How To Optimise Your Artist Myspace

YOU CAN’T READ WHAT YOU CAN’T SEE

Neither can anyone else! One of the biggest mistakes people make with their Myspace page is to choose a background, layout or colour scheme that clashes with the text, rendering it difficult to read, or worse, unreadable.  Always ensure that your text is clear and easy to read.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

The simpler your page, the quicker it will load up.  Large complex backgrounds and picture files will make your site slow and cumbersome.  Look to streamline your site for efficiency and only include what is necessary.  If you use pictures, it is possible to convert them to a significantly smaller file size with a negligible loss of quality.  Remember, the longer your page takes to load, the more chance the viewer will get fed up and go elsewhere.

PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD

Always assume the average viewer is going to come and go within 10 seconds.  With that in mind, you want to ensure you have your very best track set to play as default.  If your best track has a long intro, edit it so that it hits in straight away with the juicy parts.  You have a limited time to entrap and captivate your viewers, especially those that are just passing through or page hopping.

CONTROL YOUR COMMENTS

As a matter of rule, you should set your comment settings to reject HTML and require approval before posting.  If your comments are full of spam and harmful hyperlinks, this creates a negative image.  Refrain from using your comment section as a means of dialogue.  Use IM or Email for this and leave your comment section for one off comments and/or replies.

PROFESSIONAL IMAGE

The image and vibe or your page will influence how your visitors view you.  Habitual bad language and spelling mistakes in your bio, blogs and bulletins will make you come across as ’amateurish’.  If you take your music seriously, you will appreciate your music is a business.  Treat your Myspace as an extension of that business.

CONNECT THE DOTS

Are you on every other social network under the sun? If so, promote every one of them on your Myspace! This really doesn’t have to take up a lot of room.  Check out the Piewatch ‘Links’ page and you will notice we promote multiple sites using small recognisable icons.  This provides a compact and efficient way of promoting your various sites without the need for messy hyperlinks.

VISUAL INTEREST

Creating an eye catching and interesting default picture for your Myspace avatar will increase the chances of someone clicking it whilst browsing friend/group lists or comments.  Try to use something that works in a small size.  Blinking or moving images can be effective and eye catching.  These are easily created using Adobe Image Ready.  Solo artists might consider using their best photo shoot picture, whilst bands may consider using a band logo.  If you are savvy, you will persuade your friends to adopt your avatar and help promote you.  Competitions and giveaways for people adopting your avatar are a good incentive.

HIDE AND SEEK

Every part of your page can be hidden if need be.  The HTML needed to hide specific parts of your site is easily found by searching online.  If you have 7 friends, but wish to project a much larger image (without lying), simply hide your friends and friend link.  If you do not receive a lot of comments, consider hiding your comment section.  A lack of comments points to inactivity and unpopularity, whilst a page without a comment section redirects attention to other parts of your page.

BALANCE THE NUMBERS

If you have 1000 plays a day on the Myspace player, 100,000 friends but no comments for the last 6 months, something doesn’t add up.  Make sure all the numerical info provided on your page is legit and adds up.  If you feel the need to use bots to up your page views (for example), ensure this doesn’t stick out from the rest of your stats.  Remember, it is possible to hide any and all stats with the right HTML codes if necessary.  Sometimes it is better to hide inactivity than to create a false perception that the page is active.

CURRENT AFFAIRS

Try to log onto your page daily.  If this is not possible, think about hiding your last login stat.   Ensure all information is up to date, from gig lists to bio.  A neglected site promotes a lazy image.

FUN AND GAMES

Keep applications to a minimum and relevant to your music.  Polls can provide useful information if used wisely.  However….Games! A big NO-NO!  Now we at Piewatch like our games, so much so that we incorporated an arcade games section into the site.  However, whilst we have a whole website in which to include a bit of fun, you have one page.  Think logically!  Nobody is going to appreciate those tracks in your player if they are playing Pac-Man.  Promoting Namco will not help promote your tracks.

HORIZONTAL SIN

Never have a page that forces the viewer to scroll horizontally.  Having a wide page is not cool! Scrolling down the page is natural; scrolling across the page is annoying.  Having to scroll both vertically and horizontally to view the entire page will soon have your visitors hitting the back button.

