MySpace v Website

On the topic of self-promotion, I'm in something of a quandary over how to do so in this ever-so-volatile digital age.

So, I'm shopping around for web hosting bargains and it occurs to me: I have no clue how to build a truly effective, sharp looking, PHP (or whatever flavor of web developmental hallucinogen these kids use today) website. There are people I know who could accomplish this task for me, but that requires more overhead - something to which a control freak like myself doesn't respond well. And, I notice, much to my chagrin, that just about everyone else I know is using MySpace as complete alternative solution.

To counterpoint this, I've also been getting very negative vibes and unfavorable prognostications through these pipes on "teh internets" regarding the fate of the much-maligned social network.

I know many of you here use MySpace as a means to peddle your wares, and many of the same have a seperate, independent (as it were) website.

My personal inclination is more towards the self-maintained website, simply because I feel it's in somewhat better taste, what with the lack of banner ads for punching monkeys to collect an elusive PS3.

What say you collectively here?

I would say..do both! A myspace page in and of itself generally is cheezy, BUT it will open you up to alot more people. Lots of people scope myspace looking for new bands and artists, and if you had a website of your own you could link it from your myspace page for people to get more information, buy a cd or whatever. There are lots of web design programs available that makes the task fairly simple. Some of them are as simple to use as a word processor.

Getting people to stumble upon your website is harder than some people think. Googling the genre your music is will yield thousands and thousands of results. There are free online programs to check that your website is optomized for the search engines, but how many results will come up when someone enters "rock"? I'm not sure if you have to pay for myspace, I just play for myself, but if given the choice of one or the other i'd say myspace, if myspace is free then definitely do both. You can go to http://www.download.com and look for web design and get some free/shareware that will do what you need. Hosting packages range from 10-20 bucks a month.

Hope this helps,

Mike

doing both is the way. a good looking website with music and etc for download and whatever else, with the myspace as simply a bookmark for your band, with maybe a few songs and the friends things..

though that being said there are some decent myspace pages out there..

I've done both. I have a myspace page and another website. Myspace is easy, but you can only have four songs available at any given time. As a Mac user, I found it ridiculously simple to create my own site with photos and music downloads using Apple's iWeb tool.

Do both, and publicize both. But if you have to do ONe, make your own site. Why? Because MySpace could end tomorrow, you never know. Heck, it happened to the old MP3.com (remember when everyone in the late 90s had an MP3.com site? Not anymore!)

Whereas your website will still be around as long as you renew your domain.

I have both.

I feel more comfortable giving my website out to corporate clients (coz of the lack of PS3 Monkey etc ads and so forth) but I must say that my MySpace site has been just as if not more effective.

It's so easy to host your tunes (although it does crush them down in quality a bit) and update information for gigs/bio etc - but i've found the networking aspect invaluable.

I've got gigs and collaborations etc all through ppl finding me on MySpace. You don't really get that kind of exposure with a regular website.

Also - there IS a certain amount of customisability with myspace, and there are a fair few CLASSY design templates around if you hunt hard enough.

You'll only need to know PHP if you're storing large amounts of similar data. PHP only poops out HTML, nothing more.

For the rest, there's just HTML which'll do quite nicely.

MySpace is the Geocities of the '00s. For credibility, get your own site.

If you can't design something using Photoshop or The Gimp or whatever, don't use it; you can do so much already with just bits of CSS. There's also a lot of templates floating around which you could use.

here is mine :

http://www.myspace.com/radias

The problem with MySpace is the awful sameness of it all. The whole site is millions of the same page - and they all look way lame no matter how much b.s. you hang from it. Make your own site. Ultimately, you're probably not gonna make millions with your music, it's your art. So make your own site that is also your own art instead of "customizing" a total chunk of crap with the idea that "more" people will see it. My site pulls an average 1500 unique visitors a month. I'm happy with that.

"Dude, you don't get it... it's a network! You'll have friends!"

This has been my feeling for quite a while. Although Myspace is far more ubiquitous than Geocities ever was.

Hell, right now I'm lonely enough to feel the need for some 'networking'. God, I despise how that concept has been raped by this craze.

Next is the really hard part: the 'stage' name.

myspace is great for the networking/ promotion/ blah blah. it's free, so do it.

Myspace is also fairly unreliable-- whaddya want for nothin', really, but the mp3s sound not so good, and lotsa times the thing doesn't even work.

so.

a simple elegant webpage with easy to see info and links to some good-Q audio/video files can make a much less frustrating experience for interested parties.

