MySpace Design Features

Creating a MySpace website may seem overly complicated to those who have never done any HTML design in the past but it is really quite simple. Members who have advanced HTML knowledge can obviously incorporate more advanced features into their design but even those with no HTML knowledge may be able to create an attractive and functional MySpace website. This is possible because much of the design can be done through the use of templates. This article will focus on some of the most basic design features of MySpace to give beginners a basic understanding of the features they can incorporate into a new MySpace website and the types of changes which can be made to an existing website. This article will include information on changing the background, importing images, adding music to the website and posting quizzes for other users.

Adding or Changing the Background

The background color of a MySpace website is very important because it is one of the first things visitors notice when the website loads. If the background is garish and makes the website difficult to read, visitors may exit the page quickly. Conversely if the background is appealing it may make the entire website more appealing.

Basic HTML knowledge is required to add colors or background graphics to a MySpace profile. To add colors or background graphics go to the “Edit profile” section after logging into your account. Next enter the necessary code into the appropriate section. To get the background to appear on your profile you should include the code in the “About me” section of your account. If you are unsure of the code that is needed, there is a wealth of information available online for those who are learning HTML.

Importing Images

Many members of the MySpace community choose to post their picture on their website. Again the social aspects of the online community encourage this action because people who engage in online friendships often want to see what their new friends look like. Including pictures is the easiest way to let others know what you look like.

MySpace members are asked to upload a photo of themselves when they first sign up. This step can be skipped and done later. Photos which are uploaded to MySpace must be .gif or .jpg files. Additionally they must be smaller than 600k. The filename for photos should also not contain spaces or characters other than numbers or letters.

Adding Music to the Website

The addition of music to a MySpace website is a very common practice. This is used both by bands who want to promote their music as well as by individuals who want to let others know what type of music they like. The process of adding music to a MySpace website is incredibly easy. Members can visit the following web address to listen to music from MySpace artists: Put Music On My MySpace. If the artist has granted permission for others to use the music, there will be a button that says “Add” next to the song. Clicking on this link, when you are logged into this account, will automatically add the music to the background of your MySpace website. You are only able to add one song at once to your profile but you can change the music as often as you like by adding a new song. If you already have one song and add another, the second song will replace the original song on your profile.

Posting Quizzes on the Website

Many MySpace members include fun personality quizzes on their website and publish their quiz results. These quizzes give visitors more information about the member. The members may also post a link to this quiz so other members can take the quiz and post their results in the comments page. Different types of personality quizzes can be found on the Internet and many of these quizzes give you the code necessary to add this quiz to your MySpace website or another websites. You can copy and paste the code into the “Interests” section of your MySpace profile.

Bands and Fans on MySpace

Music

Looking for a new band to call your own, or hoping to turn weekend jam sessions into a career?

Thanks to the emergence of MySpace.com and other social networking sites, the Web is becoming a giant audition stage where millions of fans lay in wait.

From weekend hacks to Grammy-winning acts, more than 600,000 bands are using MySpace to upload songs and videos, announce shows, promote albums and interact with fans.

“Bands are going to MySpace because it’s free and they don’t have to know how to do a Web site,” said Tom Anderson, the site’s 29-year-old co-founder and president. “But the biggest reason is because there are 43 million people on MySpace.”

The site’s astronomic growth since its fall 2003 launch — it’s adding 4 million users a month — has made MySpace a pop icon and a corporate darling. Last summer, media mogul Rupert Murdoch paid $580 million to acquire the site and its parent company, Intermix. MySpace has become the third most visited Web domain (Google is No. 1), started its own record label and premiered new releases by several high-profile artists, including Madonna, Neil Diamond and Nine Inch Nails.

“Every day it seems we hit these new milestones,” Anderson said.

This community is clickable

Anderson didn’t set out to create a music powerhouse. MySpace was conceived as a cyber community where people in the same city or on opposite ends of the Earth could meet and correspond — “a place for friends.” Anderson, a fan of independent bands, said he also recognized that the site could bridge the gap between musicians and fans.

“Part of the appeal (of MySpace) is that people aren’t here just for music, but casual fans can find it here,” Anderson said. “Bands themselves can reach out and find fans. It’s really opened up opportunities for bands to promote themselves.”

MySpace Music is the prime convergence point for bands and fans. Users can search for artists by name, genre, location or keyword. The section promotes new and well-established acts through exclusive content such as streaming audio and video. Audioslave, Weezer, Depeche Mode and other artists have previewed entire albums on the site ahead of their official release.

