While myspace has been open to anyone with an email from the get-go, Facebook's roots started with Colleges (for a while you needed a college email to join). I think this, along with a cleaner layout helps facebook.
Personally, I would never use myspace for an association or any business proposition that caters to anyone out of high school. Three main reasons:
- False Friends
- Hacks
- Too much noise
False Friends
False friends are spammers in the world of myspace. They are usually young girls, sometimes in inappropriate attire. And if for some reason you make the unfortunate mistake of friending one, you find that they have traits that a young professional, or any professional for that matter, should avoid. And depending on how often you sign into myspace, you may see friend requests with the ever prevalent X - which means there account has been deleted. Take a guess why.
Hacks
Some actions in myspace require you to sign back into myspace. Be careful! This could mean someone is taking your myspace info, which means your friends will receive countless comments on their pages about great deals, etc. Here is a classic example of a hack:
"whats up? i found this site and thought i'd tell everyone, it shows you if anyone at school likes you. i dont know how it works but its really cool, it told me a couple different people who have crushes on me. you gotta try it!"
This exact message was sent by two separate friends. Needless to say, they both know I'm married.
Too Much Noise
Whether it's customized backgrounds, music, or the lack of organization, MySpace is too big without maintaining it's small town feel. Indivduals accounts are too open (you could change the settings, but I just want to get on and network). Overall MySpace is a bit of a jungle, and if you're introducing members to social media, avoid myspace.
On the other hand, I'd use Facebook or even Ning.
The benefits of both are you don't get hacked, false friends and it is user friendly without the worry of the former two. I actually prefer both sites.Facebook is good in the fact you can connect to other individuals. This could be good or bad, depending on if you want to mix friends with peers.
Ning on the other hand is group based. The group is the foundation of the network, unlike facebook which focuses on the connection.
My best advice is to try them out for a little while before looking to launch anything for your membership. You know your members better than anyone, so you can tell if facebook, ning, or some other social network is the right fit. Just remember one thing - don't force it. Wait until there's an opportunity to connect. Have them start the conversation first, then use social networks to facilitate the conversation. And on this note I am happy to say that my session on Capturing the Conversation - Implementing Social Networks was accepted by ASAE and the Center's Annual Conference. So I'll hint around at this now and again to peek your interest in the August session.
P.S. I know I’ve been a sporadic blogger at best, but I’ve been learning a lot about blogging (even though I’ve only posted 3 posts). More info on this soon.
