Post 6 - This one? That one? or Both?

As a means of social networking, MySpace and Facebook provide the tools to present yourself the way you wish to be viewed. The ‘you’ that you present to the world is completely up to you. You do not have to include bad photos, your likes and dislikes are without the ones you’re embarrassed about, and all other information is totally subjective to the persona you want to portray. I myself am guilty of this ‘exclusion’. There are only good photos on my MySpace page; I also don’t include the movies or music artists that I don’t want my friends to know that I like. MySpace like many other internet profiles simply presents an edited version of oneself. I have participated in many internet socialising forms. I was an avid forum member of an Australian run fan-forum for approximately three years. I like the interaction of a forum, the back and forth and continuation of conversation and discussion. I can see how as a way of keeping contact on a less regular basis, that a forum environment would not suit the majority of people that use these social networking sites. MySpace and Facebook do not have the daily update of content that forums do. They are much easier to navigate on a less regular basis without becoming lost, confused or wasting time trying to find what you are looking for. These sites provide the connection to your friends through your profile. You may post about things you like or what you have been up to recently. The only real interaction of MySpace is the public or private messages sent between friends, which can potentially lose the context in time delay.

After signing up to Facebook last week, which seems to be the current trend among social networkers, I have found myself visiting that profile much more than my MySpace one. I have found that while it may not be a pretty or visually appealing as MySpace, the general layout of Facebook is much easier to work with on a more frequent basis. The personalisation lies in the sections you choose to include on your profile. These are interactive applications which you can participate in as a team against or with your friends. These include movie compatibility tests, sending gifts, trick or treating, and many other varieties which I have yet to discover. In addition to these interactions, you can rate movies and books, do an never ending TV trivia quiz –which can win points for your team of friends, play vampire and attack or recruit your friends, share photos, display your family tree, and write messages on your friend’s ‘wall’ – which is much like the comments section of MySpace. Something I found very interesting is the difference in security between the two networking sites.

The reality is that these sites have a relatively short shelf life in terms of technology and content. Inevitably something new and more advance will come along and the others will be forced to update or face extinction. I have heard from friends that MySpace is trying to include more Facebook-like content, but I have yet to see anything overly interesting.