Before I get on with how to get started on MySpace, here a short brief on what is Myspace about. MySpace is simply an online community. An online community which offers register members the tools they need to create a website for other members of the community to view. MySpace will hosts your websites and provides many features and one of them is the search features which enables you, visitors to find information about particular members or members who have certain hobbies.

Getting started on MySpace

Opening a MySpace Account

The process of opening a MySpace account is fairly simple and takes place almost instantly. Members who wish to join the online community only have to provide some basic information and agree to the terms of service to be granted membership. The basic information which is required to request membership is a full name, a valid email address and a password containing alpha and numeric characters.

After supplying this information and checking a box which states you agree to the terms of service your application process is complete. You are then sent an email with a welcome letter and a link which will activate your account. You only need to click on this link and enter your email address and password to activate your account.

Understanding the Terms of Service

Reading and agreeing to the terms of service is required for membership to the MySpace community but members should review these terms regularly and should be sure they understand all of the terms. This is important because violation of these terms could result in the member’s account being deleted or legal action being taken against the individual. Some of the highlights of the terms of service are:

* Members must be at least 14 years of age and must report their age accurately.

* Members are responsible for keeping their password secret and reporting suspected cases of others using their password.

* Commercial use of MySpace is prohibited unless prior authorization from MySpace is received.

* Users must not publish any copyrighted materials on their website without permission.

* Members may not post content which is prohibited by the terms of service.

Designing a MySpace Website

The process of designing a MySpace website is one of the most exciting parts of membership for many. It is also one of the most complicated part of the membership. However, it is not incredibly difficult and even those with limited HTML or other design skills can create a great website.

MySpace members have a great deal of control over the appearance and content of their website. They are only limited by their own design skills. The homepage for your MySpace account features the following links:

* Edit Profile

* Account Settings

* Add/Edit Photos

* Add/Change Videos

* Manage Calendar

* Manage Blog

* Manage Address Book

The “Edit Profile” section is the one which allows members to add the bulk of the content to their profile. This section is broken down into subcategories such as interests & personality, name, basic info, background & lifestyle, schools, companies, networking and profile songs. Some of these subcategories, such as the interests & personality section, contain titles with text boxes where members can add text and HTML code to modify the appearance of their website.

During the design process, members can preview either individual sections or the entire profile. Other sections, such as the background and lifestyle section, have a series of questions where members can supply answers with pull down menus or radial buttons.

These features make it easy for members to supply basic information about themselves in a quick and easy fashion. They only have to give an answer to the questions and MySpace integrates the answers into the design of the website.

Technorati Tags: MySpace, online community

MySpace is an online community which can be a fun way for members to meet new friends, reconnect with old friends or make romantic connections. MySpace members who are interested in pursuing these types of activities online are free to create a website which reflects their personality. This will help others to understand who they are and to learn more about their preferences.

Although MySpace offers all of these fun entertainment type activities, there are some members of MySpace who utilize the community for business purposes. They may use MySpace to network, make business connections or to promote their business. In these cases care should be taken to create a MySpace website that is attractive and interesting while maintaining a professional appearance.

Avoid Slang and Abbreviations

One way to maintain a professional appearance on a MySpace website is to avoid the use of slang or abbreviations. Many MySpace websites feature slang, abbreviations and terms which are not grammatically correct. While this type of Internet language may be entertaining and may be considered acceptable among members of the community, this type of writing is not likely to appeal to potential customers or business partners.

Additionally, not everyone understand the cryptic language often used on message boards, text messages and emails and those who do not understand may have trouble reading the information presented on the website.

Keep the Design Tasteful

As previously mentioned, those who are using MySpace strictly for entertainment purposes can design a website according to their personal preferences. This may include unusual fonts, garish colors, offensive images and blaring background music. While this type of design may provide a great deal of insight into an individual’s personality it is not a good idea for a business related website. Therefore those who are using their website for promotion of a business should create a more tasteful design.

There are a few generic tips which can make a website appear more professional. The use of muted colors that complement each other can make a website aesthetically appealing. Users are more likely to spend time on websites with these types of color combinations because it is soothing. Additionally, the use of a common font type and size which makes reading the text simple is recommended. The use of background music should also be avoided in professional websites as many users either do not have speakers or may view the website in a location where they do not want to hear music.

Avoid Embarrassing Photos

Finally, special consideration should be given to the use of photos on a website which is striving to maintain a professional appearance. While those who are using MySpace for entertainment purposes only may opt to plaster their website with embarrassing pictures of them and their friends, those who have business intentions should use photos more judiciously.

The photos used on a business website should invoke a professional sentiment. This may include posed photos of the website owner in a dignified location, landscape photographs or pictures of products sold by the company. Alternately those who are using MySpace to promote products or services might come to the conclusion not to use images as at all. Whether or not pictures are used on a website is a matter of personal preference but when they are used, care should be taken to ensure they contribute to the overall design of the website rather than distract from it.

