# Myspace?



## ShirtHappens (Jun 26, 2006)

Alright i was watching the news it was a rerun at 2 in the morning so i did catch everything, but wow I must say what an impact a celebrity makes on consumer taste. They were talking about baby fashion a store who wasnt selling shirts well has been selling out due to angelina jolie and a couple other celebrity babies. After a magazine which features some of the new celebrity babies in the shirts they were in high demand selling for 70+. Same was with a stuffed bear. Now what does Myspace have to do with it? I made a myspace couple weeks ago not for friends but to network. Contacted an artists whos well known around here sent him a design asked him if he liked it i could send him a free one, said he liked it and would like one. One of the people with that label said if I could help them in future shirt design and possably print them... guess thats the power ofa free networking community such as myspace.


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## TeeShirtSamurai (Feb 8, 2006)

ShirtHappens said:


> Alright i was watching the news it was a rerun at 2 in the morning so i did catch everything, but wow I must say what an impact a celebrity makes on consumer taste. They were talking about baby fashion a store who wasnt selling shirts well has been selling out due to angelina jolie and a couple other celebrity babies. After a magazine which features some of the new celebrity babies in the shirts they were in high demand selling for 70+. Same was with a stuffed bear. Now what does Myspace have to do with it? I made a myspace couple weeks ago not for friends but to network. Contacted an artists whos well known around here sent him a design asked him if he liked it i could send him a free one, said he liked it and would like one. One of the people with that label said if I could help them in future shirt design and possably print them... guess thats the power ofa free networking community such as myspace.


http://www.t-shirtforums.com/showthread.php?t=3740&highlight=belly

Dane Cook sold over 1 million DVDs which he credits to his Myspace page.

Just the other day I saw a commercial for a movie and instead of the usual www.insertthemovie.com here I saw myspace.com/themovie.

Myspace can really make a big impact on your sales if you are selling things that the younger generation would be interested in.


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## bjmason32 (Jul 1, 2005)

My retail location uses Myspace to promote clothing sales. I've had a hard time measuring it's impact but I'm certain it helps.


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## sagacitee (Aug 5, 2006)

TeeShirtSamurai said:


> Myspace can really make a big impact on your sales if you are selling things that the younger generation would be interested in.


Could someone explain this a little further? I haven't used MySpace, and was hoping to get an explanation of why a site hosted on MySpace will drive so much traffic. I know MySpace is popular, but I'd like a little more insight into the dynamics at play here.


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## Alicia (Jul 10, 2006)

I have a question too: my target market is moms 28 to 42 or so. Is there any point for me to use myspace? Or is it mostly for teens?

Thanks,
Alicia


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## skulltshirts (Mar 30, 2006)

All types of people use myspace. Its not for just lids anymore!

Om myspace, you can create a blog, send a post to everyone of your friends, leave comments on other peoples profiles. In every one of these places you can drop html code as well, post your link on a real popular bands profile for instance can net you any where from 10 to 100 hits in no time. Or chose a popular celebrity, it doesnt matter. Mostly depends on what kind of stuff you sell.


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## normsbrand (Jul 26, 2006)

Add me to your friends.

I have personally got a few sales from MySpace, nothing to quit the day job for, but with every purchase, there is someone wearing one of my shirts.


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## queerrep (Jul 18, 2006)

normsbrand said:


> Add me to your friends.


Hey Norm ... can I be your friend, too? I feel like I'm back in grade school.



Alicia said:


> I have a question too: my target market is moms 28 to 42 or so. Is there any point for me to use myspace? Or is it mostly for teens?


Heck yeah. Use it. It's free advertising. Think of celebrities (or movies or bands) who represent your niche market and send them a friend request. It's mostly their publicists - not the actual celebrity - who are managing their MySpace page and they are usually very eager to add you. When you get listed as their friend, you are then exposed to their whole network and there's a good chance they'll be interested in what you have to offer. Just remember to occasionally leave them a message to maintain your exposure. It doesn't have to be anything deep ... just say "have a good weekend" or something like that. It will put you at the top of their messages where people will see you.

I have noticed that a lot of people have disabled the HTML option for leaving a message. It's probably so their page will load faster. So I made my main pic an animated .gif showing some of my designs. Some people will also remove your message if it's overtly advertising so don't go overboard.


