Myspace Article
Networking on MySpace
MySpace is an online community where members can meet to share photos,
journals and interests with an extensive network of friends. The MySpace mission
statement describes the MySpace network as being for everyone including:
* Friends who want to talk Online
* Single people who want to meet other Singles
* Matchmakers who want to connect their friends with other friends
* Families who want to keep in touch--map your Family Tree
* Business people and co-workers interested in networking
* Classmates and study partners
* Anyone looking for long lost friends!
From this description it is clear that MySpace is an excellent place for online
networking. This article will take a look at how to find the people you want to
network with on MySpace and will examine whether or not the networking should
remain online.
Who Do You Want to Meet?
When using MySpace to network it is important to consider who you want to meet
in your networking endeavor. There is a misconception that MySpace is just for
kids but many are finding there are all types of people using MySpace. Before
making a decision about whether or not you want to network on MySpace it is wise
to spend some time searching around MySpace to find out whether or not there is
a large amount of individuals who share your interests. Spending some time doing
research before beginning your own MySpace website is helpful because otherwise
you might invest time and energy into designing your website only to find there
are not many members with which you want to network.
Where Can You Find Those You Want to Meet?
Now that you have identified who you are looking to meet online through MySpace
it is time to start finding these individuals. The search feature can be very
helpful for this purpose. Compile a list of keywords which are likely to be used
on the MySpace websites of members you would like to meet. Searching for these
keywords can help you to locate those who share your interests.
Visiting the MySpace websites of your friends friends can also help you to meet
more interesting individuals on MySpace. Those who you already consider to be
friends likely share some of your interests. Likewise many of their existing
friends may share these interests as well. Investigating websites of those who
are friends of your friends can put you in contact with many more people who
might be potential friends for you.
Do You Want to Take Your Networking Offline?
After networking online the natural progression is to determine whether or not
you want to expand on your network to include face to face meetings as a part of
this networking. Care should be taken when making this decision to ensure you
are not putting yourself, or others, at unnecessary risk by arranging these
networking meetings.
The most important aspect in arranging offline networking meetings with those
who you meet online is choosing a safe location for these meetings. A well lit,
busy, public location is ideal for these types of meetings. These types of
locations not only minimize the chance that any participants in the meeting will
attempt to harm others but also helps to make those who are planning to attend
feel safer. You might think a house belonging to your friend is an excellent
location because you are familiar with the location and will have friends with
you but it is important to note those you are meeting may be just as suspicious
of you as you are of them. They are more likely to be interested in attending
your meeting if it takes place in a public location because they will feel more
comfortable.
Another aspect to consider when deciding whether or not to take virtual
networking opportunities offline is whether or not you think the friendships
will be the same offline as they are online. Many Internet users feel freer to
express their opinions online than they do in face to face meetings. Friends who
have wonderful relationships through MySpace may find their relationship falters
when they actually meet in person.
