Maintaining a Professional Appearance On MySpace

MySpace is an online community which can be a fun way for members
to meet new friends, reconnect with old friends or make romantic
connections. MySpace members who are interested in pursuing these
types of activities online are free to create a website which
reflects their personality. This will help others to understand
who they are and to learn more about their preferences.

Although MySpace offers all of these fun entertainment type
activities, there are some members of MySpace who utilize the
community for business purposes. They may use MySpace to network,
make business connections or to promote their business. In these
cases care should be taken to create a MySpace website that is
attractive and interesting while maintaining a professional
appearance.

Avoid Slang and Abbreviations

One way to maintain a professional appearance on a MySpace website
is to avoid the use of slang or abbreviations. Many MySpace
websites feature slang, abbreviations and terms which are not
grammatically correct. While this type of Internet language may
be entertaining and may be considered acceptable among members of
the community, this type of writing is not likely to appeal to
potential customers or business partners. Additionally, not
everyone understand the cryptic language often used on message
boards, text messages and emails and those who do not understand
may have trouble reading the information presented on the website.

Keep the Design Tasteful

As previously mentioned, those who are using MySpace strictly for
entertainment purposes can design a website according to their
personal preferences. This may include unusual fonts, garish
colors, offensive images and blaring background music. While this
type of design may provide a great deal of insight into an
individuals personality it is not a good idea for a business
related website. Therefore those who are using their website for
promotion of a business should create a more tasteful design.

There are a few generic tips which can make a website appear more
professional. The use of muted colors that complement each other
can make a website aesthetically appealing. Users are more likely
to spend time on websites with these types of color combinations
because it is soothing. Additionally, the use of a common font
type and size which makes reading the text simple is recommended.
The use of background music should also be avoided in
professional websites as many users either do not have speakers
or may view the website in a location where they do not want to
hear music.

Avoid Embarrassing Photos

Finally, special consideration should be given to the use of
photos on a website which is striving to maintain a professional
appearance. While those who are using MySpace for entertainment
purposes only may opt to plaster their website with embarrassing
pictures of them and their friends, those who have business
intentions should use photos more judiciously.

The photos used on a business website should invoke a professional
sentiment. This may include posed photos of the website owner in
a dignified location, landscape photographs or pictures of
products sold by the company. Alternately those who are using
MySpace to promote products or services might consider not using
images as at all. Whether or not pictures are used on a website
is a matter of personal preference but when they are used, care
should be taken to ensure they contribute to the overall design
of the website rather than distract from it.