My page is linked to my website and I'm able to track "friends" that visit my website links.

myspace.com/christophercomedy

I just joined myspace a month ago or so. I'm kinda geeky, so I was quick to jump on the bandwagon as soon as my niece told me about it. I hope more and more over 30's get involved so that I don't seem to look like a pervert for having a myspace account. Right now I've got too many 17 year old girl friends for it not to look suspicious.

http://myspace.com/starryescape

Come visit and be my friend. I'm always looking for networking opportunities. I only ask that if you put an image in the comments that it is no larger than 350 pix wide.

Ace

Hey I did myspace also http://www.myspace.com/robertbloor

Need to lean it more towards business though. Right now just for fun.

Robert

I don't' use it for business, but strictly for keeping in touch with my college friends.

http://www.myspace.com/nashvillemagic

check out my video sections btw.

Nash,

that's where I am with it. I hear all the same reports you guys do on TV about how myspace is "full of predators" etc. Well, I say the entire internet has those same problems.

For me - the only people I have on my list are people I know personally from HS or college.

But - all those media reports make me a bit nervous in setting up a myspace for Street Magic LIVE! as I'm concerned of the negative publicity that could come with it. (Plus, how do I handle the 14-year-old that enjoyed the show at the state fair or whatever, and now wants on the friends list?) I don't mind wiht 18+, it's just the minors. I don't want anyone seeing that being handled the wrong way.

Anybody have thoughts on that?

Robert

I have a few under 18. Most of them are my friends kids. I always check out the peoples sites that want to be my friends. Just as I would with anyone that wanted to be a friend in real life. Make sure they are my kind of people.

I have made an amazing amount of contacts with old friends from HS and otherwise. There is a place you can go to that will track you friends that visit your space.

http://www.whosonmypage.com/main/signup

I haven't done this yet as I am on a ship and internet time is precious but as soon as I get home.