Questions about MySpace and Facebook

[msagara]

I'm not entirely a luddite. But. Well. MySpace and Facebook? They make me feel bemused and almost entirely incompetent. But I know there are a bunch of people in my flist that probably don't feel either of these, and I thought I would, you know, badger you for helpful advice.

1.* How does it work? I recently created a MySpace account and then ... kind of clicked in circles because I couldn't really figure out how to do anything, or in fact even figure out what I was supposed to do. My oldest son and my friends mock me mercilessly in Facebook, and because I love them, I want to avoid having to kill them, so I haven't yet created an account there.

2. Have you found it helpful?

ETA: * as in rudimentary step-by-step instructions as if you were speaking to your 5 year old dog. Because I in theory understand that you are suppose to build a friends-list there, but cannot figure out how to do this.

Comments

[stillnotbored.livejournal.com]

It kind of frightens me that authors feel the need to have a presence on MySpace and Facebook. I feel too old for both of them. They feel designed by and for high school kids.

I plan on ignoring both places for as long as possible. That might turn out to be forever.

[msagara.livejournal.com]

I plan on ignoring both places for as long as possible. That might turn out to be forever.

What I've repeatedly been told about MySpace (moreso than Facebook, but that could be the sources) is that on MySpace you make contact with readers. It's a different paradigm because many of these readers are not also writers, so their interest is more focused.

I admit that putting up bits and pieces of what amounts to self-promotion in LJ strikes me as not at all conducive to conversation and discussion, but I get the sense -- and I could be wrong -- that that's almost the point of MySpace; short bytes of information about current works, sales, book-related news.

Although with my total lack of HTML knowledge, I'm not sure that it wouldn't be much harder.

[stillnotbored.livejournal.com]

I totally understand why a writer creates a MySpace page. There is nothing more important than connecting with readers and writers need to use every tool they can.

I just wish the place didn't make my skin crawl.

My son has a MySpace page for his band. Maybe I can hire him to do a page for me.