Myspace for dummies(r), 2nd edition

321 Pages·2008·7.089 MB·English

by  Ryan Hupfer

MySpace
™
FOR
DUMmIES
‰
2
ND EDITION
by Ryan Hupfer, Mitch Maxson,
and Ryan Williams
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MySpace™ For Dummies®, 2nd Edition
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
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dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United
States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. MySpace is a trademark of
MySpace, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is
not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2008930524
ISBN: 978-0-470-27555-9
Manufactured in the United States of America
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About the Authors
Ryan Hupfer, a self-proclaimed “computer nerd,” has been consuming, pro-
ducing, and learning all things Web since his first introduction to dial-up.
With a rare mix of being both a social butterfly and a tech geek, he has
always strived to find ways to utilize technology in a way that connects peo-
ple and calls them to action. He is a strong believer in the ability to fulfill and
extend the human need to connect with others online and is always looking at
ways to leverage emerging technologies to benefit people’s lives. By the time he
hit his college years, Ryan was deep into the world of computer programming; all
while being a bartender at one of Indianapolis’ most popular dance clubs. In
early 2004, Ryan’s odd mix of being both a technology expert and socialite
came together when he created his first online social community, www.
HupsHoopty.com, which was based on his recent purchase of a brown 1992
GMC full-size custom van. This online community became an unlikely stepping
stone and a door for opportunity in Ryan’s life and eventually led him to land-
ing a job at Indianapolis-based new media/communications company,
MediaSauce (www.mediasauce.com). He then moved back into the social com-
munity world once again when he launched the locally-based www.IndyMojo.
com in Indianapolis. He currently is sitting at Starbucks wondering where he
will end up next.
In December of 2005 Ryan and Mitch Maxson, both MediaSauce employees,
along with Ryan’s roommate, a film crew and two bus drivers traveled across
the United States in a 50-foot tour bus for two weeks in search of their Top 8
MySpace friends — whom they’d never met. The tour, called “Hup ‘n Dub’s
Top 8 Tour” was created in an effort to better understand why millions of
people were so attracted to the new online social phenomenon. Since the
tour, Ryan has been constantly keeping up with all things Web 2.0 and he is
extremely inspired and intrigued by the ways that the online world is now
flipping the media world upside down. Speaking of media, Ryan was also
“discovered” by a local NBC Indianapolis news station, WTHR (www.wthr.
com), when they watched a video podcast that MediaSauce created around
the 2006 Final Four, called IndyPods (indypods.mediasauce.com). With his
hands in both the traditional and new media world, there’s no telling where
Ryan will end up next. You can keep up with him on his MySpace page at
www.MySpace.com/hupdaddy or on his blog at www.hupandsteph.com.
Mitch Maxson co-created his first interactive development firm (Transgres)
just two years after graduating from Purdue University. After two years of
sustained growth, Transgres joined MediaSauce to pursue a shared vision of
broadband-based integrated communications. Today, as a partner and Senior
Creative Director, Mitch has helped grow MediaSauce from 8 employees to
more than 50 in just two years. As a constant proponent of “what comes
next” and the emergence of audience-centric messaging and broadband
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connectivity, Mitch’s focus is on understanding individuals and inspiring new
ways for them to interact with the people they care about and the world that
surrounds them. With MediaSauce, Mitch can be found preaching the vision
of the ongoing integration of communication, entertainment, and media while
helping clients better understand their audiences and how to connect with them.
Ryan Williams is a multimedia designer, author, and bassist based in Indianapolis,
Indiana. In addition to this book, he has written for titles including Teach Yourself
VISUALLY Bass Guitar, Expert Podcast Practices For Dummies, and Windows XP
Digital Music For Dummies (all by Wiley Publishing, Inc.). He also acted as techni-
cal editor for Second Life For Dummies and Composing Digital Music For Dummies
(both by Wiley Publishing, Inc.). His work also includes several digital multimedia
projects, including podcasts for the Indiana University School of Dentistry and
garage band tutorials for grooveboxmusic.com. As a bassist, he’s appeared
with and recorded for everybody from Grammy-award-winning hip-hop art-
ists to a stage full of bagpipers. His playing can be heard on several albums,
educational exhibits, and monster truck commercials.
