MySpace Debate (Part Two)
So we got pretty much a lot of the same answers on the first post, but there were a few good points, pointed out by some folks. Now, first I would like to point out that I am not suggesting that we throw out Myspace all together. From a marketing end that would be stupid. I realize that it’s something that has to exist, but I still hold to what I say in that an artists Myspace page needs to point to something that doesn’t suck. We all (mostly) agree that Myspace sucks, but I think all of us see the usefulness of it.
If we all agree that it sucks, but has to be there, why not have that point to something that doesn’t suck. Shaun made some great points in the comment section about spreading yourself out there enough that no matter what avenue people are on there is a way to find you. That’s an obvious good call. Tim also made some good points about the reach of Myspace over anything else out there. But again, why spend the time, where there could be a giant button that directs the reader to something more personal and that, again, doesn’t suck?
Dale over at IdeaDen is neck deep in artists online presence and rebutted with this post, which also states that while Myspace sucks, it also may “rule”. Dale writes:
It allows people to modify….er eh…destroy their profiles and make their site look more like a drunken programmers product after a Mountain Dew shortage. Despite all of its shortcomings, one thing remains true…if you want to find out about music and connect to the bazzzillllions of people looking for it…then Myspace is king.
Well written and true. As sad as that is. I think my big question is, What Next? What happens when Facebook is the “kind of sucks, kind of rules” thing and we are on to bigger and better? How many artists are leaving behind too many un-updated sites that are causing more confusion for their career than it is helping it? Do they need to hire someone full-time simply to make sure all of these social networking things are consistent? Or do all of these places simply point to one consistent place, and that being the “.com”?
Just thoughts. Thanks for all the input. What do you guys think?
I think what happens is adaptation and adoption.
You adopt whatever new marketing/networking/relational avenues are born tomorrow. And you adapt them to your cause: generating e-mail address, visits to your home page, concert promotion, donations to a non-profit, t-shirt sales, conversation, whatever you’re after. And you never stop. Ever. it’s constant.
And smart people out there are realizing the pain this adoption and adaptation process is getting to be with the proliferation of social networking sites not slowing up. There are now sites (Can’t find them now that I’m typing – DOH!) that allow you to update ONE profile on ONE site and that site changes the content on ALL your social networking sites – essentially, cloning them. Helpful for some of us. I’m working on that at the moment. Signed up for one. But, like I said, I can’t even find the dang blasted thing at the moment. Apparently, there ARE too many sites for me to keep track of now.
http://www.mylifebrand.com/
This is what I joined, actually. It doesn’t update all your social networking sites for you but it allows you to go to one place to update as many as eight of them.
I read somewhere (it’s around here somewhere) that there are sites doing what I previously described. Haven’t had time to research that more. Anybody got a scoop on that?
MySpace is gross. I don’t like it, just like you all.
However, it’s worth noting that most of us here are Christians who are Web-savvy. The vast majority of MySpace lovers don’t have the moral objections or the desire for practical functionality that we do.
For every 20 of us who loathe MySpace, there are 20,000 people who love and seldom stray far from it. I guess that’s reason enough to keep up a MySpace page.
Here’s the article I think I’m recalling.
http://alex.tsd.net.au/cpill/2008/01/03/managing-scattered-online-social-life-on-multiple-social-networking-sites/
This kind of central site might not exist yet after all. Anyone care to make some cash? Invent that sucker.
Oh my word…I’ve been wishing some people with a better grasp on these issues and a better vocabulary than I have would address this idea. I TOTALLY agree with the comments so far. High fives and “Amens” all around. One day the internet and the world will unite into a meaningful congregation that is more coherent…but that day will be marked by everyone having to logon to the internet and buy groceries using the 666. Beware.
I’m with Shaun here, about the one ring to… I mean site service to update all your other sites. I read about this recently and I thought in a blog post, but searching NetNewsWire yielded nothing, so I’m drawing a blank like Shaun.
I do think myspace sucks, but it’s getting better and something else will probably come in and take it’s place.
What I hate most about myspace is what you mentioned in your previous post, the crazy ugly layouts, 3 different videos and songs blasting at one time, it… takes… for… ever… to… load… pages.
That being said, there are people out there who are learning how to work with it, and are putting together some good looking sites, which are very impressive for myspace (CSS ninjas I like to call them). They aren’t too slow in loading either.
Here a few examples that I hope you don’t mind me share:
myspace.com/onesmallstepforlandmines
myspace.com/lookmexico
myspace.com/158089
Anyway, I don’t really think myspace is on the out and out, it’s just reached critical mass… we’re just waiting for the next big thing now. You’ll always want to go where the people are.
Purevolume is keeping up with it. Their new site is really nice to work with. Myspace should definitely look into redoing some things, or they will be dead in no time.