Mr. Business, don't be stupid about MySpace

LAKE FOREST, USA: Businesses interested in having a presence at social networking Web sites need to keep some important rules in mind, according to SpaceGravy.com.

The company, a provider of free layouts, free backgrounds and add-ons for MySpace, MyYearBook, Friendster, Xanga and Virb, released information about what businesses should and shouldn't do when it comes to social networking.

Rule #1 - Don't ignore the social space.
Jennifer Lange, president of SpaceGravy.com, says the single biggest mistake businesses make is ignoring social networking altogether. "Websites like MySpace and Facebook are behemoths. You need to be where your customers will most likely be and chances are, they're socially networking. Neglecting to have a social networking presence is akin to neglecting your customers."

Rule #2 - Advertising isn't everything.
Businesses don't have to invest tons of money in advertising to have a presence at social networking websites. In fact, Lange says companies can make significant inroads simply by having free profiles, and effectively managing those profiles, at MySpace, Facebook and other popular social sites.

Rule #3 - Work your profile.
Having a profile is one thing -- "working" that profile by adding friends, posting comments, writing blog entries and sending bulletins is something altogether different.

"Don't expect to throw up a profile and have millions of people find it," said Lange. "Our advice is to have someone dedicated to managing your company's social networking profiles and to take a proactive approach to working those profiles, to grow brand awareness."

Rule #4 - MySpace isn't the only game in town.
Sure, MySpace is the biggest, but there are other social networking websites with tens of millions of active users each month. Lange says it's important not to put all your eggs in the MySpace basket, but instead, to have a presence at a variety of social networks to broaden your reach.

Rule #5 - Maintain the integrity of social networking.
When it comes to creating a social networking profile, Lange says it's important to maintain a balance between marketing your company and preserving the social networking experience to which millions of users have become accustomed.

Don't change the overall structure of your profile so visitors get confused about how to navigate through it and don't turn it into a blatant online sales brochure for your company with little semblance of how a general user's profile looks or functions.

"Also, aside from profanity or verbal abuse, allow friends to post comments about your company, even if they're negative. You can learn a lot about your customers -- and your business -- that way."