MySpace for Grown Ups

When most people think of MySpace they often think of teens and online predators. However, MySpace is so much more than that. MySpace is not just a social networking site for teens, many adults have MySpace pages. MySpace is a powerful tool for promoting your business or website, it can be used for dating and it has reunited old classmates and friends all for free.

Reunited
Prior to the popularity of MySpace many people waited for reunions or paid for subscriptions to online reunion sites when they desired getting in touch with old friends and classmates. MySpace has given people the opportunity to search and instantly reconnect with old friends and acquaintances. MySpace even has schools, companies and other affiliated groups organized into sections where they have individual pages. When you sign up for MySpace you have the option to add your name and information to any of the schools, companies or groups that have a page. This provides an easy way for you to get in touch with people you are looking for, because each page has a searchable database of members. About a year and a half ago I created a MySpace page out of curiosity. I wanted to see what all the buzz was about and hoped that maybe I would make new friends or run into some old friends. Well, that expectation was met. A month after I joined MySpace the mother of my childhood best friend that I had lost touch with for about ten years contacted me. We had been friends from age seven to age nineteen and then just completely lost track of each other. I had always missed her terribly and I looked for her and was never be able to find her until I joined MySpace and her mom found me. Now, my friend and fellow Associated Content Producer Lisa S have been inseparable ever since. We talk everyday and I honestly can't imagine what I have done without her all these years. Additionally, I have got in touch with several other old friends and acquaintances that I now keep regular contact with.

Promotion
Another great aspect of MySpace is the ability to self promote. If you are a writer or you run a business, you can create banners and links to your work or web page. Often, on MySpace you will see independent sales representatives for companies like Tupperware, Avon and Shurepets advertising and highlighting their available products. MySpace allows you to send out bulletins to everyone on your MySpace friends list which is another great marketing tool. MySpace also has an events section where you can send out invites to all your MySpace friends for upcoming events both personal or business related. As a writer, my favorite tool for self promotion on MySpace is the widget I have placed at the top of my profile. My widget provides a direct feed to my most recent contact and will reroute anyone who clicks on a title in my widget to my Associated Content page. Using this has definitely helped to increase my page views, even with the small amount of traffic I get daily to my MySpace page.

Dating
Online dating is truly the wave of the future. People get online looking for love everyday and often pay costly membership fees to various different online dating sites. When you sign up for MySpace it gives you the opportunity to select your reason for joining, the choices being dating, serious relationship, friends and networking. You can change your selection at anytime, simply by clicking on your edit profile tab, giving you the ability to adjust your profile to your current situation. MySpace like many dating sites offers the availability to search for other members using a detailed or basic search form. Clicking on the browse tab of MySpace will take you to a link where you can narrow your search down by gender, age range, ethnicity, body type, location and lifestyle. You can also sort your search results by who has updated their MySpace page most recently, who has logged in most recently, who is new to MySpace or where they live in relation to you. Once you have narrowed your results and you are ready to look through them, you have more than one choice of contacting another MySpace member. You can simply request to be added to their friends list or you can send them a detailed message similar to an e-mail. Either method you choose the member will receive an actual e-mail in their regular e-mail box notifying them of either the message they have waiting or the friend request. MySpace is an excellent resource for people who are getting into the online dating scene, but are not yet ready to commit to the expensive fees associated with online dating sites.

MySpace has had a great impact on my life for obvious reasons. It has reconnected me with a treasured friend and helped me highlight my other endeavors. Although MySpace is portrayed in the media as a place where only teenagers go to be social online, that simply isn't true. At thirty years of age I use my MySpace page daily and love it.