I say both as well. I've heard several people say that their myspace page at least quadruples the amount of hits from their normal website. But like someone else said, the myspace is not something I would give to everybody, I'd want a normal site too. Myspace gets a certain fanbase to look at it, and it's also easier to communicate to everybody who digs your playing (bulletins and stuff)

This is always the argument. But hits from whom, exactly? Other 14 year old myspacers?

The point is that it's such a large community that it's easier to find music you are interested in by just searching the genre or the person's name if you have it. With a website, it's hard to get Yahoo / Google to put it in their top searches, therefore leaving it almost inaccessible to most of the world until you say something about it. Nontheless though, I have both and feel it's really a 50/50. I'd rather promote my own website but myspace makes it easy to keep track of people.

I think MySpace is quite the way to go these days.

I have my domain name pointing to my MySpace page.

Very easy, bought a domain via GoDaddy.com, then edited settings so domain leads to myspace page...

Are you honestly saying that you want to select your fans on beforehand?

That's the worst thing you could possibly do, really. So, a 14-year old sends you a friend request and a "lol u haev an awsoem studio!!!11".

If at that point you start thinking more about "would he buy my album" instead of "would he tell his buddies that he likes what I do", you're doing it wrong .

I vote for both as well. Why not? Add some like minded bands, leave a a few comments and at least a few people will check your {censored} out right there.

That 14 year old thing is a sterotype, the majority of users seem to be in thier twenties as far as I can see, and misguided webcam harlots. Get a real job ladies, and stop getting my hopes up, then dashing them on the rocks, shaken not stirred.

My band goes both ways.

We have our own website and the MySpace site. MySpace has generated more fans and gigs this year than the website alone ever has. Once they see our MySpace a great percentage of people also check the private site.

The other great thing about MySpace, is you can also actively seek listeners by befriending them and spamming all their friends too! We are not looking for riches, just a few loyal fans around the world.

Feel free to critique:

www.lastband.billywa.com

www.myspace.billywa.com

I say both as well. I don't think MySpace websites are that good for anything but the music player, which is a really easy way to check out bands and if you like what you hear you propably end up going to their real website.

I mean MySpace pages look like {censored} no matter what you do, "proper" websites look as good as the designer's skills allow. While you can do a website using WYSIWYG editors, these will never churn out professional, standard compliant (work on all browsers) websites. And very much like graphic design, website design requires the same set of visual skills.

BillyWa, your band's website doesn't work properly in Opera. Just opens a blank window from the Enter here link.

Good to know, thanks!

Originally posted by Yoozer Are you honestly saying that you want to select your fans on beforehand? That's the worst thing you could possibly do, really. So, a 14-year old sends you a friend request and a "lol u haev an awsoem studio!!!11". If at that point you start thinking more about "would he buy my album" instead of "would he tell his buddies that he likes what I do", you're doing it wrong .

No, I don't really want to select them beforehand, I simply don't want to purposely hang a sign for my art in the middle of teenage-stupidity-central-station. If that loses me a few listeners, s'ok.

To Whiny's point: What on earth would anyone put into Google that would result in finding my site? If random finding of my music is the goal, I'm already there.

Poops out HTML. That is hilarious!

Actually you CAN separate presentation (HTML) from the php if you use a template system like PHPLIB.

Then you can maintain your HTML presentation completely independently from your php code.

But I would not recommend a PHP based solution to anyone without a comp-sci degree and/or years of I.T. dev experience.

Expanding a bit on what Yoozer said: PHP is really designed for serving up dynamic content based on logic. Static HTML content decorated with CSS would be much more appropriate for your needs.

The site and simple pages do look crap, any website that generates that amount of traffic tho offers advantages to any band or artist. I agree the music player is one of the nicer things.

Some bands use it for *fans only* gigs, like some secret underground gig, fans will know what time to tune in or where to go.

For new artists tho, the more places to share your music the better, if you manage the page its another free open shop window to the world.

Originally posted by wades_keys Poops out HTML. That is hilarious!

I could say "spit" but it depends what's faster

I think you lost most people with that .

Without it the chance that you'll shoot yourself through the foot - not with a gun but with a bloody thermonuclear warhead - is pretty big, yeah. SQL injections and other niceties.

I figure it's simply easy enough to just lose listeners by letting 'm listen to your music - if their thirst isn't satisfied within the first 10 seconds most of the goldfish-memory-size crowd will have left the page anyway . Those willing to listen on generally don't fall in the MySpace stereotype.

Myspace is useful for bulletins and networking. That's about it really. It's a buggy and annoying system. A proper website is worlds better.