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## normalbrains (Jul 8, 2006)

Alicia said:


> I have a question too: my target market is moms 28 to 42 or so. Is there any point for me to use myspace? Or is it mostly for teens?
> 
> Thanks,
> Alicia


yes, indeed and ill tell you how. i bought a friend adder program for $18 about 3 months ago. i now have 2 myspace different acounts with a friend total of 15,000 people. the thing thats cool about that is these are "targeted" friends. with the program, you can choose to add only females between the age of 28-42 with the word "mom" in the profile. or whatever word you want. theres different ways to search out your target demographic and add only them. so when my shirt sites are up and ready for mass consumption, im gonna have have a boatload of people to market them to immediately. check out botreviewer.com for more info. its the only site that really covers all adder bots and reviews and explains how they work. i got lucky and bought a good one before i found the site. a warning: it does take a small amount of time each day to fuss with your bot and constantly add friends, but i think its worth it for the free exposure. later

allyn


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## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

Many bigger brands are using Myspace to promote their products, and if they don't create a Myspace page themselves, many times their customers will create one for a product they love or hate.

Either way, it's free advertising with lots of exposure.

Here's an interesting article about marketing on Myspace:

http://news.com.com/MySpace+blurs+line+between+friends+and+flacks/2009-1025_3-6100176.html?tag=nl


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Wouldn't adding a bunch of "friends" via a bot and posting commercial announcements be considered a type of spam?


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## normalbrains (Jul 8, 2006)

Rodney said:


> Wouldn't adding a bunch of "friends" via a bot and posting commercial announcements be considered a type of spam?


yes. i cant argue against it being spam, except that my myspace page is very popular with certain people and fills a niche that im trying to specifically market to, so im not spamming the crap out of random people. a bulletin once or twice a week and a blog isnt in bad taste i dont think. maybe against TOS techinically, but its a networking site for pete's sake.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> so im not spamming the crap out of random people.


That's actually what it sounds like. If you get a robot to get a bunch of friends and then send those "friends" commercial bulletins and announcements they didn't ask for, sounds like "spamming the crap" out of random people.



> a bulletin once or twice a week and a blog isnt in bad taste i dont think. maybe against TOS techinically, but its a networking site for pete's sake.


I think networking and marketing can be done ethically and within a site's terms of service. 

Nothing against you personally, but I would recommend to others that they follow the terms and don't spam people (via myspace, email, forums, newsgroups, or whereever) for the sake of marketing their business.


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## Ferverwear (Aug 17, 2006)

The very first promotions I have done have been on Myspace with mixed results. I do not think that just adding friends will work out very well for you. I have found that a personal message sent to someone that fits your target group (in my case its a small niche) as well as a friend request works better. Get to know someone a build it one sell at a time, one relationship at a time. I realize that this flys in the face of quick success, but I feel that you have a better chance at selling to someone you know (even just barley) than to a total stranger that is overwhelmed with a million imprersonal requests from bands and porn sites.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Rodney said:


> I think networking and marketing can be done ethically and within a site's terms of service.


I'm very much with you on this one.

This came up on another MySpace thread on the forum a while ago, where another member was doing the same thing (spamming via bot). His justification was that within the myspace culture friends are a desirable commodity, so people didn't object. From my little experience with myspace that may well be true.

Personally, however, I don't draw any distinction between spamming on myspace via a bot and spamming e-mail via a bot... or leafletting carparks, telemarketing, most junk mail, and door to door sales. Frankly I hope that any business who engages in such practices goes bankrupt so they can stop making all our lives worse.

Rodney's philosophy of website design is that a website should be designed with the customer in mind, and the rest (SEO, your bangs and whistles, etc.) is secondary. Personally I apply that to all aspects of the business - you should always ask "will this help my customer?", because if you're doing your job right helping your customer will ultimately help you. Does spam help your customer? No.


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## hongkongdmz (Jun 29, 2006)

So building your customer base slowly with Myspace as an option then. I wouldn't really want 100 strangers who werent actually interested in my company or my designs adding themselves to my Myspace account. But would you set it up in your name or the company name?

Thanks,

Nick.


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## Ferverwear (Aug 17, 2006)

I have set it up as a company name "Ferverwear." The cool thing is that I made a small slide show (complete with music I composed) that consistantly runs my top 12 products. You can also use the bullatin to send out anouncements to all of your "friends" at once telling them about a new promotion or product. I have the url that goes directly to the store all over the place. If you would like to see how my page looks, let me know and I'll give you the url to the myspace site. Or just type ferverwear into the myspace search. Good luck and take your time and I think you will be pleased.

Dr.Froth


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## hongkongdmz (Jun 29, 2006)

Sounds like a good idea Dr. Froth. Thanks for the advice....I may be trying it with my company. (Having a myspace account under my company name...not the music)


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## normalbrains (Jul 8, 2006)

Rodney said:


> I think networking and marketing can be done ethically and within a site's terms of service.


while it may be against the TOS, id have to disagree that ive done anything unethical. my myspace page provides a service to the regulars that use it everyday to converse with each other and receive entertainment. ive sent out two bulletins that resulted in 3 sales. Im sure several people deleted me as their friend (i noticed i was less 2 people within a half hour of the first bulletin) which is great. The shirts i sell are directly related to the subject of my myspace page. I dont see anything wrong with it.

p.s. rodney, i tried to add you to my personal myspace account a few months back and you didnt accept. now THATS unethical. jk.


