LeliaThomas.Com

Testing My MySpace Theory, Post #3

• Confused as to why I’m doing this? Read MySpace, a Virtual Mirror of Society, Post #1, and Post #2.

Two weeks ago, I said I would see what attitude got me the most attention on MySpace. For now, I’ve only tested the airhead attitude, due to lack of time (and patience of MySpace). I could have gone all out and written a cutesy l33t-speak message to paste on an innumerable amount of users’ pages, but I thought I’d just keep it simple (for myself and others, seeing as how I question the reading skills of some MySpace users, anyway…). I decided to use this:

Classy, right? Miss Airhead of L33tness was maybe right. I’ve been flirting with guys in all the wrong ways! Here I was thinking a genuine smile, a look in the eye and a casual touch of the arm did it–but no! It’s all about the flashy MySpace kisses! Oh, and baring all to the unknown population, but I’m just not ever going to be that desperate.

In doing this “test,” I quickly discovered something else I hate about MySpace. The list just keeps growing and growing, I know. I can’t make a comment on someone’s page unless I’m their friend. Okay, I don’t know about you, but I find that to be very 1998ish, not to mention just plain stupid. How do you meet new people to become friends? You have to be friends before you can even introduce yourself. Can I get a collective “WTF?”

So, I added a bunch of new friends. And by bunch, I mean everybody that was showing up in my searches. I’m like TOM! I befriend everyone! Even the scumbags. I probably should have used a different username, I’m realizing. Hindsight.

The Quest Begins with Happy Meals

Who will receive my first kiss? Everyone’s wondering and excited. Naturally. Well, the obvious choice came after one of my pseudo-friends posted something very enlightening on her bulletin board:

Subject: you suck!
Message: you suck dick for happy meals…

Nice. Personally, I’m not that enamoured with McDonald’s. I am, however, pseudo-enamoured with my “friend” here. KISS! KISS!

Onward March, Cockhead

Bulletin boards, I’m discovering, are perhaps the most annoying feature of MySpace–yes, even more annoying than the errors and over-35 perverts. See, bulletin boards of your friends are like your required-subscription to their blog entries…except they aren’t blogs. Very few even seem to use the blog function on MySpace, in fact. They’d much rather use the bulletin board that shows their latest posts on your home page. What if I don’t want to see their bulletin board posts?

TOO BAD. I can’t seem to turn it off, or maybe I’m just missing it in the mess that is MySpace. Here is an example of the greatness that comes through the bulletin boards:

Seriously folks, if this is meant to be some sort of community, pipe up and FUCKING SAY SOMETHING.

Have an Adam Sandler moment of random yelling, post somewhere, even call me a cockhead if it makes you feel like a bigger person.

What can I say? This person inspired me. Deeply. The following comment went on his userpage:

hey c0ckh34d!

Funny, I received no reply. HEY, I thought this was a community! PIPE UP AND SAY SOMETHING! Or not.

Random: As Heard on MySpace

I was unfortunate enough to hear the following songs while browsing MySpace.

• I want to fuck you (You’ll never guess what this song is about!)
• She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy
• Bad Boy for Life (Give me a break.)

Random: This Deserves Its Own Header

As seen on a random user’s page:

I am 23 years old, I recently just moved to germany I currently live in Vilsack germany. I am married to another soldier. But we are not in love trust me (MONEY…) :) I am a very open minded person, and very out going. I am looking for some friends and depending on who maybe a bit more ;)

Yeah… No comment.

Conclusion: Even Tom knows MySpace sucks.

The ever-present Tom, a.k.a. pseudo-friend god of MySpace, posted a news announcement on the logged-in version of users’ homepages.

hey everyone - got lots of email today asking if myspace was going to charge or shut down. we are not shutting down and we are not charging.

also, if bulletins are being posting under your account that you didnt post, change your password!! if you see these bulletins, it means someone phished your password and got in your acccount. we’re working on the problems with bulletins posting slow and errors in mail.

i’m also aware that users in 16 mil and 20 mil have had errors on the home page. sorry for the trouble. we’ve had some database blips this weekend and we’re still trying to work out.

