Yes, it is true. Many major brands are using Myspace as a free advertising medium. And yes it's true, there are a great many dirt bags lurking in the shadows of Myspace waiting for an unsuspecting and equally naive user to fall into their trap. But, for the most part, Myspace has proven to be extremely useful and it is obvious the function will not be going away any time soon.
So, what do we do now. What the heck, let us enjoy it. And in doing so, there is no better way to enjoy Myspace, or related sites, than the many resource sites that have popped up over the past few years. I am going to give you my thoughts on some of the top sites and some of the up and comers of this growing industry. I'll start with the big dog, myspacesupport.com.
Myspacesupport.com
This site was one of the first to come on the scene a few years back. The owner is based out Colorado and does a good job of indexing thousands of layouts. You can create an account and publish your own, if you feel like spending the time. Of course, make sure your pop-up blocker is on as many adds will post as soon as you arrive.
He has recently posted a new feature that includes Myspace layout videos which seems rather interesting. All of the other standard tool features are present and the site is indexing is very quick.
Overall, I give this site an A on its implementation and is definitely worth visiting.
Skize.com
My first example was one that shows what should be done. Size.com is an example of what should be avoided. This site is nothing more than a pointer to other people's work. It is full of useless Myspace reference text sections in order to place high in google search rankings (which it does well) yet doesn't actually provide anything useful to the user. These types of sites are terrible and should be avoided at all costs as you never know what software will end up dumping to your system as soon as you visit.
Overall, I give this site a big F. It should be avoided at all costs.
Mybuzzcut.com
This is an example of an 'up and comer' as it is new to the scene and has steadily been improving. The nicest feature on this Myspace site is the World Map Tracker that lets you see graphically who has visited your Myspace page. Additionally, This site has loads of custom sports themes including NFL, NBA and others. It was a bit slow when it first came out, but the latest release seems to have addressed performance issues. This site will get better over time.
My score for Mybuzzcut.com is a B but I think over time it will get better.
Myspace.org
Believe it or not, but this website is a Myspace resource site. I'm not sure how Myspace allowed for the .org extension to be taken. From a functional perspective, this site is very good. It has a good deal of content and it is extremely responsive, even though it consistently gets tons of traffic. It does a good job of showing some new additions on a regular basis.
That was the good. The bad has to do with advertising. It uses SO much you almost can't use the site. I was very disappointed on the aggressive nature of the advertising used on the site. It really isn't necessary. I have he changes this method.
Overall, I give this site a B-. It should have been an A, if it was not for the ads.
I hope this information is useful. For the most part, the top Myspace resource sites are very cool. They allow users of all skill level to make basic .html changes to their site to continue to customize, much like you would a car or a home. Nothing wrong with options.
B. Charles Smith is a 15 year Fortune 50 Company veteran specializing in organizational development and technology application. He is the chief editor of Mynaukri.net, one of India's leading publications on market trends and India jobs. Additionally, he has interests in many large entertainment site including Slubber.com (video aggregator)
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