Several pages of my site are perfectly suited to the average joe-retard-kid on Myspace. I've been trying to get more freinds, but i'm only getting about 5 per day. What's a good friend-train to jump onto?
I would just search friend train in the search engines, the ones that come up first are probably the most popular. Just remember that most of the people on those trains are probably just like you wanting friends to market to. You might look in to adder robot. You can use that to surf myspace and when you find someone with like 1,000 friends you can automatically send them all a friend request. I used the trial and it worked great, expect to get a lot of questions about who are you or do I know you, but at least you know they are real people.
I don't recall ever saying promoting through Myspace was "bad" and should be avoided. I simply said it should be done in a proper and ethical manner, and not via spamming. It's the same with email marketing. There's a right way and a wrong way (spamming) to handle things. You don't have to agree with my ethical position on the matter. But in my field there's a code of ethics that covers these kinds of issues through the top professional organizations. I use Myspace to market my webzine and business quite effectively. I've brought in large clients that way, and I have only a few hundred "friends". I also have an area of my business targeting musicians specifically, which is why I use the site in the first place. Myspace is an effective networking tool when used well, and my experience, as well as that of other professionals I network with on the site, is a great demonstration of the fact that you don't need to mass-add "friends" and spam them in bulletins to get results. Just like with anything else, you need to create some quality content or give some information relevant to your niche. Interact with people one on one a bit through the site, and you'll get the best results. I rarely send bulletins, and certainly not to advertise. People respect that, and they know when I do say something it's important and they actually read it. If you keep spamming people, they'll simply ignore your bulletins and you won't get the desired results anyway. I found that the best use of myspace was in encouraging word of mouth marketing. It's a really viral network over there. If you get someone to say something good about you, others start following. I don't even bother adding people anymore. They find me and make the requests themselves. I think personally that's a lot more important, b/c it's as though this person is saying, "hey, I like what you have to say, and I want to learn more." It gives you a similar effect of having a really great opt-in email list, but more interactive. Myspace has excellent potential as a marketing tool. But that doesn't justify using it to spam anyone. I also didn't say promoting through Myspace means your site isn't worth seeing. I was saying that promoting through myspace BY USING SPAM means it's probably not worth seeing. And I stand by that. If you use any kind of spam to market your site, that tells me as a marketing / pr professional that legitimate methods didn't work for you because something needs improving on your site, or you're (not you personally... just in general) simply too lazy to put time into learning about proper marketing techniques and implementing them. Marketing is probably the most important aspect of running a business. It can make or break you. And that's not just coming from someone who works in the field... but from someone who has to market their own business regularly. It's not easy. And yes, it can take time. With my clients, freelance work, and sites I run on the side, I barely have time to sleep. But I still make time to market myself. It's that important. And yes, marketing is about being creative. Spam isn't creative ... it's obnoxious. It's also illegal in most respects. That doesn't mean find a new avenue to spam people. It means learn that it was a mistake in the first place and find better alternatives. If you want creative ideas, look into guerrilla marketing techniques. There's a lot you can do that has more potential, better ROI, and doesn't always even have to take a lot of time. And most guerrilla tactics are free or extremely cheap. I think the official site is www.gmarketing.com, but you can look into a few of the books in the series. They're worth a read, and can certainly give better alternatives than using social networking as the next spamming platform. Jenn
At one point, I looked at the website you mentioned. I thought the idea is great and I was really excited to see what I can learn. To my dissapointment, I did not discover much useful information. The majority of info on this site is general beaten truths of guerilla marketing, it lacks in specific examples and hard facts, which is what I usually look for. I agree on the fact that spamming is unethical and obnoxious. But I am not sure if it is illiegal. Is it really illiegal? If so, please throw some links and refences so I can research the issue. From what I know it is legal just unethical.
Yes, spamming is illegal in a lot of contexts internationally. In the US for example, the rules are set by the FTC - http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/spam/rules.htm The link I gave is the official website for the founder of the Guerrilla Marketing series - Jay Conrad Levinson. You can find ideas for specific tactics all over the Web, but that's the official "source" on the subject. Here are a few other links: http://www.allfreelance.com/smallbusiness/marketingpromoting/viralmarketing/guerrillamarketing.html http://www.forbes.com/2006/06/08/cx_sr_0608askexpert_slide.html?partner=rediff http://www.allinfoaboutconsulting.com/index.php?page=65 - this is one of my own ... just a very basic background on gmarketing and some tactics on the second page. I'll be building this up into a more comprehensive section eventually, but haven't had a chance yet. As for the books, I've worked with authors of two of them in this past year, and have come across a lot of fantastic tips. My personal favorites are Guerrilla Marketing for Consultants and Guerrilla Marketing for Writers. There are titles based entirely on online marketing tactics as well though. It's worth a trip to the library. Just browse through a few and you'll find a ton of great ideas. Or, if you want guerrilla tactics, just say exactly what you're looking to promote, and I'll gladly see if I can come up w/ a few ideas for you. Just PM me or email me. Jenn