Everyone’s heard of the social network MySpace. From my understanding it actually started as a networking community for bands who wanted to get the word out about their music, upcoming releases and concerts. MySpace has evolved considerably since those beginning days.

Many parents have heard unfortunate stories about the way some people misuse the site. In fact up until a year ago, I never even bothered to check it out due to all the negativity. Once I did, however, I began to realize it’s all on how you use the site.

MySpace can be a fun way for members to meet new people all over the world. It enables others to reconnect with old friends and learn about all kinds of interesting stuff. Users are free to create a Web page which reflects their personality. Creativity is all over MySpace.

Although MySpace offers lots of fun interaction, there are now lots of people using the community for business purposes. They use MySpace to network, make business connections and/or to promote their business. Considering the huge amount of visitors the site in general receives, this can be a really good thing for marketing purposes. However, for those who do promote their business on MySpace, there are some unwritten rules. First and foremost, care should be taken to create a MySpace Web page that is attractive and interesting while maintaining a professional appearance.

Avoid Slang and Abbreviations

One way to maintain a professional appearance on a MySpace is to avoid the use of slang or abbreviations. Many MySpace sites feature slang, abbreviations and terms which are not grammatically correct. While this “Internet lingo” may be entertaining and acceptable among members of the community, it’s not likely to appeal to potential customers or business partners. Additionally, not everyone understands the language often used on message boards, text messages, IMs and emails and those who do not understand won’t keep reading.

Keep the Design Tasteful

As I mentioned earlier, the sky is the limit when designing your own MySpace page. You’ll see all kinds of unusual fonts, wild colors, bizarre images and various background music. While these types of designs may offer insight into an individual�s personality they’re not appropriate for a business related web page.

Here’s a few tips for making your MySpace page casual, yet professional. Try using muted colors which complement each other to make your page aesthetically appealing. Users are more likely to spend time on pages with “soothing” colors. Use easy-to-read font types and sizes. If you are going to add background music, keep it low key with the option to mute.

Avoid Potentially Embarrassing Photos

Special consideration should be given to the use of photos on a page if your intention is to market. Lots of the photos you see on MySpace are wild and crazy ones of friends, parties, etc. While that’s fine for fun and entertainment purposes, avoid silly photos to keep a professional appearance.

Whether or not pictures are used on MySpace is a matter of personal preference but when they are used, care should be taken to ensure they contribute to the overall design of the page and it’s purpose, rather than distract from it.

Do you use MySpace in your marketing plan? Does it help bring traffic to your Web site? Tell us how it’s working for you.

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