Is it time to kill my MySpace?
October 15th, 2008 by KimRecently, I've been thinking that I should discontinue my MySpace account.
It's not that there's anything really bad on there. My page doesn't contain any scandalous photos. It doesn't have a lot of old, embarassing, ranting blog entries. It's not silver and pink. It doesn't play terrible pop music.
I just think that maybe I'm outgrowing MySpace.
An entry that touched on this subject on the New York Times' Shifting Careers blog caught my attention the other day. In it, blogger Marci Alboher encourages people to take advantage of the vast array of social networking sites out there to show off their resumes and connect/reconnect with people through whom they might eventually find employment.
But, she also cautions against "social networking overload," or the temptation to join every new site that pops up and is slightly relevant to your interests.
The number of online social networks out there is mindboggling. I'm actually making a concerted effort to keep my Google footprint manageable, so I'm only subscribed to a few of them. In addition to MySpace (110 million users), I'm currently signed up for Facebook (100 million users), LinkedIn (24 million users) and Matador, an online community of travel writers. I'm also on Twitter and Technorati, although those serve less of a specific networking purpose than the others.
Can one have too many social networking sites? I personally feel like I can't even keep up with the ones I'm signed up for. It can also be annoying to receive tons of email updates for each site. You can always switch off this feature, but I find that the sites I'm not constantly reminded about sort of drop off my radar screen after awhile.
The sad reality for me and MySpace is that the site is outdated -- and I don't just mean because I haven't logged on in months. What I mean is that MySpace has sort of been replaced by sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, where more of my friends are, where I have more control over who I connect with, and where I feel comfortable connecting with people with whom I have professional relationships. And when it comes down to it, social networking sites are kind of like the nightlife scene in Honolulu -- the venue is only as good as the people who are there.
So, I think it may be time for me to part with MySpace and stick with sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, which make me feel -- oddly -- more like a grown-up.
Tags: Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, networking, online social networking
October 15th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Facebook? Signed up, but wouldn't know what to do with it.
October 15th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Do it! I killed mine off almost a year ago and I've never felt more free.
I will admit, though, that it came in handy for old friends to find me as I often moved around the U.S.
October 15th, 2008 at 11:15 am
I think Im gonna ditch mine soon. Besides the stuff you mentioned, the layout is just terrible and they were a little late in releasing their API, on the heels of Facebook. I think my Facebook account is all I have time for anyways-- you're right, its hard to keep up!
October 15th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
test
October 15th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
hmm, it seems the screening device doesn't apply to all blogs? oh, well.
October 15th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Personally, I like MySpace a lot better than Facebook. Just like to check out what everyone is doing via pics, blogs, bulletins, and I also like to do some karaoke on it too now!
What's up with Facebook? All those requests to join crazy groups, and all those "cute" winks, nudges, gifts, and requests to complete surveys to see how much you match with someone.
October 15th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
I haven't logged into MySpace in months...definitely thinking about cancelling it! Like others, I can barely keep up with Facebook.
October 15th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Facebook has made myspace obsolete. Then again, something else will come in a year or so to make facebook obsolete. I have both sites but use it just to maintain connections with old acquaintances...blogging is much better!
October 15th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I feel the same way! I use Facebook as my "primary" networking site partly because there's a lot more things I can control and the networking feature. I don't like having my profile searchable by ANYONE unless I want them to. Myspace is a scary place to be.
October 15th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Myspace feels trashy for some reason.
I recently made the change to Facebook and am enjoying it much more than MS.
October 15th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
http://www.danah.org/papers/essays/ClassDivisions.html
Read it, it's interesting.
October 15th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
I have never been a fan of Facebook. So much so, that I told good friends who added me, no offense but I use MySpace. But in recent months, I've found that I'm using Facebook more.
I suppose it's like MTV and VH1. MTV is great when you're younger, but as you grow older, VH1 is where it's at.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:56 am
lol.. I still wonder what to do with my Myspace, never did anything with it really.. that and the other community sites I am registered to, I am only registered on because friends asked me to.. after registering I hardly went back on them (well, did go back to Myspace a few times but yah, not like I'm actually living there like those other people).
Personally I don't see the need to be a member of a site where people seem to make it a game to get as much friends as possible, people they never even speak, not even in pm's or such, or even look at their pages. Of course, networking is ok, it is very good to do even, but it might be better to get 'real' contacts instead of people that you will never even speak to.
But oh well, my friends do it, so yeah, I just sign up just like they ask me to, I occupy space and neglect my pages afterwards lol.
October 17th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
I've always had the impression that myspace was for kids in school (not college but high school and before) and that facebook was for college aged people (kids).
I'm old but was kind of forced into a facebook page because all my friends were sending emails to add me. now I am in the terrible position of having to rely on my 17-year-old for instructions on how to change it or make it better. It is not a big priority for her so I still don't even have a freakin' picture on my facebook. so pathetic I've become.....
October 18th, 2008 at 10:01 am
I had the same dilemma as you, whether to cancel my myspace account or not. I'm at that age where I feel like I'm getting too old for myspace.....I guess everyone has the impression that myspace is for kids and facebook is for adults. I kinda feel that way also, but it's probably more on how you treat your site. Anyways, after much thinking, I've decided to keep my myspace account. I have some friends on myspace and some others on my facebook account, so that was kind of a deciding factor on my decision. Got to stay connected in someway. But to make things a little unique, I try to keep my myspace and facebook accounts with different tones, making my myspace a little playful and fun, and my facebook serious and more professional. Sounds weird, but just didn't want to make both the same ol same ol thing.
October 18th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
What's MySpace?
October 20th, 2008 at 9:21 am
Sorry, I just read this today. MySpace has definitely gone downhill. Part of the reason, I think, is due to the upkeep time required to maintain your page and connect with others. Facebook on the other hand is more streamlined and straight up. I do wish that it kept it's exclusivity, networks, and didn't change its user interface, though. I think that could potentially deter people. LinkedIn is good, a lot more professional. I definitely agree, it's crazy how many social networks there are! So hard to choose when there's more than one that do essentially the same thing!
October 20th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Facebook for the win! I still have a Myspace account, but I've been spending my online time on Facebook since it's much easier to use and I can check friends' updates in one place.
October 27th, 2008 at 2:18 am
Keep your myspace, keep your facebook, if only to stake your claim on the net before some random person with the same name as you puts up a page. Sign up for a lifestream service to help you keep track of everything.