We could only hope that MySpace would shut down. And, Tom, the errors have been going on longer than that, but thanks for trying to save face. That’s really not touching.

Another thing: WHO is phishing MySpace accounts? REALLY, how sad can your life be if you’ve dropped phishing bank accounts and turned to MySpace? At least I still have my Spanish, Swedish and Ethiopian lottery winnings to keep me sane. OH, WAIT, you mean that wasn’t real? DO NOT WANT!

Community? Disappointing!

People who like MySpace keep telling me that I just don’t understand it. “It’s all about the community,” they tell me. Well, outside of the community being damn near impossible to navigate, the community also doesn’t seem to, well, communicate. When it does, it always seems to be of a halfhearted caliber, such as “Hope you have a great weekend!” or “Drinking with you on Saturday was great fun!” No one cares. Really. Ironically, I think this falls into my theory of MySpace being a lot like real society, or taking from reality through the individuals who use it. How much is that all like the dreaded watercooler conversations? The shallowness of reality? We can’t seem to [properly] break past that, no matter the medium we use.

I ended up posting my silly, over-glitzy animation on many user pages. I received only two responses. Each, more or less, went into the deeply thought-provoking realm of “hey wuz up?” I would have replied with “nuthin,” to fit the theme, of course, but I kept getting errors, and so I ultimately gave up.

I will test more of the serious attitude in my next post, but I’d also like recommendations of things to do. As you can see from this, I’m pretty well willing to do and say most things. Apparently I don’t mind harming my name to an extent (epiphany).

Comments ordered from oldest to newest.

Testing My MySpace Theory, Post #3 of Myspace Html Codes Blog

[...] Original post by Lelia for Myspace News Testing My MySpace Theory, Post #3 [...]

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Edrei

Ever considered being a scientist? Seriously though. :)

Here is what I understand from MySpace. It is unfortunately a community much like we are a part of 9rules. Communities often band together based upon some common ground, a common goal or some common interest. We’d like to associate these common ideals as something positive, but we can’t forget that people can band together for negative reasons too.

To me at least, MySpace is filled with attention seeking, ego maniacal people who have yet to experience life itself because they are too busy trying to convince everyone else how cool being on MySpace is. Alone, this wouldn’t have worked, but if you put it together, you have something that works for some reason.

People of this kind often flock towards something their friends are in too. It’s the peer pressure thing. Almost every one’s pages is a direct clone (in terms of what’s been written) of what they want it to mean which is “hey, look at me, I’m special too.” Which of course, they are not. It’s just a superficial deviation of reality that unfortunately is the personification of the teenage years.

For that I’m so glad we’re not part of that.

Gerald

I have read the other four posts on this topic, and I agree with basically every point you have made. I use myspace however, and I am able to stand all the horror of it, I hate it from a design point of view, and the way many people use it, however there is a certain appeal to it. The appeal is in the “community”. I know what your response to this is, but let me explain-social networks allow you to connect between like minded people online and offline, and myspace is sadly the predominant social network. If I could convince friends of mine to switch, I would, to a different online Social Network. Yet, I enjoy the silliness, I enjoy filling out mindless surveys, getting ridiculous messages, following links on friend list onto infinite tangents and then finding someone i actually know after 50 I don’t (happened a few times). Yes, myspace is horrible, but it is not going to change for us, and it is here to stay.

(However. I do have the pathos of myspace that you have mentioned in reference to morals and intelligence, that is why I only talk to people I know from other places.)