THE 6 P’s (PRIOR PLANNING PREVENTS P*SS POOR PERFORMANCE)

Creating a Myspace page that you are happy with will usually involve bringing in a lot of HTML code from different sources.  It is very easy to accidentally save changes to your HTML and find you have saved an empty page (and the ‘back button doesn’t always get you out of a jam).  Additionally, importing dodgy HTML code from some sites can wreck havoc with your existing HTML.  Think smart and save your sites HTML coding into a WORD document at regular intervals!

STRANGER DANGER

Effective networking is about forming real online relationships with people.  Having millions of Myspace friends that you have never talked to does not constitute good networking.  It’s better to have invested your time into making 10 real friends you can call upon when needed than a collection of unknown strangers.

WHO ARE YOU PROMOTING?

If you import HTML code from external sites to help you build your own, pay attention to any additional elements within the provided code that places an advert on your site.  You don’t have to be fluent in HTML to figure out which part of the code is creating the unwanted effect.  Find it…Remove it.

VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR

Videos provide an excellent addition to your Myspace page.  However, a badly shot video with jerky, grainy camera action and hussy, distorted sound is not going to do you any favours.  Whilst a half decent amateur video shot by the crowd is acceptable, ensure the sound quality is top drawer.  If this is not possible, consider compiling your videos into one compilation video and overdubbing the audio with a fully mastered quality track.

PROMPT RESPONSE

Reply to every message and comment.  Responding to messages promptly promotes a professional and friendly image.  Responding to every comment provides you with a mini promotion on someone elses site.  Try to add a personal touch to the comments you leave on other peoples sites.  In doing so, you increase the likelyhood that they will leave a comment on your site, which in turn helps to keep your page looking active.

JEDI MIND TRICKS

Ok…So we don’t actually know any JEDI mind tricks, but we do know a little about psychology.  Ever seen those comments saying ‘HEY…Love your stuff! Check my tunes OUT!! (Maybe with an advert underneath)  Does that make you want to click on them?   The best way to get someone to look at your site and listen to your tunes is to make no mention of your site or tunes!!  Simply leave a personalised comment relevant to the individual’s page you are commenting on, compliment them, but in such a way that it appears you have actually taken the time to look at their site.  Example – saying you liked a particular element in a song situated last in an artist’s player, gives the impression you have listened to all their tracks.  Likewise, commenting on something written in a person’s bio gives the impression you have read their bio in its entirety.   People like it when you take an interest in them, with many returning the favour.

GROUP HUG

Groups are a great promotional tool.  Join lots of groups!  The fact you are a member means your avatar will occasionally receive some added promotion, as group members are randomly displayed on the group’s home page.  Use the group forum to say hi! Many group forums are underused, allowing you to remain visible in the active topics for quite some time.  Choose groups that are relevant to your genre.  It is worth noting that other artists, hungry for friends, will scroll through the group’s member listing, sending friend requests as they go.  This is a good way to bump up your friend numbers without having to send out friend requests.

COMPULSARY CONTENT

Whilst there are elements that you may or may not decide to include in your Myspace page such as artist/band photo’s and videos, there are some which no self respecting artist should exclude, such as Gig lists and Mailing lists.

1ST PERSON OR 3RD PERSON?

Writing a bio is personal to you.  There is no right or wrong way.  However, it is worth considering that how you choose to write your bio may impact on how you are perceived by your visitors.  Writing in 3rd person is very formal and professional, but can also make you come across as arrogant, big headed and distant.  Writing in 1st person can convey a friendly and personal touch, but can sometimes lack the formality of a serious musician.  However you choose to write your bio, it is the content that will make or break you.  A bio written in 3rd person that say’s nothing is no match for a glowing musical CV written in 1st person.

TOP FRIENDS

Why do many artists feel the need to make ‘Top Friends’ out of well known celebrities/musicians/actors, all of whom they have never met!??  It’s usually out of a misguided belief that their visitors are dumb enough to believe they are associated in some way with the elite.  Fact…your visitors will think you are a muppet.   Ideally, choose friends who would give you added exposure if they were to mutually add you as a top friend on their site.  Once you have made them a top friend, enter into dialogue about anything BUT the fact you have added them as a top friend.  Hopefully they will just stumble on the fact and with a little luck add you too.  If not…try someone else.  Try to keep friends and family away from your top friends list.  View it as another promotional tool.

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