Generally, I think most people play well with others. It’s a simple matter of “do unto others” – three little words that never fall out of fashion. Keeping this in mind throughout all aspects of life is good practice, so it stands to reason that interactions in the MySpace community are served equally well by this sage advice. Here are a few checkpoints for exercising MySpace manners:

• Comments: A friend’s Comments section is an ideal place to express admiration for a fellow artist; it’s also the perfect tool to thank your new friend for adding you or for accepting your request. I know we’re all busy, but try to take the time to post a brief Comment when you receive or become a new friend. You’ll immediately make a good impression, and your profile will instantly become prominent to other friends who visit your new friend’s page. They may like what they see and contact you, thereby continuing the circle of MySpace life …


• Approve/Deny: You’ve received notification of a potential new friend. You eagerly click on the “New Friend Requests” link, and there you see a name, picture, something that makes you arch the ol’ brow. You open the user’s page, and your confusion grows … you think, What in the world made this person think we would have anything in common? You return to your previous screen, puzzled and uncertain whether to accept the request. Our advice – don’t worry! Remember, you aren’t obligated to accept everyone who crosses your path. The MySpace team wisely set this feature so that the requester does not receive notification if their request is denied. (I’ve denied one persistent party three times now; their profile is a sales gimmick page for a pyramid-type business venture. I definitely don’t have the time or energy for that!) Sure, it’s wonderful to see those big numbers under our “Friends” lists; but think quality, not quantity. By the same token, before you dismiss a dubious request too quickly, check the “Mutual Friends” link in the request. If the two of you have enough mutual friends, perhaps you’re being too hasty. This person may turn out to be a very welcome addition to your group.


• “What I meant to say was … ” Take care with the written word! While dashing about MySpace, it’s easy to become complacent, compulsively firing off blogs, Bulletins, and so on. Sometimes, in our zeal to communicate, we don’t express ourselves as intended, or something doesn’t come out quite right. And, as we know from watching the news, a few rash e-mail messages distributed to the wrong recipients can bring down empires. Granted, the results of a gaffe in the MySpace community probably won’t be quite so dire; still, take your time when sharing information, thoughts, opinions. Read each post carefully before sending it out into the world; read and re-read. Make sure you don’t mind ANYONE seeing your words – it isn’t called the World Wide Web for nothing.



These are just a few suggestions. Let us know if you’ve had an experience in which you wish either you or someone else had responded differently; or maybe you figured out a way to rectify an awkward situation. A community is only as good as its citizens. Help keep MySpace Music tidy!


- Pam