Social networking is a phenomenon that seems recent on the
internet with sites likie ecademy, linkedin, ryze, openbc,
orkut, craigslist, friendster, and of course myspace. But the
nature of networking with others has been around for thousands
of years as individuals gathered in communities and expanded
their base of friends. It's through the technology
advancements, though, that worldwide networking with people you
choose is being made easier every day.

The website MySpace is a community that has arisen in the last
few years as a result of a need in the marketplace for an easy
to use, customizable, fluid, multimedia rich, and fun place to
hang out. Preteens, teens, and college age students have
flocked to MySpace in droves, with the intent of creating a
space for themselves on the web, expanding their network for
social purposes, and being entertained along the way.

The MySpace platform is now used by tens of thousands of young
adults daily, has a high ranking in sites like Alexa, and has
retained a very loyalty effect, meaning that users frequently
come back to the platform to add to their sites and connect or
reconnect with those who also gather there.

One of the most useful features of MySpace is the ability to
add in skins and overlays to add flavor to your site. There are
many individuals and websites out there that enable easy
customization of this online community. Along with visual
customization of your site, it's also useful to include audio.
This audio can be in the form of a message you leave for
visitors or by adding in clips from your favorite music.
Another great way to add flavor to your site is through the
addition of content that reflects your personality, interests,
thoughts, and basic views on the world. And by searching for
users with similar interests and developing a connection with
them, you can expand your networking.

In order to develop a connection with those you network with,
it's best to keep in mind how to add value to the relationship
you have with them. In other words, how can you benefit them or
their site? Perhaps you know of someone they should meet and you
want to make an introuction, or you know of other music similar
to what they've posted on their site, or you have a perspective
on some content they've included. It's through these sharings
that you could not only increase the quantity of networking,
but also the quality of networking that you're doing.

The skills in networking that young adults gain by using a site
like MySpace are ones that will stay with them their whole life,
enabling them eventually to maybe meet a mate, develop a
fulfilling career, or establish lifelong friends.

By keeping in mind the principles of customizing content and
developing a unique persona, focusing on adding value to
relationships established online through speaking to what
benefits them, and networking with a long-term view in mind for
creating connecxtioins both with those you have a lot in common
with and those you may not at first glance, the investment of
time and effort you put into MySpace can pay off for the future
as well.


About The Author: Dave Lloyd has created an online guide to
MySpace and social networking at
http://www.socialnetworkingsecrets.com