Social networking Web sites

A sampling of sites that allow users to connect with each other and find music:
Friendster — Meet cyber pals, blog, share photos, store contact information.
MySpace — Create profiles, blog, chat, send messages, access music and videos.
Pandora — Create streaming music playlists and discover “genetically” related artists.
Pure Volume — Artists can upload songs, visitors can search for bands.
TagWorld — Create, categorize and share personalized content.
You Tube — Watch, share and embed video clips on MySpace and other sites.
Yahoo! 360° — Create online profiles, share photos, blog, connect with friends.
What sets MySpace and rival sites such as Friendster, TagWorld and Pure Volume apart from music giants MTV.com and Rollingstone.com is a blend of inclusiveness and interconnectivity. Any and all artists are welcome on MySpace, from Christian artists to death metal thrashers, and everything on the site is linked to something else. Click on a user’s image and you’re sent to a profile featuring pictures, blogs, personal interests and links to cyber pals and bands. Keep clicking and you’re sent to more profiles and search results. Bands can post concert listings, interact with MySpace users and make songs available for download or background music.

“Social networking is one of the best examples of what the Web can do: connect people, whether it’s at the micro level or the macro level, one-to-one or hundreds of thousands of people at once,” said Toby Lewis, editorial director at London-based Music Ally.

DIY promotional tool

Jonathan Buck, guitarist and lead singer for the Brooklyn indie rock group Coppermine, says his band’s profile on MySpace has drawn nearly 300,000 visitors. The band can instantly distribute messages and news to more than 115,000 MySpace users who have added Coppermine as a “friend” on their profile. Thanks to the broad reach of MySpace, Coppermine no longer has to flood radio stations with CDs or plaster concert posters around town.

“A MySpace profile is so efficient and so effective that it supplants a lot of that other stuff,” Buck said.

Likening MySpace to a big music festival, Buck says the site allows small bands to make a name for themselves without spending time and money on the menial tasks usually associated with band development.

“You go to a big rock show where a big band is headlining — say, Audioslave — and you’re there with CDs and posters, waiting in the rain to hand this stuff out to the crowd after the show. MySpace allows you to do that everyday, without spending any money,” he said.

‘... The best way to describe MySpace is that it proves the “Six Degrees of Separation” theory.’

— Jane May
MySpace user

Coppermine’s fans aren’t the only ones following the band online. Buck said the band has been contacted by managers, promoters, music labels, Webzines, DJs and others “who definitely wouldn’t have heard us if not for MySpace.”

Myspace Music Won't Play?

Music Solutions

I hear this question from Myspace users a lot, with some variations on the theme. For some, the music will start automatically when the Myspace profile is viewed, but it doesn't work all the time. Others complain that it never starts automatically. And some report that the music starts playing, but stops part of the way through the song.

NOTE: If you have questions about how to ADD music or a sound clip to your Myspace profile, download this helpful toolbar Best Music For MySpace Profiles and easily include a music player.

The first thing to check when you have a problem with a MySpace music player problem is go to your Myspace profile settings. Login to Myspace, click on Edit Profile, then click Profile Songs. If the box next to Enable My Profile Song to automatically start is NOT checked, then click to check the box and press Submit. Reload your profile and the music SHOULD start.

If the music still doesn't start automatically when you view the profile, or it starts and stops, then most likely it's a Myspace internal problem. With 70+ million people pounding the Myspace website, there are times when the service just can't keep up with the demand. Because music requires a lot of bandwidth, it's likely that under the covers, there are multiple servers that pump out the music files when profiles are viewed. If one or more of those servers is bogged down or has crashed, the result might be that some Myspace users will see this "no music" problem and others will not.

Add Glitter And Smiley's To Your Page!

Adding Cool Bling

Their motto is, "Help us rid the web of ugly pages." Webfetti has all sorts of things to help you make your social networking profile look better and stand out from the crowd. Customize your profile with different layouts, smileys, glitter letters, glitter graphics, video and more.

The smileys are great. There are a lot of different smileys to choose from. They all do something different so you can create an emotion on your profile page with them. There are President Bush smileys, talking smileys, love smileys, robot smileys and I could go on and on.

There are also glitter graphics. There are animal glitter graphics, people, alien and creature glitter graphics, object glitter graphics and more.

There are a couple code generators on the site too so you can create a code you can copy and paste into your profile page. Create your own glitter text that will say anything you want it to say with the Glitter Text Generator. There's also a video generator. Choose the border you want around your video and add your own video code from YouTube or MySpace into the box.

Use Webfetti to doll up your profile page. Then come back here and post a link to your profile so we can see what you've done with it.