(BTW I joined myspace to talk to my sister who does not have a phone or her OWN e-mail address, but once friends of mine found out about it…)

SkeptiC

I’ve been waiting for this next installment of the MYSPACE Chronicles.
Im surprised you’re not getting more communications. A bright, glossy set of lips, with sparkles around them. The feeble minded perverts you speak of should be flocking to your side by the thousands. I don’t know how all the communication in MySpace works, but is there some sort of ‘chat’ feature, or just emails? I think ultimately people are too impatient, not concerned with views, opinions, and actual thoughts to communicate through emails. They want to chat, and they want to chat NOW. The MySpace that people make for themselves is just a simple medium between their computer and someone elses. This being why noone really blogs or writes anything worthwhile. Really though, I am speculating, because I don’t know anything about how MySpace works as far as chatting or communicating goes. The ‘community’ of MySpace really only is going to work if you have a ‘community’ to begin with, and that community is going to follow you to MySpace and quietly wait for the next command you give out, hahaha. Other than that, MySpace is a meaningless medium for mostly depraved strangers to meet with other depraved strangers, and kids. But, I do have to say that im very thankful for MySpace in one way. If all of those freaks started using wordpress or other blogging places to exchange their pointless ‘Hi’s’ and ‘Byes’, then we would all be getting infested with that kind of garbage. As it is, MySpace is a fenced courtyard for all the robots to play in. We know where they are, so we can avoid them if we choose. And just for fun, we can poke at them with sticks from outside the fence, and watch them freak out.

Of course MySpace will have a few users that are wonderful, intelligent people, that havent explored outside of the MySpace internet world to understand how bad it really is. To them, best of luck getting over that fence. If you make it, i’ll see you on the outside.

Now Lelia, if you want to get people responding like crazy, and really drag in the trash. You need to turn slutty on there. I can only imagine that is the key. Not just to the guys either. You’re going to have to drive down a two-way street. LOL.

Simone Walsh

Lelia, did you know that not only can you not comment on someone’s page when they’re not a friend, but you also cannot add a comment to your very own page, for instance, in response to anything anyone else has written?

This is because to comment you must be a friend of yourself. And, no, you can’t be your own friend. That would be silly.

Of course to find this out isn’t a one-step process - you try to post a message on your own page, you get then told that you must be a friend of the person to make a comment, you try to become your own friend, then finallly you get told that you can’t be your own friend.

Hate hate hate MySpace!

SkeptiC

Wow Simone….Thats hysterical. That almost makes someones MySpace, everyone elses space, instead of their own space. The MySpace retardation grows.

Pam

Simone: First you must be an idiot an not realize how my space works. You have the option if you want everyone to see your page or just selected friends, Also why would you post a comment on your own page, You can comment all over your page is there a reason you want to tell yourself have a great weekend. Do you have any friends???
Lelia: I think you promote yourself as single/ looking for relationships, well if thats what your looking for then trash is what your gonna get. Have you never been to a bar? I have a my space and its limited to who I let in, My space is no different that your site here except maybe a little more entertaining. I think you need to pull the stick out of your ass!

Lelia

Edrei: I agree with what you’re saying. It’s strange, though, to see that people of that nature chose MySpace as their outlet so wholeheartedly. I remember three(?) years ago, when MySpace was just beginning to get a big name, it was being touted as a place for unknown musicians. Things sure have changed!

Gerald: You aren’t the only one to have commented on these posts about being on MySpace for the community, especially your real-life friends; you also aren’t the only one to have said you’d change that if you could. So, I guess my question is: have you asked your friends to move to a different, more functional site? I haven’t viewed anywhere near all of these, but Wikipedia has a list of social networking sites, and I’m sure there must be at least one that is similar but better designed and better coded.

Skeptic: Sorry for the wait on this entry! The next installment may be a bit late as well, what with my projects at uni coming due. It will be out, though!

There is a new IM feature. I’ll have to give that a try. The main reason I didn’t receive much communication in regard to the flashy animation was that I didn’t get to post as many comments as I wanted; MySpace kept giving me errors.

Hahaha, you’re right about the sluttyness, too. Those are always the people with the most activity on their pages, and oddly enough, it’s the bis with the most beyond that. I’m not either, though: slutty or bi! Alas, this makes me [happily] average.

