I've wondered what all the buzz was about on Facebook and MySpace and decided to check each one out in-depth and report back to you what I've found. First the similarities:

Both are social networking sites
Both allow you to find and interact with others based on user profiles
Both allow you to enter only the information that you desire in your profile

That is about where the similarities end. Both are unique and different and have different uses. Take a moment and read more to see what I like best about each service.

Facebook: For the Professional Working Crowd

I found that just about all you can customize is your information and your photo. You can enter as much or as little information as you want. Personally, I found Facebook to be rather difficult to use. It is not intuitive. I was able to add myself to one group and was able to add my region preference to see what was going on in the Washington DC area. But I found the nagging search boxes to upload your address book or to search for new contacts irritating. I simply did not like being brow beaten into sharing names and addresses. Don't worry, I didn't upload my address book. I know that my clients value their privacy.

What I did find useful was the feature to link up with co-workers in your office by entering your work address and seeing who else in your company was listed on Facebook. That could be really great if you just started working in a new position or had recently moved to a new branch office.

How would I recommend using Facebook?

If you're a college graduate looking for your first job, I would recommend signing up for Facebook. Use a professional photo, only put corporate information on the page, and post your resume. Working professionals use Facebook, so cater to that crowd in your information. Use Facebook as your online resume. You can point others to it and hopefully even the search engines will pick up your page.

It appears that the Facebook crowd is older and more professional in nature and so the more serious professional who is looking for real business networking opportunities will most likely prefer Facebook; dry as the interface is.

MySpace: Social Networking For Everyone That's Just Plain Fun

You know I just have to say it, MySpace is fun. Clearly this is just one of the reasons why it is so popular with high schoolers, new bands, established musicians, Seniors, and I hope in the future more people just like me.

Here's a link to my MySpace page. My son who is an avid MySpace user helped me to set up my page initially. He had it done in under one hour. I love the ability to add different backgrounds and add music. There are tons of free widgets that you can add to your page, all without knowing any HTML or programming - just cut and paste. You can share videos, pictures, create slide shows, add interactive features, and much more.

As I use MySpace, and ask others what they like about the service, it is clear to me that it is fun, interactive, easy to use, and allows you to meet people all around the world who have similar interests. Kind of like "Pen Pals on steroids!" I do have to say that you can spend hours in setting it up and managing your site, if you wanted to, but you'll have fun doing it.

I found it incredible interesting to see the diversity of music, people, and groups using MySpace. Believe me, it's not just kids using it, there are professionals using MySpace too. If you're in a band and you're not on MySpace yet, you're clearly missing the boat. The music industry and budding musicians have embraced MySpace as a way to get their music top exposure for free.
Teens, college students, professionals, and yes, even grandparents, and Seniors can have fun on MySpace.

Faceoff: Facebook vs. MySpace Which is Best?

If you've read the article above, you probably already know which direction I'm leaning in, but I'll tell you straight out, I clearly prefer MySpace over Facebook. Why?

It's more fun
I love the background and widget customization of MySpace
I like that you can add music and set it to play on page load or as click to play
I didn't find that the interface nags me to upload my address book
The search box is easy to use to find others who share your interests
I like the friends interface that allows you to easily block someone
I find the control panel fairly intuitive and not terribly difficult to use

I know that college age kids and teens in high school already use MySpace, but why not professionals and why not even Senior citizens?

Personally, I can think of many Seniors that I know who feel isolated and if they would just login and get going with MySpace, I think that they would really have fun. What a super way to connect with older grandkids. Tell them logon to your MySpace site and leave a message on your blog or make sure to add themselves to your friends list. Take time to interact with them online even long distance via the Web in an interface that they are comfortable with and understand already.

For professionals, I think that you should at least have a MySpace site to to your personal name. Let your hair down and say and show who you are while still keeping it professional. But unless you have a lot of free time on your hands, most likely the busy professional will simply be too worn out to enjoy the social networking aspect that MySpace affords.

I see MySpace as a fun tool with really great appeal, but an application for the young, unattached, unencumbered, or active Senior. I personally will be spending my free time working on my business blog or my business newsletter not reviewing my MySpace friends list.

So is there a business application side to MySpace? Yes, to a degree. In less than three days, my own MySpace site appeared in position #8 on Google when I did a search under my own name. It is interesting to me that my Facebook page has not appeared yet in the search engine results, just another reason MySpace wins over Facebook.

Should you have a MySpace site? Possibly, if you are an author, business owner on whose name potential clients may search, or industry celebrity you should at least have a page tied to your name. However, the time investment to maintain the site, unless you are in a band, may simply be too steep. I think that you can get more "bang for your buck" right now with a blog. But, if you are looking for a social networking opportunity, wow, MySpace is where it's at and great fun on top of that!

If you want to try out MySpace, our team can set up a "simple" MySpace site and even provide online training to get you started for around $80. We'll install a background, show you how to change it, and show you how to find and add music to your page. Consider it a quick start guide to get your feet wet with MySpace. Contact us today to find out more about setting up your own MySpace site.

Facebook Link:http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=543697406
MySpace Link:http://www.myspace.com/mccordweb

Labels: MySpace

¶ 4/30/2007 07:27:00 AM