Well, it's finally here. Myspace is back, but with a far classier image than I remember from middle school. At first glance it looks as if Myspace has stepped away from the stress of who would list you in their Top 8, to a site geared toward artists, bands, promoters and designers. 

To view all the features, you can check it out yourself at new.myspace.com. Today I plan on reviewing the features that interested me while checking out this "upcycled" site. 

The quick version: The new Myspace has aspects from Facebook, Google+, Pandora, Spotify and the old Myspace all in one. Connect with friends, listen to music, upload photos and strive to be in all of your friends Top 8.

Now for the not so quick version. Let's break down each feature, or at least the ones I liked the most! 

Your Profile 

The new Myspace profile is one like you have never experienced before. Your profile runs horizontally across the page rather than the traditional vertical view. Scroll across to see each new update nested on an individual line. The color scheme is also a new look for social media. Grey, Black and very little blue makes Myspace stand out from other networks.

What You Need to Know to Get Started 

Like every social media platform, there are a few details you need to have ready when making your profile. 

Profile Picture 

Cover Photo: this image should be 1024x768

Bio: 150 character limit 

Country 

Website URL 

Profile Song 

And get ready to hurt some feelings by choosing your Top 8. 

It's a Music Lover's Paradise 

Seriously... 

Mark my words, Myspace will be the top network for all of those who love music. 

Discover 

The discover tab is your key to navigating around Myspace. 

Trending 

Check out the Trending area to see the latest news and releases in music. 

People 

There are two tabs under people, recommended and browse. Of course the recommended tab will contain people Myspace recommends you to connect with from famous artists, to up and coming artists. The browse tab allows you to search for people to connect with. You can search according to gender, age rage, location and music interests. 

Music 

Under the music tab, you can browse music according to popularity, new albums, artists or recommended. Once you find some music you like you have the option of connecting with it, adding it to your mixes, adding it as a profile song, starting a radio and many other options. 

Mixes 

Mixes are basically playlists conformed of different songs or types of music. You can chose to make your own, or listen to others they have created previously. 

Videos

Check out the latest and greatest videos on the web. Browse through the most popular, recommended and newest releases all in one place.

Radio 

This may be one of my favorite aspects. Who doesn't want to jam to the radio while you are searching for some new songs to add to your mixes. Sounds like a good time to me. You can search for specific songs and artists, or pick from the generes they have listed. 

I Think I Love Myspace 

Although I am not so certain Myspace is a tool for small business—unless you are in the music industry—but it sure is fun. The site's graphics are amazing. Each image is clean, crisp and strategically places. I just love the layout and color scheme used. The black, grey and minimum blue makes Myspace stand out among its competitors. 

So, that concludes my initial thoughts about the new Myspace. I am lacking of friends, so come find me https://new.myspace.com/socinchaley 

Hope you enjoy your Myspace adventure. If you happen to come across any cool features I missed, please comment and let me know. 

The Problem

 In working with hundreds of small businesses I have run into many of them who jump into social media by setting up a facebook page and a twitter profile. They set there page up and start posting… and posting… and posting… but that is all. I always try to share that just posting can’t and won’t grow your presence. I have other customers that know that they need to use social media but have no idea how to get started. So I decided to build a site to teach businesses to use social media to grow their business.

Case Study

Six months ago as we were building www.sociallyinclined.com I decided that we would go ahead and start our facebook page, but this was only to prove my theory. The page www.facebook.com/SociallyInc looked nice and had great content posted daily, however our likes stayed at two (yes two) for six months. We purposely didn’t try to promote but only to post great content daily.  It was not until now that we would start engaging. We joined other social networks and started sharing and joining in on other conversations. We are tracking our progress through our analytics dashboards and are eager to share our results.

Please Help by Liking our page www.facebook.com/SociallyInc

Please help us with the case study to show how engagement is the key to growing your social media presence. Please like our page and share this post with others. If you know of anyone who is struggling with how to use social media for business we have the plan to guide them to success. Socially Inclined is an all-inclusive site for Social Media Training, Planning, Tools and Resources all with expert help. Socially Inclined is a social network to learn, plan, manage and measure your social media presence.

We'll Keep You Posted!

Great, so you have a facebook page and a twitter profile!

In the beginning  you may have been all Gung Ho about getting them off the ground so you posted  daily and you asked your friends to like the page.

You are still posting daily but now what?

I bet you have been posting things like you have a sale coming up, you have a new employee, you are closed for a conference next week. These are all informative posts but are they getting you that viral exposure you have been looking for? Do your posts cause people that don't know you to like your post or better yet like your page?

I would bet Not! First of all we have to recognize that social media marketing takes time to cultivate. Seemingly the more effort you put into it the more likely that you will have a favorable response but that is not always true because some things are just more viral that others. But social media marketing is somewhat of a numbers game. Most people equate the higher the numbers the more successful you are. This is most certainly not true. You have to have the "right" numbers. The "numbers" that care about what you or your business has to say. The "numbers" that might actually purchase from you one day.

So does that mean that you are not constantly trying to gain numbers? Yes, you are!But how do you do that? By educating, entertaining, and compelling your fans. Social media is meant to be a conversation, not a one-way broadcast of what is going on in your business. You have to start thinking of posts that will compel your numbers or fans to interact with you. The more interaction the better…

So what makes for a good engaging post?

1. Information that is of interest to your visitor.  Your posts should contain information about your business that will benefit customers the most. Write information which will genuinely help them. Don’t think of “what’s in it for me” but think “what’s in it for you”.  These items can be links to on-topic blogs, fun facts, funny quotes, etc.
   
   

2. Don't neglect replies. You have asked for them, now respond with something engaging. Be sure to comment on replies that you have received on posts.
   
   

3. Ask for customer feedback and comments. When writing a post try to end it with a question or ask for a like if they indeed liked it. This will let you learn how your customer really feels about your product as well as helping to create that viral nature that you are looking for. You will be able to see what type of posts are engaging to your visitor.  Also ask for testimonials. Real customer posts as testimonials are very compelling on your pages. They can't really be disputed.
   
   

4. Photos. Photos serve two purposes. First, because of the new timeline, they are needed to make your page look interesting. They help to break up the monotony of a boring text/post only page. Second, they can provide that viral edge you are looking for. Find interesting photos that support your business type and try to create some entertaining commentary about them.
   
   

5. Promotions. Specials and promotions can really help to build your page. Anything from a "Fan of the Month" giveaway to a special of the week be creative and direct people to check your social media to be included in these promotions.

Now start thinking about engaging when you are writing your posts.

Look at some pages that you like and what they are posting. Chances are that you will find something interesting that you can recycle for your business.

 What do you think?

Look back at your posts and decide if they have been engaging. If  yes, keep up the good work. If not, do some homework. Take some time to write some engaging posts. Try them for a week and review your facebook insights for a quick gauge as to whether the investment of time is worth it. Stay tuned for more posts on how to use social media for business.