s almost as if there are prompts to "add link" or "add URL." The mainstream business magazines like Fortune, Business 2.0, and Inc Magazine add fuel to the fire by publishing stories of entrepreneurs that use MySpace to promote their business. These stories are not representative of how things actually work. They lead people to believe that all you have to do is post a link and your business will increase. This is noMySpace is a modern social phenomenon. Its accelerated growth is unmatched. But how did it grow and how did it grow so fast? After all, there were dozens of social networking sites preceeding it (Friendster, Classmates, and Ryze to name a few) but none have flourished as MySpace has. There are a couple of reasons, in my opinion, why MySpace has succeeded to a degree that none of the others have. First off, it is completely free to use the site. Secondly, MySpace allows for anybody to post links to other websites. In an online world where competition for links is fierce, MySpace freely allows it. So, people began using it to post links to their own commercial business websites. This is free advertising and whenever people can advertise for free they will.

The posting of links is one of the main reasons for the accelerated growth of MySpace, but an unintended consequence of this is that the website is now full of spam. Let's take the business discussion forums in MySpace. I know it is full of spam because I'm a group moderator of one of the largest business groups on the site, the Business Networking group. Other popular business groups on the site include Small Business Entrepreneurs, Black Business Owners Network, Real Estate Networking, Startup FAQ, and Xtreme Motivators. I delete nine out of every ten topics posted for discussion in my group because they don't have any value to the group. These posts that I delete include, mainly, MLM affiliate links, mortgage brokers and realtors seeking new business and sales leads, and business and website owners that use the group to link to their own website without adding any value to the discussions. It’s almost as if there are prompts to "add link" or "add URL." The mainstream business magazines like Fortune, Business 2.0, and Inc Magazine add fuel to the fire by publishing stories of entrepreneurs that use MySpace to promote their business. These stories are not representative of how things actually work. They lead people to believe that all you have to do is post a link and your business will increase. This is not

letely free to use the site. Secondly, MySpace allows for anybody to post links to other websites. In an online world where competition for links is fierce, MySpace freely allows it. So, people began using it to post links to their own commercial business websites. This is free advertising and whenever people can advertise for free they will.

The posting of links is one of the main reasons for the accelerated growth of MySpace, but an unintended consequence of this is that the website is now full of spam. Let's take the business discussion forums in MySpace. I know it is full of spam because I'm a group moderator of one of the largest business groups on the site, the Business Networking group. Other popular business groups on the site include Small Business Entrepreneurs, Black Business Owners Network, Real Estate Networking, Startup FAQ, and Xtreme Motivators. I delete nine out of every ten topics posted for discussion in my group because they don't have any value to the group. These posts that I delete include, mainly, MLM affiliate links, mortgage brokers and realtors seeking new business and sales leads, and business and website owners that use the group to link to their own website without adding any value to the discussions. It’s almost as if there are prompts to "add link" or "add URL." The mainstream business magazines like Fortune, Business 2.0, and Inc Magazine add fuel to the fire by publishing stories of entrepreneurs that use MySpace to promote their business. These stories are not representative of how things actually work. They lead people to believe that all you have to do is post a link and your business will increase. This is no

rowth of MySpace, but an unintended consequence of this is that the website is now full of spam. Let's take the business discussion forums in MySpace. I know it is full of spam because I'm a group moderator of one of the largest business groups on the site, the Business Networking group. Other popular business groups on the site include Small Business Entrepreneurs, Black Business Owners Network, Real Estate Networking, Startup FAQ, and Xtreme Motivators. I delete nine out of every ten topics posted for discussion in my group because they don't have any value to the group. These posts that I delete include, mainly, MLM affiliate links, mortgage brokers and realtors seeking new business and sales leads, and business and website owners that use the group to link to their own website without adding any value to the discussions. It’s almost as if there are prompts to "add link" or "add URL." The mainstream business magazines like Fortune, Business 2.0, and Inc Magazine add fuel to the fire by publishing stories of entrepreneurs that use MySpace to promote their business. These stories are not representative of how things actually work. They lead people to believe that all you have to do is post a link and your business will increase. This is nong, Startup FAQ, and Xtreme Motivators. I delete nine out of every ten topics posted for discussion in my group because they don't have any value to the group. These posts that I delete include, mainly, MLM affiliate links, mortgage brokers and realtors seeking new business and sales leads, and business and website owners that use the group to link to their own website without adding any value to the discussions. It’s almost as if there are prompts to "add link" or "add URL." The mainstream business magazines like Fortune, Business 2.0, and Inc Magazine add fuel to the fire by publishing stories of entrepreneurs that use MySpace to promote their business. These stories are not representative of how things actually work. They lead people to believe that all you have to do is post a link and your business will increase. This is nos almost as if there are prompts to "add link" or "add URL." The mainstream business magazines like Fortune, Business 2.0, and Inc Magazine add fuel to the fire by publishing stories of entrepreneurs that use MySpace to promote their business. These stories are not representative of how things actually work. They lead people to believe that all you have to do is post a link and your business will increase. This is not the case. MySpace users have become unresponsive to spam.

The discussion groups were meant to be a forum where like minded individuals can discuss common topics. This is the way it should be. Most of the moderators of the popular groups delete spam, just as I do. But you can promote your interests. The key is to do it in such a way as to not make it blatant spam. There are several ways to do this. The best way is to use a "signature" in your discussion posts. What you should do is you should join in on the discussions with valuable input. And, at the end of all your posts, include a signature, which would have info such as your name, phone number, email address, and a link to your website. This is an acceptable way to add a link to your website; doing this will not get your posts deleted. Also, include all of these items in your personal profile. Your profile is where you can tell people anything you want about yourself and your business.

MySpace is a great forum for networking and free advertising. But, you must do it in a way that adheres to the proper etiquette. Using the site to spam just annoys people and the consequences are negative.