The "Space" or the "Face"...Which Site is Better?
Comparing Myspace and Facebook
My oldest son continually urged me to start a Myspace page. I ignored him, and then got requests from various other family members to start a profile page.
In 2007 I constructed a Myspace page. I have to admit, once I learned the ropes to it, I had a good time picking out the colorful backgrounds and making photo slideshows and putting music on it. It was entertaining whenever a "friend" had a birthday to hunt down a fun comment to post on their comment section, and the same went for major holidays. Searching for a good graphic that said "Happy 4th of July" or "Merry Christmas" was a lot of fun.
About a year ago my sister in law sent me a request to join Facebook. This was another networking site I had resisted the urge to join. Again, I felt I didn't have time to keep up a profile page there, and didn't need anything besides my Myspace profile.
I did end up giving in after many of my friends on Myspace were abandoning their profiles for Facebook. I went and created a profile on Facebook and thought "is this all there is?"
It seemed horribly boring to me. No colorful profile pages, no music play lists, nothing!!
"It gets better" , my friends told me. I didn't believe them.
Well, they were right. It DID get better.
Once I got the hang of it, I found Facebook to be way more user friendly. I enjoy the status updates of my "friends" and commenting on them is the highlight of my Facebook experience.
I have found that Myspace seems to attract a younger crowd, and I wasn't able to locate any of my childhood friends and friends from high school. On Facebook, I reconnected with many of them and they are near and dear to my heart, and have become a part of my life again.
Throughout my day, I enjoy checking the "live news feed" to see what everyone is doing. On Myspace I would check maybe once or twice a week to see what type of bulletins people were posting, but often they were things I was not interested in, or able to make a comment on.
I also enjoy the ease of adding photos. While I cannot do a slideshow, I can quickly upload many photos at a time to an album of my creation. They are easy for my friends to access if they want to view them, and they also post these to the live news feed to inform people I have added the photographs.
I do still have my active Myspace profile, but I rarely do anything with it. I will keep it, however, at least for the time being. I savor looking at the slideshows I created, and the music that accompanies them.
Overall, I do perceive Facebook as the better social networking site. Users are able to connect much easier with the people they care about. The chat feature is great, and the private inbox that is available is also handy when you want to send a message just to that person. I have taken advantage of all these aspects.
The main reason I prefer Facebook, is the closeness it has helped me create with the people in my life. My childhood friends and I have had several reunions already, and more are to come. I know this would not have been possible without the day to day communications I have with these people. It has brought us together, and that is what social networking sites are all about!
Published by Rita Ilfeld
I live in Orange County, California, have been married 19 years and am the mother of five children. View profile
- Social Networking Sites are an Incubator of Danger for Your ChildrenSocial networking sites such as MySpace have become a haven for sexual predators prowling around for your children. Maybe it is time to put some security blocks on your computer to keep your children out of these plac...
- The Implications of Social Networking SitesA look at how social networking sites like Myspace have changed our culture.
- Dangers of Social Networking SitesSocial Networking sites are great for meeting people, for dating or just friends it brings a sense of community to the internet.
- How to Find Old Friends Through Social Networking Sites When You're in Your 50'sMany social networking sites use the invitation to find friends or find old friends through the use of their site. I have been able to make friends online that by definition I would trust but never have I found a long...
- Benefits of Social Networking Sites for SeniorsWith all of the free classes available to seniors to learn how to use computers and the Internet, many of our older citizens are getting savvy with the Web, including social networking sites.
- The Pitfalls of Blogging and Social Networking Sites
- How to Add an Internet Radio Music Station to Your Myspace Profile Account Page
- How to Protect Your Personal Information, Privacy on Your MySpace Profile
- Profiles on Social Networking Sites Prove Hazardous for Job Seekers
- Social Networking Sites
- How to Promote Your Business Using Social Networking Sites
- ProfileLinker Launches and Lets Users Sync Profiles Across Social Networking Sites
3 Comments
Post a Commentdefinately a meat market and a gathering place for weirdos and thugs......
I like Facebook better as well. I feel it is more private and the user has greater control over the privacy settings. With the recent changes to the my space format, keeping things private is REALLY confusing and complicated. Plus, like you said, My Space attracts a much younger crowd and seems like more of a "meat market."
very well written and good observations and opinion. I am still 50/50 on myspace and facebook..... they both offer so much the same yet so much different.