MySpace is a social networking site that’s all the rage with the under 25 set these days. It is, on the whole, incredibly juvenile in content and remarkably ugly in appearance. It is also the number one site on the Internet right now, so they’re doing something right, namely making it very easy for the masses to “speak their piece” (no matter how insipid those thoughts may be).
The teen and pre-teen set, tending to lack an ability for complex thought or an appreciation for beauty in design, have flocked this thing like bees to honey. I’m as much into self-expression as the next guy—maybe more so—but do we really need millions of customized web pages that look like roadkill wearing argyle socks? My vote is “no,” but clearly I’m in the minority. Not to go all Grumpy Old Man, but kids today need to raise their standards at least ankle-high.
How did such a design disaster become so popular? I think two reasons: First, MySpace allowed bands to set up a free site to help popularize their music. This was MySpace’s original intent, and nothing speaks to the teenage mind like music (since music frequently incorporates sexual imagery and innuendo). Second, MySpace is a social network that relies on users for content and additional members and makes it easy to add both. It doesn’t look good and frequently it doesn’t work well, but that’s not stopped Microsoft Windows from being a huge marketing success either.
So, apprehensively, I’m doing some MySpace marketing for my music. I don’t have any stuff up there yet, but I’ve got the design to the point where I no longer want to rip my eyes out of my head when I see it. [Important note: I did not do the heavy lifting on the design. Mike Davidson of Mike Industries did all the template work. Mad props to him.]
Once I figure out how to get a few of my songs up there I’m pretty much planning to make it a static page unless I get a rush of “I’d really like to buy your music!” traffic. In the meantime, with some considerable reservation, here it is: www.myspace.com/tydavison