Simone: I did not know that! How…typical of MySpace!

Pam: Simone makes an excellent point, Pam. If you want to reply to someone on your home page, you should be able to, and in turn, that user should be notified of your reply. This is what countless sites with commenting functionality do. I’ll let it slide, though, as I have a feeling you are young, what with the “style” of your arguing “tactics.” You probably just aren’t that experienced with Web usability and how it should work.

Secondly, thanks for being yet another user to have not read all I have written on a subject, only to comment in all your bravado. My status on MySpace includes all of the options: looking for friendships / relationships / networking / etc. It is as such for two reasons. One, it is true; anywhere I go, that is the fact of my nature currently; I am looking for those things, not just on MySpace. Why should I be dishonest? Two, there is the fact that undoubtedly you will get more notice if you show you are single and looking relationships, because that is the nature of humanity, on and offline. All that said, does checking my status off as such mean I expect to find such things on MySpace (or even want to)? No, not at all, and if you knew me at all or understood the sarcasm behind any of my comments about relationships on MySpace (as seen in this entry), you wouldn’t think that.

Perhaps you’re right though. My site is exactly like MySpace. Other than…it’s well-designed, it’s functional and gives few (if any) major errors, it’s informative (cool links, controversial topics, music, art), and it contains visual and literary work of many types. You’re right. This is site is so like MySpace! I don’t know how I never noticed it!

Last but not least, I must have higher standards than you do, Pam, because I’m not even willing to take in bar trash and that’s quite fine, but thank you very much for being so concerned about my relationship status and moral standards.

Gerald

You know, I have not asked my friends to move to another site, but for one reason. They like myspace! I have had discussions with them about it and they do nto seem to see the problems I do, mostly becuase myspace is their main exposure to the web. My friends seem to think myspace is will designed, and tell me to stop complaining.

SkeptiC

Pam…the reason you would post a comment on your own page is to keep the flow of a topic going. But since so many on myspace dont seem to have topics, that really would be of significant to you. It keeps the order of whats being said.
I also dont see how myspace can be more entertaining, when the majority of its users don’t use it for anything other than saying ‘nice site, blah blah blah’.

SkeptiC

my error fix for my last comment….

*would be of no significance to you*

I hate it when I mess something up like that. I have to make things right. LOL

Steph

*laughs*

I think you’re my hero.

Though I have a myspace for my friends to friend so they’ll leave me alone :roll:

Aido

Since you seem so concerned with commenting on other peoples activities online, I’ll comment on your commentaries.
(As an impartial observer you’ll understand that I also am simply making an observation on your writing and not you personally.)

Or I’ll just ask a question: Why the myspace thing?* Don’t you have better things to write about?

Everyone knows that myspace could be better, but then again what are you comparing it to? Do you have some relevant site to compare it to? Are you simply suggesting that all those people are wasting their time online at myspace?

If that’s the case then I imagine you have either (a) a better idea of what they should be doing with their time or (b) a better way to do the same thing. (and by ‘thing’ I mean “social-networking” despite their being very little meaning left in the word.)

The people on myspace are just like the people in real life; some incredible ones, and a whole fucking lot of average ones.

Myspace itself doesn’t suck. (Unless you have another website or service of the same context that you can compare it to.) You might not like the experience but by the same token, you might not like anything.

My conclusion is this: Myspace is a very easy target. It’s the lowest common denominator. It’s like shooting retarded fish in a retarded barrel. Also - you’ve been entirely selective in your ‘investigation’ I know this because I am fairly confidant you haven’t visited 1% of the 20-odd million users pages - and so, what you are describing is within the margin of error, and thus irrelevant.

End of the day Lelia - you can write well, but you’re being lazy and shooting at retarded (American too) fish. Come on, step up and take a shot at something bigger.

I hope you will. That’s why I bother to read your site.