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Contents at a Glance
Introduction ................................................................ 1
Par t I: MySpace Overview and Basics ........................... 7
Chapter 1: Diving into the MySpace Pool .......................................................................9
Chapter 2: Enlisting in the MySpace Army ...................................................................23
Chapter 3: Staying Safe on MySpace .............................................................................43
Par t II: The MySpace Community ................................ 57
Chapter 4: Friending the MySpace Way ........................................................................59
Chapter 5: Staying in Touch via MySpace ....................................................................79
Chapter 6: Blogging on MySpace .................................................................................105
Chapter 7: Keeping Up with MySpace .........................................................................121
Chapter 8: Staying on Schedule with MySpace ..........................................................131
Chapter 9: Getting In with the In-Crowd .....................................................................145
Par t III: Customizing MySpace ................................. 163
Chapter 10: Your MySpace Photo Album ...................................................................165
Chapter 11: Sound and Movies ....................................................................................177
Chapter 12: Customizing Your MySpace Page ...........................................................187
Par t IV: Capturing Your Audience ............................. 205
Chapter 13: Marketing the MySpace Way ...................................................................207
Chapter 14: Rockin’ in the MySpace World ................................................................219
Chapter 15: Finding Your Place on MySpace .............................................................241
Par t V: The Part of Tens ........................................... 267
Chapter 16: Ten MySpace Tools for Staying Safe ......................................................269
Chapter 17: Ten Ways to Keep Away from MySpace Bad Guys ...............................275
Chapter 18: Ten MySpace Resources ..........................................................................281
Chapter 19: Ten Other Social-Net working Sites .........................................................285
Index ...................................................................... 291
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Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................. 1
About This Book ..............................................................................................1
Conventions Used in This Book .....................................................................2
Foolish Assumptions .......................................................................................3
How This Book Is Organized ..........................................................................4
Part I: MySpace Overview and Basics .................................................4
Part II: The MySpace Community ........................................................4
Part III: Customizing MySpace ..............................................................5
Part IV: Capturing Your Audience .......................................................5
Part V: The Part of Tens ........................................................................5
Icons Used in This Book .................................................................................5
Where to Go from Here ...................................................................................6
Par t I: MySpace Overview and Basics ............................ 7
Chapter 1: Diving into the MySpace Pool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Whose Space? MySpace! .................................................................................9
The people in your MySpace neighborhood ....................................11
The allure of MySpace .........................................................................13
The Nuts and Bolts of MySpace ...................................................................16
Is MySpace Safe? ............................................................................................18
The MySpace Developer Platform ...............................................................21
Chapter 2: Enlisting in the MySpace Army . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Becoming MySpace Member #236,485,972 .................................................24
Name, Rank, Serial Number, E-mail Address . . . ........................................25
Showing Off Your Profile ..............................................................................30
Setting your name and Web address .................................................30
Answering the question “Who does this person think he is?” .......33
Making Account Changes .............................................................................40
Chapter 3: Staying Safe on MySpace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Having a Private Profile on MySpace ..........................................................44
Additional Privacy Settings ..........................................................................48
The Settings: Spam window ................................................................48
Blocking the unwanted members of MySpace .................................50
Alerting MySpace for Safety’s Sake .............................................................54
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MySpace For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Par t II: The MySpace Community ................................ 57
Chapter 4: Friending the MySpace Way. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Getting Your Friending On ...........................................................................59
The Almighty Friend Request ......................................................................60
Breaking Down the Friend Request .............................................................60
Finding some friends ...........................................................................60
To send or to receive, that is the question ......................................64
What Being a Friend Really Means ..............................................................70
Managing the Masses ....................................................................................71
Using the Address Book ......................................................................71
To Friend or not to Friend?.................................................................73
The Top Friends Phenomenon ....................................................................73
Getting your Top Friends in order .....................................................74
Deleting a Friend ............................................................................................76
Chapter 5: Staying in Touch via MySpace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Getting to Know the Tools ............................................................................79
Message Management with the Mail Center ..............................................80
Creating and sending a message ........................................................83
Replying to a received message .........................................................86
Forwarding, saving, and deleting received messages .....................87
Communicating with Comments .................................................................89
If you comment me, I’ll comment you ...............................................91
Posting a Profile Comment .................................................................92
Deleting a Profile Comment ................................................................93
Messaging the Masses with Bulletins .........................................................94
Locating the Bulletin Space ................................................................95
Creating and sending a bulletin .........................................................96
Whoops! Deleting a bulletin ..............................................................100
Instant Access with Instant Messaging .....................................................101
Tying It All Together ...................................................................................103
Chapter 6: Blogging on MySpace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
What Should I Blog? ....................................................................................105
Knowing your audience ....................................................................106
Writing about what you know ..........................................................106
Creating and Posting Your Blog .................................................................107
It’s all subjective ................................................................................107
Your body of work .............................................................................108
Attention to detail ..............................................................................110
Customizing Your Blog ...............................................................................112
Making general page settings ...........................................................112
Heads up: Modifying your page header ..........................................114
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Customizing . . . on the side ..............................................................115
The main event: Blog Post Settings .................................................115
Changing the background .................................................................116
Using a Custom Style Sheet ..............................................................117
Safe Blogging ................................................................................................117
Your Subscription .......................................................................................118
Spreading the Word ....................................................................................119
Comments, Please? ......................................................................................120
Chapter 7: Keeping Up with MySpace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Update! Update! Update! .............................................................................121
Receiving e-mail notifications ..........................................................122
Getting notifications on your cell phone ........................................124
