To MySpace or not to MySpace, that is the question
I've been thinking about posting all my new blogs both here and on MySpace. It would give me maximum exposure and it would be more convenient for my friends and readers who frequent MySpace.
I still haven't completely made up my mind on the matter. But recent comments on my latest MySpace blog got me to thinking about why I haven't done it so far.
1) Keeping track of messages, responding to comments, et cetera, is time consuming enough on one site. I'm trying to keep both sites current now, but it's consuming hours of every day and I'm still way behind on answering friends. I have a hundred unanswered messages in my MySpace inbox, despite the fact that I've been online twelve hours a day for the past month (with the exception of a couple of days around Christmas). I can build and keep up my new site - plus write new blogs - plus finish writing my book - but doing all those things means I can't spend nearly the amount of time I've been accustomed to spending on MySpace.... I'm finding this to be true despite my lack of regular employment. I'll have even less time when I procure a real job. So I have to prioritize. And since there is less fulfillment and less future for me in MySpace than there is in my book and the crisischronicles site, I have to make a choice. In many ways I still love MySpace and I'm grateful for the opportunities it's presented. I've met some fantastic friends there! But I'm 41 years old and need to work toward creating a future for myself. If I continue to post my blogs on MySpace, then most of my comments will be there as well, which means most of my time will be there, unless I want to ignore people (which I don't). Time limits force me to make a choice: Book and new site? Or MySpace? So MySpace is getting the short end of the stick - unless I want my book and site (and family) to get it. MySpace will probably delete me soon anyway....
2) MySpace has repeatedly deleted the profiles of certain friends of mine. One of my dearest friends just had his profile deleted this morning for no apparent reason. He's the twenty-third I've noticed since the beginning of the year (and that's just on my friend list). Apparently the picture of two men kissing with their shirts off on his profile page was more than either Tom Anderson or Rupert Murdoch could stand. Free speech is not always in MySpace's best interest. They deleted my old profile for no good reason and they will eventually delete the current one. It's just a matter of time. And I'm not one for driving my car full-speed down a dead-end street when there are other thoroughfares available. All good things must come to an end, and my MySpace run is one of them. I will try to keep up there, as time permits, for as long as my profile remains. And I want to stay in touch with all my friends there. But I feel the time has come for MySpace and MyLife to diverge. Remember Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken"?
3) The way I see it, if anyone clicks the ads on my MySpace page (or yours), the advertisers' money goes to Rupert Murdoch's minions who helped fund George W. Bush's campaign and helped support the war in Iraq. Right-wing zealots and their big business supporters and beneficiaries are thriving because of our addictions: we're addicted to oil, or to wanton consumption, or to fundamentalism, or to MySpace, or to fear (of terrorism or sex offenders or goodness knows what else).... I've certainly been addicted to more than one of those. So I'm not criticizing anybody (except perhaps the powers-that-be and myself). But I feel I need to break free from MySpace addiction. For this reason, I believe that the fear of my profile being deleted there again has actually been a good thing. It's been a catalyst, pushing me out of my comfort zone and giving new life to my personal growth and evolution.
Hmmm... but I'm still thinking about it. (-;
I still haven't completely made up my mind on the matter. But recent comments on my latest MySpace blog got me to thinking about why I haven't done it so far.
1) Keeping track of messages, responding to comments, et cetera, is time consuming enough on one site. I'm trying to keep both sites current now, but it's consuming hours of every day and I'm still way behind on answering friends. I have a hundred unanswered messages in my MySpace inbox, despite the fact that I've been online twelve hours a day for the past month (with the exception of a couple of days around Christmas). I can build and keep up my new site - plus write new blogs - plus finish writing my book - but doing all those things means I can't spend nearly the amount of time I've been accustomed to spending on MySpace.... I'm finding this to be true despite my lack of regular employment. I'll have even less time when I procure a real job. So I have to prioritize. And since there is less fulfillment and less future for me in MySpace than there is in my book and the crisischronicles site, I have to make a choice. In many ways I still love MySpace and I'm grateful for the opportunities it's presented. I've met some fantastic friends there! But I'm 41 years old and need to work toward creating a future for myself. If I continue to post my blogs on MySpace, then most of my comments will be there as well, which means most of my time will be there, unless I want to ignore people (which I don't). Time limits force me to make a choice: Book and new site? Or MySpace? So MySpace is getting the short end of the stick - unless I want my book and site (and family) to get it. MySpace will probably delete me soon anyway....