Love,
Aido (the doctor) Webb

*Rhetorical Question

SkeptiC

Not that it matters what I have to say about it, but this is a blog, and opinions are what its all about. Opinions responding to opinions…..

Very simple really, Lelia doesnt try to change the world by ‘picking’ on MySpace and its users. We all know that the whole thing is a generalization of the people found on MySpace. The wonder about it all comes from how a social-networking site can become so hugely popular, with such an unfriendly user interface. There are lots of great people on MySpace I dont doubt at all. Its not those that are being focused on. Its the overpopulation of MySpace users that come across as fake, and shallow, and in my opinion, idiots.
This is just what I think, and like I said, is truly insignificant.

I also dont see how Lelias writing about it all could ever be irrelevant, when shes only relaying her opinion on what she comes across. Its also all in fun from what I can tell. So keep it coming.

Paaal

Your kiss gave me eye cancer. Thanks. As for the whole mySpace shit, going in there to find out what it’s all about is like travelling to USA to find out what that’s all about. It’s too full of shitheads, that you won’t really find something good unless you know someone who knows someone. By the way. Search up Saul Williams, he has a mySpace page, and listen to his songs. Have a nice day.

Eden

For someone who despises MySpace so very much, you seem to have been sucked into the MySpace frenzy.

There is passion in your hatred.

And for someone as ANTI-MySpace as you, it seems there is something that intrigues that you must continue your quest to prove to the millions of MySpace users that it is pointless to use the site.

-Breaking News-
Everyone registered on what has previously been one of the most popular websites in America has - what’s this? - deleted their MySpace account! They have finally realized it’s an unorganized, pointless website and not only have they canceled their registration, the entire site has been shut down!

…Oh wait.

I agree with Aido.
I have always thought you were bigger than this.

SkeptiC

Too many people seem to make it all too serious. Doesn’t anyone know how to put down the wall of seriousness and laugh. Damn, lets not blog about anything unless we’re trying to change the world, sheeeeeesh.

I guess the ‘elite’ can only cover certain subjects. Hahahaha…Seems to me, by all the opinions this post has generated, it has been very effective. Effective at generating people to give an opinion. VERY NICE!!

Lelia

Since you seem so concerned with commenting on other peoples activities online, I’ll comment on your commentaries. (As an impartial observer you’ll understand that I also am simply making an observation on your writing and not you personally.)

That would be the point of public blogging and posting, yes.

Or I’ll just ask a question: Why the myspace thing?* Don’t you have better things to write about?

I know you said that was a rhetorical question, but I have a feeling that you, like so many people who visit this site, have looked at one or two pages and felt you’ve seen the extent of everything I’ve done. Congratulations, you’ve been lumped in with a very big crowd. Guess what? There are 285 posts on this website, and 611 comments. There are 63 categories for the posts here.

So could I have written about something else? Yes, of course, I’ve obviously been doing that for almost two years now. Why I did it–since I have a feeling you’ve ignored that post, but I could be wrong–was mainly for my amusement and to see what all you MySpace lovers would say to me. I’ve received a ton of hate mail thanks to these articles, and I have to say, I’ve loved a lot of it. I’ve been so humoured to see how so many people have stood up for AIDS of the Internet–been hilarious.

Everyone knows that myspace could be better, but then again what are you comparing it to? Do you have some relevant site to compare it to? Are you simply suggesting that all those people are wasting their time online at myspace?

Wow, once again you haven’t read previous information on this, I think. I’ll just link you to the comment (here and in my comment to Gerald here) where there was discussion on this.

The people on myspace are just like the people in real life; some incredible ones, and a whole fucking lot of average ones.

Thanks for proving my point.

Myspace itself doesn’t suck. (Unless you have another website or service of the same context that you can compare it to.) You might not like the experience but by the same token, you might not like anything.

Oh, oh, oh, I thought you weren’t going to make personal stabs! I am wounded, alas.

My conclusion is this: Myspace is a very easy target. It’s the lowest common denominator.