Technorati Tags: adsense, Affiliate Program, business opportunity leads, home based business, home business, internet home business, internet marketing, MySpace, online business opportunities, small business, work at home

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 In MySpace 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.

Technorati Tags: MySpace

MySpace is an online community where members can meet to share photos, journals and interests with an extensive network of friends. The MySpace mission statement describes the MySpace network as being for everyone including:

* Friends who want to talk Online

* Single people who want to meet other Singles

* Matchmakers who want to connect their friends with other friends

* Families who want to keep in touch–map your Family Tree

* Business people and co-workers interested in networking

* Classmates and study partners

* Anyone looking for long lost friends!

From this description it is clear that MySpace is an excellent place for online networking. This article will take a look at how to find the people you want to network with on MySpace and will examine whether or not the networking should remain online.

Who Do You Want to Meet?

When using MySpace to network it is important to consider who you want to meet in your networking endeavor. There is a misconception that MySpace is just for kids but many are finding there are all types of people using MySpace.

Before making a decision about whether or not you want to network on MySpace it is wise to spend some time searching around MySpace to find out whether or not there is a large amount of individuals who share your interests. Spending some time doing research before beginning your own MySpace website is helpful because otherwise you might invest time and energy into designing your website only to find there are not many members with which you want to network.

Where Can You Find Those You Want to Meet?

Now that you have identified who you are looking to meet online through MySpace it is time to start finding these individuals. The search feature can be very helpful for this purpose. Compile a list of keywords which are likely to be used on the MySpace websites of members you would like to meet. Searching for these keywords can help you to locate those who share your interests.

Visiting the MySpace websites of your friends’ friends can also help you to meet more interesting individuals on MySpace. Those who you already consider to be friends likely share some of your interests. Likewise many of their existing friends may share these interests as well. Investigating websites of those who are friends of your friends can put you in contact with many more people who might be potential friends for you.

Do You Want to Take Your Networking Offline?

After networking online the natural progression is to determine whether or not you want to expand on your network to include face to face meetings as a part of this networking. Care should be taken when making this decision to ensure you are not putting yourself, or others, at unnecessary risk by arranging these networking meetings.

The most important aspect in arranging offline networking meetings with those who you meet online is choosing a safe location for these meetings. A well lit, busy, public location is ideal for these types of meetings. These types of locations not only minimize the chance that any participants in the meeting will attempt to harm others but also helps to make those who are planning to attend feel safer.

You might think a house belonging to your friend is an excellent location because you are familiar with the location and will have friends with you but it is important to note those you are meeting may be just as suspicious of you as you are of them. They are more likely to be interested in attending your meeting if it takes place in a public location because they will feel more comfortable.

Another aspect to consider when deciding whether or not to take virtual networking opportunities offline is whether or not you think the friendships will be the same offline as they are online. Many Internet users feel much more willing to express their opinions online than they do in face to face meetings. Friends who have wonderful relationships through MySpace may find their relationship falters when they actually meet in person.

Technorati Tags: MySpace, online community

MySpace is an online community where users have the opportunity to create websites where others can view personal information about them and contact them. However, savvy Internet marketers have found MySpace can also be used to advertise products or service or for the purpose of self promotion. Care should be taken to review the terms of use on MySpace to ensure none of your actions are in violation of these terms but otherwise users can advertise either directly or indirectly on their MySpace website.

Why Advertising on MySpace is Effective

Advertising on MySpace can be effective as long as it is done correctly and not in a way that is viewed as spam. The effectiveness of MySpace stems from amount of users who are currently using MySpace. This includes both members who place comments as well as nonmembers who only look at other websites. With so many daily visitors it is likely there will be visitors who are interested in the products or services you are offering on your MySpace website.

Another reason why MySpace is such an effective advertising tool is there are no fees associated with using your MySpace profile to create links to your ecommerce website or to provide more information about the products and services you offer. The best way to effectively advertise on MySpace is to follow the same guidelines that would normally be followed by advertisers in online locations. This includes knowing who your target audience is and how to effectively appeal to them. This is important because a marketing campaign which does not follow these simple rules will not likely be effective.

In addition to advertising within a MySpace website there are also opportunities to advertise in the form of banner advertisements on MySpace. MySpace is able to not charge a fee to members because they generate their income through paid advertisements. Contact MySpace administrators directly to learn more about these advertising opportunities.

Selling Products on MySpace

MySpace can be also be used to advertise products or services. This can be done either subtly or blatantly. Those who are active participants on MySpace and invest time in meeting others and making friends are more likely to benefit from selling products or services through a MySpace account. This is because most people who use MySpace are not exactly looking for information about products or services so they are unlikely to seek out this information.

However, if they have online friends who are using their MySpace account to promote a product or service they may see the advertisements and find the products or services interesting. In this case they may visit a link to an ecommerce website and consider making a purchase. However, care should be taken when advertizing on MySpace. Links to your ecommerce website on your own profile are acceptable but placing comments with the same link on other members’ websites will likely be considered spam by both the other members and the MySpace administrators.

Technorati Tags: MySpace, social network