2) MySpace has repeatedly deleted the profiles of certain friends of mine. One of my dearest friends just had his profile deleted this morning for no apparent reason. He's the twenty-third I've noticed since the beginning of the year (and that's just on my friend list). Apparently the picture of two men kissing with their shirts off on his profile page was more than either Tom Anderson or Rupert Murdoch could stand. Free speech is not always in MySpace's best interest. They deleted my old profile for no good reason and they will eventually delete the current one. It's just a matter of time. And I'm not one for driving my car full-speed down a dead-end street when there are other thoroughfares available. All good things must come to an end, and my MySpace run is one of them. I will try to keep up there, as time permits, for as long as my profile remains. And I want to stay in touch with all my friends there. But I feel the time has come for MySpace and MyLife to diverge. Remember Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken"?
3) The way I see it, if anyone clicks the ads on my MySpace page (or yours), the advertisers' money goes to Rupert Murdoch's minions who helped fund George W. Bush's campaign and helped support the war in Iraq. Right-wing zealots and their big business supporters and beneficiaries are thriving because of our addictions: we're addicted to oil, or to wanton consumption, or to fundamentalism, or to MySpace, or to fear (of terrorism or sex offenders or goodness knows what else).... I've certainly been addicted to more than one of those. So I'm not criticizing anybody (except perhaps the powers-that-be and myself). But I feel I need to break free from MySpace addiction. For this reason, I believe that the fear of my profile being deleted there again has actually been a good thing. It's been a catalyst, pushing me out of my comfort zone and giving new life to my personal growth and evolution.
Hmmm... but I'm still thinking about it. (-;
hey john? a person's got to do what feels right for them. the thing i'll miss the most about you not being on myspace? you don't have an "online now" light over here...
we became friends because myspace exists, but real friendship is not confined to one site, and by site, i mean more than sites on the internet.
you are FREE here, that's what matters.
love and hugs
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Thank you, Meribeth! I'm grateful for your friendship.
I believe it was Albert Einstein who said, "Everything that is truly great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom."
And I'll have to see what I can do about getting an "online now" icon hooked up here. (-;
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JC, I think that if you were to disappear from MySpace, your regular readers would hook up with you here...
I can't imagine that anyone who reads your blogs now would want to miss out on all the new ones to come... I know I wouldn't want to miss any! Sometimes, people just need a push to change. And as for the lower numbers of readers to this site, maybe they are catching up on your transferred blogs the way I am... they are delivered to my mailbox, and I'm reading them as I get them. That way, it wouldn't show up on your site to be counted, would it? So, no worries....
And, those of us still on MySpace can promote your new site...as I will be doing....
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Thank you, Dianne. I have 245 subscribers on MySpace and only 19 here so far. If I add 19 to all my blog numbers here, I still don't get 245. But most of those 250 don't comment on my MySpace blogs - so I can't be sure if they're reading me there either... lol.
Numbers are nice... but I'm also well aware that there are a lot of things more important than numbers. Freedom and relative security are two of them. So is the knowledge and facility I'm gaining - in HTML, Java, et cetera - which can perhaps be translated into gainful employment creating and designing web sites for businesses, organizations, or individuals.
A few months ago, when I originally thought about leaving MySpace, I read a New York Times piece that said that for most bloggers who change sites, an average of only ten percent of their readers follow along. By those standards, I think I'm doing fairly well. I expected to lose some folks along the way - it's perfectly understandable. Yet I'm fortunate to have had so many friends come along. I tend to think of the people who visit my blogs regularly as "friends," not just "readers." And the fact that so many have visited me here (far more than the number of 19 subscribers would suggest) confirms that they are indeed friends to a large degree.
You amke some good points, Dianne - and I appreciate your kindness.
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Ok so there is an easy solution get all emils and send them to one e-mail account that way you wont miss a thing and everything is under one roof so to speak.
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Thanks for your suggestion, Gracy!
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It's going to be hard to get any new readers if your only on an independent website. I'd suggest posting your blogs in both places, disable comments on myspace and include a link to this sites copy of the blog for comments at the end of each blog. That should reduce the time going back and forth to answer comments on both sites.