Of course it’s an easy target, being one of the most popular sites on the Internet. However, it’s one that a ton of people love (you included, obviously), so my writing something that didn’t absolutely bend over backwards in favour of it was different, as proven by the flocking of people to this page.

Also - you’ve been entirely selective in your ‘investigation’ I know this because I am fairly confidant you haven’t visited 1% of the 20-odd million users pages - and so, what you are describing is within the margin of error, and thus irrelevant.

You’re right. And this wasn’t meant to be a scientific investigation or true experiment. If I had wanted that, I would have involved many people, had a control group, had a testing group, etc. But of course this wasn’t serious; the level of seriousness in these posts dropped significantly in comparison to my usual writing. However, you would not know that, because you’ve only come on here to tell me, essentially, that “I just don’t get the MySpace love.”

End of the day Lelia - you can write well, but you’re being lazy and shooting at retarded (American too) fish.

I used Australians and Americans in doing this, because I am American, and I am living in Australia.

Come on, step up and take a shot at something bigger.

I have many times before. Take a few minutes to browse Moral Matters, for example.

I hope you will. That’s why I bother to read your site.

Oh, come off it. You’ve proven in your comment that you haven’t read this site, or you’d have not made half the comments that you have. :P

Lelia

For someone who despises MySpace so very much, you seem to have been sucked into the MySpace frenzy.

Yes…of course…that would be why I haven’t logged in in like two weeks. (I hated it so much that I could hardly commit to my monthlong deal.) And I will be shutting off my account soon, possibly tonight.

There is passion in your hatred.

I’m passionate about everything I do. Thanks for noticing.

And for someone as ANTI-MySpace as you, it seems there is something that intrigues that you must continue your quest to prove to the millions of MySpace users that it is pointless to use the site.

Yeah, what “intrigued” was already written about. Thanks for commenting before knowing the full story.

…Oh wait.

I agree with Aido.

That’s AWESOME! So maybe now you two can be friends on MySpace!!11!1!!!

I have always thought you were bigger than this.

You’ve never commented on this journal and are obviously not a frequent visitor, but that’s a cute ending to your [first] comment.

Lelia

Oh, and Pal, you know you love eye cancer, you wanker.

Eden

Lelia, I am amused at the high pedestal on which you place yourself.
A statement such as, “I love hate mail, bring it on.” (Perhaps not a direct quote from you, but) is actually one of Paris Hilton’s.

Coincidental?

Lelia

Eden, I commend your ability to conveniently ignore 99.9 percent of what I say. You failed to reply to any of the following:

- [I hate it so much that] I will be shutting off my account soon, possibly tonight.

- Yeah, what “intrigued” was already written about. Thanks for commenting before knowing the full story.

- You’ve never commented on this journal and are obviously not a frequent visitor

Coincidence? And I love the fact that you quoted Paris Hilton. How’d you know that quote, I wonder?

P.S. - Tons of people love hate mail. Especially the kind that quotes Hilton. Some of the funniest hate mail I’ve seen is on Maddox’s site. But be careful, Eden! If I’ve offended you here, Maddox may rape your brain with his sense of humour. OHNOES.

SkeptiC

I’ve never seen that Maddox site. That cracks me up.

The End of the MySpace Testing » LeliaThomas.Com

[...] Due to university life (mainly the drinking and going out part, but a little bit of the work as well) and the plague that is the MySpace Error, I didn’t get to participate on MySpace as much as I, uh, “wanted” to for my testing (see post #1, #2 and #3). And now with October coming to a close, I’m going to end this while I still have a semi-functioning brain and the will to live. Otherwise, it will come to this: [...]

Sarah

I agree with you on a lot of things about myspace.But alot of people on there are like me I have alot of family that live out of state and a fiance in the Navy so this is a fun way to keep in touch with all of them and as far as making friends go how lame are you to be on there to try and make friends all of my myspace friends are family or friends I allready knew I know this has nothing to do with why you want people to post comments on here but I was just letting you know myspace is good for something!!