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## BrownTurtle (Aug 16, 2006)

Yea, set it up in the Company name....it's been good marketing


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> while it may be against the TOS, id have to disagree that ive done anything unethical.


I would think in general, if it's against their TOS, it would be considered unethical.

Of course you, as the seller wouldn't see anything wrong with it, since it is benefiting your business. But the main problem I have an issue with is the mass adding of "friend" via an automated process and then sending those people commerical messages.



> p.s. rodney, i tried to add you to my personal myspace account a few months back and you didnt accept. now THATS unethical. jk


Probably because I don't add people that I don't know because I don't want to be spammed or scammed 

That probably is the opposite of the myspace philosophy and culture. I'll be the first to admit I still haven't "gotten it" yet when it comes to myspace.


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

normalbrains said:


> while it may be against the TOS, id have to disagree that ive done anything unethical. my myspace page provides a service to the regulars that use it everyday to converse with each other and receive entertainment. ive sent out two bulletins that resulted in 3 sales. Im sure several people deleted me as their friend (i noticed i was less 2 people within a half hour of the first bulletin) which is great. The shirts i sell are directly related to the subject of my myspace page. I dont see anything wrong with it.
> 
> p.s. rodney, i tried to add you to my personal myspace account a few months back and you didnt accept. now THATS unethical. jk.


Hmm? Let me get this right. You AGREE to accept the conditions of the TOS of MySpace when you sign up, which includes no spamming. 

But you don't think it's unethical to break this agreement because you are able to benefit by doing so?

Conversely, you deem it unethical for someone to decline your spammed invite.

I think someone needs an ethics class!

I believe MySpace can be a great marketing tool, IF USED PROPERLY. This also depends on your market.

It can also be a great way to brand your products. You may not get the direct sales, but you will gain some visibility.

I plan on using it as a marketing tool. But I certainly don't intend on spamming anyone.


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## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

Rodney said:


> the main problem I have an issue with is the mass adding of "friend" via an automated process and then sending those people commerical messages.


Right now, Myspace is letting any business use the service for promotional, commercial use, and for free. Good for us, right? Maybe not.

What happens in the future, when too many people are using Myspace for that purpose, and regular Myspace users are inundated with commercial messages and automated "friend" spam all day long?

If the regular users (who are the majority) aren't happy, and they move to other social sites, Myspace will have to do something about it. I'm willing to bet that they will either start charging fees to business users, or limit their activity in some way.

The more people who are using the site unethically, the faster this will happen.

Just something to think about.


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## hongkongdmz (Jun 29, 2006)

Anything that helps business and is used for business pretty much negates most ethics. Using myspace for promotional purposes in the first place means you can use it however you wish until new rules or guidelines come along prohibiting them. There's little enforcement currently anyway. How many people in Myspace simply add themselves to another without knowing them? I can't see how a business would be that different. I'd agree with Jadsondas point 100% on this matter.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> Anything that helps business and is used for business pretty much negates most ethics.


I disagree 100%. Spam, you lose credibility and business. Steal designs. Same thing. 

Ethics and business should go hand in hand.

I've seen a LOT of businesses go down the drain by starting off on the wrong foot by thinking "anything goes" when it comes to marketing.



> Using myspace for promotional purposes in the first place means you can use it however you wish until new rules or guidelines come along prohibiting them.


It's already against the TOS, Nick  So the rules are already there.



> I think someone needs an ethics class!


Easy there, Greg  



> guess thats the power ofa free networking community such as myspace.


Let's bring this back to the topic of myspace as a promotional/networking tool. I think the ethics issue has been covered plenty


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

: posts removed :

Let's keep it on the topic of myspace as it pertains to networking and marketing, not forum or social network moderation please 



Rodney said:


> Let's bring this back to the topic of myspace as a promotional/networking tool. I think the ethics issue has been covered plenty


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## normalbrains (Jul 8, 2006)

Comin'OutSwingin said:


> you don't think it's unethical to break this agreement because you are able to benefit by doing so?
> 
> Conversely, you deem it unethical for someone to decline your spammed invite.
> 
> I think someone needs an ethics class!


please notice the "jk" after my previous statement. it stands for "just kidding". also, the invite was not "spammed". i was referred to him as a knowledgable source by somebody (i think the dude from MindTrix) before i even found this site. as far as myspace's TOS i dont really know what they are, but someone above stated they allow commerical use. i will read up on the TOS when i have time. what i do know is this: sending out bulletins for commercial promotion is absolutely THE NORM in the myspace community. I have many clothing companies as my "friends" and constantly receive bulletins from them promoting their new wares and deals. Also note that bulletins are NOT the same as messages (myspace emails). People use myspace for different reasons and people that want a private profile have that option. People can also just not add you as a friend in the first place. Inside every bulletin is a button that reads "delete from friends". Problem solved. It is extremely easy to get rid of unwanted friends. I dont think you guys that are criticizing this have a realistic view of what myspace is about. I love this forum and I think its full of great information, but on this issue i think you guys are giving out bad advice. I guess it comes down to TOS vs. the norm, and while i respect what youre saying totally, its not whats happening in real life.

