Is MySpace a Replacement for the Traditional Business Website?

While recently helping someone locate business information for the new Heavy Hitters Magazine, I discovered that the only business site available for which to contact them is a MySpace page. While this is the first time I've discovered that a company uses MySpace as its sole web presence, this isn't the first time that I've noticed that companies, small and large, have pages on social networking sites. Is it possible for MySpace and similar sites to one day eventually replace traditional business websites altogether?

I can recall a time in the not too distant past where it was taboo to use a free email address, such as Yahoo or Gmail, in business. The thinking being that a person or their business isn't legitimate if it doesn't have an email address representing their own business site or, at the very least, a reputable service provider. While the stereotype of using free email addresses in business appears to have lessened in some professions, I can't help to wonder the impression that a page on a social networking site leaves. Yet, in today's cyber-culture it appears that more and more businesses are using MySpace just as they used to use websites back in the day.

Even though in late 2006 PCWorld rated MySpace as #1 on their list of the 25 worst websites, it appears as though that hasn't stopped companies such as Aquafina water who is actually quite active in the MySpace community with over 10,000 friends (fellow users who have requested to be listed on the site as friends of Aquafina). Aquafina also has a forum on their MySpace site that centers around the discussion of select independent films. Seems barely a day goes by when I don't hear a talk show host or radio personality advertising their MySpace site and when I surf MySpace, I find a lot of small businesses using the popular site to advertise their business wares including everything from t-shirts to taco stands.

What benefit does having a MySpace site have over a traditional business website? Well, there's always the enormous size of the site's community who may be tuning in to check a company's site out. There's also the fact that pages are offered at no cost and are relatively simple to set up. This is especially good for new businesses working with a shoestring budget. Not to mention the cool factor it can raise with some who may consider a company in a more personal, up close, "in-crowd" sort of way once it's announced that a business has actually ventured into this cyber-territory and established their own parcel of MySpace real estate.

The drawbacks of using MySpace over a traditional business website? Well, there's the credibility factor discussed earlier regarding free email accounts. A page on MySpace may not rate high on some people's scale of business reliability since it's free and usually associated with pop culture more so than a professional business. Also, if using any sort of sound or video on the site, consider that these additions have been known to cause pages to load rather slowly during peak hours on MySpace, which can be quite frustrating to customers.

While I can see the benefits and the drawbacks of using MySpace as a website for business, I'm not sure yet as to how I feel about companies who actually do so. What do you think? Are social networking sites like MySpace a good substitute for the traditional business website?