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Tuesday, January 13, 2009 

Myspace vs Facebook?

by Madalyn Sklar



We have a great discussion going on over at the GoGirls Yahoo Group talking about the pros and cons of both Myspace and Facebook. It's quite interesting. And being that I'm a social networks expert I just had to throw in my two cents so here is what I had to say...

Here's my take on Myspace vs Facebook:

First off Myspace is not dead. It's still a great way to promote you and your music. It's not difficult to dramatically increase your friends/fans. I just started a promotion campaign for a fellow GoGirl and increased her friend count by 212% in only 2 weeks. Some people say it's about the "quality" not the "quantity" when it comes to Myspace friends. I disagree. For your personal page, sure, make it about quality. But for your band or business, you want to cast a wide, targeted net and reach as many people as possible. Then it's up to you to develop one-on-one relationships with people who reach out to you or those you reach out to. I've seen amazing results when this happens. I know many people are fed up with Myspace and moving to Facebook. Yes, Myspace can be very frustrating but my team and I know how to effectively work it to our benefit and to the benefit of our clients. It's the best, free social network.

Facebook rocks! I love Facebook. It's awesome connecting with friends and family. And it's cool meeting new people, catching up with old high school friends and making new fans. However, there are limitations. Your personal page can only hold up to 5,000 friends. So of course you want to set up a "band" page. But, you cannot invite people to join it. You can only invite people to your personal page. You can set up a "group" page and invite people to that. It's cool because it's more of a community feel. But like any social network, it can get quite frustrating. I do recommend setting up a "band" page to promote yourself and reach people you might not find elsewhere. It's slow going to get people as "fans" but you can advertise on Facebook for a nominal "per click" fee. I find it's best to promote your Facebook page on your other social networks such as Myspace and Twitter as well as your regular web site.

One thing I always say when it comes to social networks... it only works if you work it!

That's my two cents. Check out my company Social Networks for Musicians for articles on this subject. And feel free to contact me there if you'd like to learn more. I'm not trying to be sales pitchy, just informational. I spent a great deal of time speaking on this subject at music conferences last year. I'll also be on the Social Networks panel at Folk Alliance next month.
So there you have it. My take on this subject. I know a lot of people are frustrated with Myspace but it's still a very valuable place to promote yourself. And on the flipside I know a lot of people don't understand Facebook. That is why I created my FREE Facebook Marketing Tips eCourse. You can sign up at http://www.socialnetworksformusicians.com/.

So give me your two cents on this subject. Myspace? Facebook? Both? I'd love to hear from you.

Copyright © 2009 Madalyn Sklar, IndieMusicCoach.com

Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 13 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

Madalyn's Sites:
http://www.indiemusiccoach.com/
http://www.gogirlsmusic.com/
http://www.socialnetworksformusicians.com/

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I just started using Facebook. I also created a profile on Reverbnation, and it automatically creates a Facebook band page. Once you create a personal Facebook page, you can add your band page and then invite people to become fans once they accept your friend invitation. Pretty nifty--it is that "Work harder not smarter" thing!

My experience with MySpace is that it has become a defacto "demo" for bands. As far as the benefits of actual social networking, I haven't seen any positive results come from it. Almost all comments are auto-generated ads, and any kind of direct message often goes unanswered. I don't think I'm the only one with this experience. It's great for directing potential fans to 'sample' music but that is it.

i'm with andrew, i have to disagree that myspace is useful for finding new fans anymore. it was at one point, but now i feel like there's so many musicians screaming for attention, that it's just white noise. no one pays attention. i don't even accept add requests from bands anymore. yes me, a musician.

i think it functions well as an epk, since lots of clubs will use it as an acceptable way to book you. and it's convenient to direct anyone who you know is interested in your music, since everyone knows the format.

i like facebook better, just because i can find my actual friends easier to invite them to shows and such.

I disagree that MySpace is pretty much dead. I got into MySpace through my former boss, Amy Priest of Priestess Designs (now passed away) when she wanted to promote her website design and desktop publishing business. We had magnificent success and even though I went offline for over a year and had to refocus because I lost Amy, I'm seeing an upsurge in blog and profile views just by being there for my friends/associates. I think that's the key with any social networking site. The other people there aren't there as a food source, but for their own benefit in one way or another. Just like any marketing effort, first you have to get them to understand how they benefit from continueing your relationship.
Some say MySpace isn't for anything but music industry promotions but I'm investigating the question (yes, I'm going to blog on it, heh) and while the majority share the opinion that MySpace is dead/dying, a select and (key word here) successful few are still getting excellent results from their MySpace connections. I'm studying their sites in order to get insight into how they do it so I can share it with my friends/associates in my blog and social networking sites.
Molly

Hey everyone, thanks for sharing your two cents on this subject. I've been working Myspace promotions for bands and businesses for years and I can tell you even today it's still a great way to increase you online presence. It's about your strategy and doing it consistently. My clients are so happy with the work we do for them. They are getting new fans, people to their shows, booking gigs, etc. I see it every day.

I just came across a really great eBook on Facebook Marketing for musicians. I recommend it to anyone wanting to learn some new ideas/tricks.

Keep sending me your thoughts!

I personally think MySpace is invaluable. Still. It IS about how you work it. If you don't open and walk through the doors it unlocks for you then it will seem like a useless mess, but taking time to identify and act on the opportunities it provides can be seriously rewarding.
And it isn't hard to do - while it doesn't just fall into your lap as soon as you make a band page, the effort it does require most definitely pays off.

I'm newer to Facebook but can already recognize its huge potential. I'm very excited about it and am continually impressed by its seemingly thoughtful programming and architecture. Bands have a lot to benefit from when using Facebook. So many great ways to connect with the fans.

My vote = Yay both! :)

Most people who are active on social networking sites have a profile on both MySpace and Facebook. However, despite being on both sites, each user almost always has a preference for one site over the other. That's due to the fact that there are some significant differences between the two networking sites and the people who are most active on them. Neither one is necessarily better than the other but any one individual might consider one "better" in comparison because of the different uses for each of the sites. Here's a closer look at those differences:

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WHO IS MADALYN SKLAR?


    Madalyn Sklar is a music business coach & consultant, blogger, social networks expert and author. She has spent over 15 years helping independent musicians and music business professionals achieve greater success. Her motto is: working smarter not harder. She also founded GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest + largest online community of indie women musicians.

    Madalyn's Sites:
    * GoGirlsMusic.com
    * Social Networks for Musicians
    contact: madalynsklar(at)gmail.com

         

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