On a separate issue, there are some great "groups" on myspace that you can join focusing on the clothing industry, screen printing, and entrepreneurship and anything else you can think of. a couple of them in particular are extremely helpful and informative. email me if youd like me to point them out.

allyn


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## hongkongdmz (Jun 29, 2006)

Maybe on myspace you could link up with other t-shirts companies. Like for me i'd look for urban and streetwear groups. Could also help with contacts and website links...so there are other options then using it as purely a marketing tool.

Nick.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

Rodney said:


> I disagree 100%.


I agree with your disagreement 100% 

Opt-in mailing lists (whether you're using MySpace to manage them, or some other method) don't pose any ethical dilemmas, and are an effective and mutually beneficial form of marketing (the customer gets information, perhaps discounts, etc. that they're interested in [hence signing up], and you get a receptive audience).

In theory MySpace should be useless because everything you can do on there (have a mailing list, communicate with buyers, offer information on your products) can be done elsewhere (website/mailing list/e-mail/chat program/blog with rss feed). You still need all the "elsewhere's", so MySpace just creates more work for you rather than replacing any of them. In practice, people like MySpace and some people can't be bothered going beyond it (my attitude: if it's not on the 'net I'm not interested, some people take that a step further: if it's not on myspace, I'm not interested). So having that information in one extra place is useful for your extra customers.

The distinction people are drawing, though I'm sure it's not worth discussing further, is whether or not your customers are coming to you, or you are forcing yourself on people who aren't (yet) your customers. Either way, MySpace is a useful tool to place information in front of people, and have yet another way people can get in contact with you to ask you questions. In theory it also raises your "cool factor".

Observing people I know who use MySpace accounts regularly it seems to be a razor thin line between adoration and ridicule. They use the service constantly, but they also make fun of everyone on it and the way people use it constantly. I think this is a fairly common attitude to the site - very love/hate. For now, the site is going strong - but I won't be at all surprised if one day the balance tips and being on MySpace is no longer perceived as a good thing (but hey, make hay while the sun shines).

Remember when LJ was cool?

How about GeoCities?

Compuserve?

The Well?

Yeah.


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## hongkongdmz (Jun 29, 2006)

Does anyone know how myspace can be modifed? Background etc..

I'd consider myspace as another option then a long-term investment. As mentioned by Solmu, it'll pass given time. I do think that considering other options is always good though, say technological developments perhaps. I'm not a big fan of listing myself on sites online even for close friends. After a while the service becomes unused. I know that this has happened regarding friends of mine and Hi5.


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## normalbrains (Jul 8, 2006)

hongkongdmz- if you go to "groups" and do a search for the word "html", there are several large groups that will have a bunch of info on customizing your profile.


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## hongkongdmz (Jun 29, 2006)

Thanks Allyn, I'll check that out.


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## PornRockGear.com (Jul 21, 2006)

Interesting thread. I see myspace as an extension of my website. I use it to promote my brand, advertise, look for models, artists, network, etc.

How much return I get from the time I spend on myspace -- I have yet to figure out a way to measure.

I've been on myspace for over a year - but have yet to fully maximize my page. 
I plan to re-design my myspace page to reflect my website, with logo's, products, model pics, perhaps get one of the friend bot tools and really pump it up.

I think if you use myspace creatively - i.e., run contests, offer promotions, etc. you will increase your brand exposure.


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## Royaltygirl (Apr 12, 2006)

normalbrains said:


> yes, indeed and ill tell you how. i bought a friend adder program for $18 about 3 months ago. i now have 2 myspace different acounts with a friend total of 15,000 people. the thing thats cool about that is these are "targeted" friends. with the program, you can choose to add only females between the age of 28-42 with the word "mom" in the profile. or whatever word you want. theres different ways to search out your target demographic and add only them. so when my shirt sites are up and ready for mass consumption, im gonna have have a boatload of people to market them to immediately. check out botreviewer.com for more info. its the only site that really covers all adder bots and reviews and explains how they work. i got lucky and bought a good one before i found the site. a warning: it does take a small amount of time each day to fuss with your bot and constantly add friends, but i think its worth it for the free exposure. later
> 
> allyn


Hey allyn,
let me know how that works out on myspace. i have an account on there, but so far it hasn't helped me at all... maybe it will.
who knows.
Tara


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