Good luck whatever you do.
MM
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Thank, you, MM! Good point... and I really appreciate your suggestion. I suspect there will inevitably be some people who won't go though the extra effort to leave a comment. But I'd like to think that most people who were going to leave a comment will still do so. Hmm... I'm going to give that some serious consideration. Thanks again!
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There are more ways to make money with
websites than just Amazon and Google.
By creating this website you have learned a whole lot. Every business
has websites. Every college and university has websites. There are many opportunities to work at home. Many in my family are doing just that. I will
give you several examples if you get
in touch with me soon.
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Oh, I agree... I've been looking into more than just Amazon and Google, though they are the first I've implemented. Making money isn't my primary purpose in creating this site. Having it be self-supporting would make me happy. It's intended to be more a creative and informative endeavor. But as far as making money from home by doing work on the computer that is unrelated to my site, I'm very much interested in exploring ways to do so. That's part of why I'm spending so much time trying to learn programming languages right now. So I greatly appreciate your offer of assistance in this regard. (-;
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I suggest you try
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I'm definitely all for trying, my friend! (-;
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Be a Buddhist,Taoist,agnostic,liberal,
poet,minister,musician,composer,pacifist,
pagan,bibliophile,bastard,family man,
philosopher but also try to be a copywriter. None of the above have made you any money so far and blogging just makes virtual friends. Writing for money might make a difference.
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LOL... indeed.
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John, the only reason I could think of for you to stay on myspace is because I am on myspace and I'm used to myspace. The problem is that myspace is not an effective forum for you anymore if you want to accomplish all of the other worthy pursuits you mentioned. I think that you are going to have to give up myspace. Thank you for explaining to everybody why this would be a good choice for you. I don't know to what extent any one of us is owed an explanation, but you were very gracious in giving one. I will definitely visit this website. I'm getting used to the fact that it's different from myspace. The idea that you will have an opportunity to answer more of your messages is far more appealing than seeing your light is on over at myspace. I agree with Diane. We, your friends, can easily advertise your new site on myspace. In addition you thoughtfully gave us the names of your friends to tell us where you are in case anyone missed the message. I say go for it, and I'll see you over here.
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You're very, very kind, Tara, and I'm grateful for your support.
I'm not sure I subscribe to it 100%, because I believe thoughtful explanation can build and strengthen friendships. But someone (I can't recall who off the top of my head) gave me this advice once: "Never explain. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe you anyway." I guess this makes you a true friend. (-; Thanks!
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Yes, MySpace is a real dilemma for me as well. Convenient, but certainly addictive.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
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Thanks, Lady! For now, I think I'm going to experiment with MentalMaze's suggestion - post blogs in both places, but then direct all comments and messages here. that way, it's more convenient for potential readers to see the blogs, but more convenient for me when I go to respond. Maybe I'll set aside one day a week to address MySpace. Hmmm... we'll see.
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Remember if everything you do is both on
My Space and your website as well, give up answering every comment and just let your creativity flow. You don't need to thank everyone who makes a comment. You know most of us by now. It is too time consuming so listen to Mental Maze. It is also too time consuming for us to go back and forth to see others comments.
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I do plan to respond to every comment here - that's very important to me. But I can't devote as much time as I'd like to here if I'm responding to comments all the time on MySpace - and I will respond to comments there, too, if I get them. So for now I'm taking MM's advice, disabling comments on MySpace blogs (except for the ever updating blog about my new site) and directing everyone here with an easy link if they wish to comment. That seems like the best compromise for now....
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It just seems to me to be logical to spend time on what your creative activities permit. And some of these could be making money on writing.
I am attempting to do the AWAI course for copy writers. At least you will
get paid for your efforts if you do
well with this. $$ make sense.
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I didn't know myspace was owned by the devil. *cough* I meant to say Rupert. Makes me almost sorry I signed up to be a part of that place... Does have the upside of finding fun new people though! I highly enjoy your blogs even though I'm not a regular commentator on them.
-Liz
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Thanks, Liz! I always enjoy yours as well.
I think when I started on MySpace I actually thought Tom owned it... lol... maybe he did at one point.
Thanks for stopping by. (-;
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