Gotta Go! — Using Mobile Communication Devices
to Access MySpace ..................................................................................126
Connecting to MySpace with PDAs..................................................126
I IM, DO U? ....................................................................................................127
Get it in your system .........................................................................127
Adding Friends ...................................................................................128
Making a voice connection ...............................................................128
Always changing ................................................................................129
Doesn’t play nice with others...........................................................129
Chapter 8: Staying on Schedule with MySpace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
Organizing Your Events ..............................................................................131
Getting the party started ..................................................................132
You’re invited! ....................................................................................137
Using Your MySpace Calendar ...................................................................140
Making your calendar your own ......................................................140
I’ll pencil you in ..................................................................................141
But wait, there’s more! ......................................................................143
Chapter 9: Getting In with the In-Crowd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
Understanding MySpace Groups ...............................................................145
Joining up ............................................................................................146
Starting your own ..............................................................................147
Managing your group ........................................................................150
Utilizing the Classified Ads .........................................................................151
Browsing the ads ...............................................................................152
Posting an ad ......................................................................................153
Managing your ads.............................................................................154
Replying to ads ...................................................................................155
Taking a Look at Forums ............................................................................155
Explaining forums ..............................................................................155
Why should we use the forums? ......................................................158
Chat versus forums............................................................................159
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MySpace For Dummies, 2nd Edition
School and Work Communities .................................................................160
Rate Your Professor ....................................................................................161
Par t III: Customizing MySpace .................................. 163
Chapter 10: Your MySpace Photo Album. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
Getting Your Pictures Ready for MySpace ...............................................165
Using the correct file format ............................................................166
Making sure you have the right file size .........................................167
Naming your photo file .....................................................................168
Adhering to the content policy ........................................................168
Finding Places to Host Your Images ..........................................................169
Beam Me Up! — Loading Your Photos on MySpace ................................170
Managing Your Photo Page ........................................................................172
Tag, You’re It! ...............................................................................................175
Chapter 11: Sound and Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
Adding a Profile Song ..................................................................................177
Planning your setlist ..........................................................................177
Putting on the hits .............................................................................178
Adding Video to Your Profile .....................................................................179
Finding video ......................................................................................179
Using your homemade movies .........................................................182
Putting on a show ..............................................................................183
Reviewing and commenting on videos............................................184
Tuning in to MySpace TV ..................................................................185
Chapter 12: Customizing Your MySpace Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
Customization Restrictions on MySpace ..................................................187
First Things First ..........................................................................................188
Doing It Yourself ..........................................................................................189
How long did that take you? .............................................................189
Well, hello HTML! Tag — you’re it! ..................................................190
Adding HTML ......................................................................................192
Can we ask you a question? ..............................................................193
Taking the Easy Way Out ............................................................................193
See What Develops ......................................................................................199
Adding More Building Blocks .....................................................................200
Get all you can ....................................................................................200
Manage your stable ...........................................................................202
Par t IV: Capturing Your Audience .............................. 205
Chapter 13: Marketing the MySpace Way. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
The Ultimate Online Social Community ....................................................208
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Deciding Whether MySpace Is the Right Place ........................................210
Evaluating the MySpace audience ...................................................211
The ability to build an audience ......................................................211
New rules, new expectations ............................................................213
Real-World Marketing versus MySpace Marketing ..................................215
Measuring Your MySpace Success ............................................................217
Chapter 14: Rockin’ in the MySpace World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219
Music — the Foundation of MySpace .......................................................219
Getting Your Music onto MySpace ............................................................221
MySpace Music Profile Options .................................................................224
Upcoming Shows ................................................................................225
Band Details ........................................................................................228
Basic Info .............................................................................................229
Manage Songs .....................................................................................229
Listing Info ..........................................................................................234
MySpace — a Music Fan’s Paradise ..........................................................235
The almighty MySpace Music Player ..............................................235
Top Artist listings ..............................................................................237
Music Videos ......................................................................................238
Finding live shows .............................................................................238
The future of music on MySpace .....................................................239
Chapter 15: Finding Your Place on MySpace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
Build It, and They Will Come ......................................................................241
MySpace Filmmakers ..................................................................................242
Opportunity awaits ............................................................................242
Perks of a MySpace Filmmaker profile ............................................243
Creating your Filmmaker profile ......................................................244
Managing your Filmmaker profile ....................................................247
The MySpace Film portal ..................................................................253
MySpace Comedians ...................................................................................255
Joining the MySpace Comedy community ......................................255
Creating your Comedy profile ..........................................................256
Managing your MySpace Comedy profile .......................................257
The Beginning of MySpace Services ..........................................................261
MySpace Movies ................................................................................261
MySpace Books ..................................................................................262
MySpace Jobs .....................................................................................263
MySpace News....................................................................................264
Par t V: The Part of Tens ............................................ 267
Chapter 16: Ten MySpace Tools for Staying Safe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269
Set Your Profile to Private ..........................................................................269
Require E-mail or Last Name to Add as a Friend .....................................270
Approve Comments .....................................................................................270
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