Viva la MySpace Revolution!

It’s the online phenomenon sweeping the globe but is MySpace an effective campaigning tool? University student Kate Murphy investigates.

''Through MySpace, charities can attract the attention of millions of people worldwide, without breaking their budget in the process.''

For those not au fait with MySpace (seriously where have you been?) let me explain. MySpace is basically an international online community consisting of individuals, bands, celebrities, events, club nights, venues, designers, artists, and pretty much anyone else you can think of. The aim is to create a personal profile page and easily communicate with ‘friends’ in a kind of global word-of-mouth manner.

Profiles are, in effect, a page-long advert to entice new friends and showcase your individual personality. For example I use mine to exhibit my fashion illustrations for free.

MySpace has grown to massive proportions within a relatively short timescale. It has proved pivotal in breaking new bands, such as the Arctic Monkeys, due to its ability to reach a huge audience at no cost. Similar sites have been somewhat eclipsed by the simple yet compulsive nature of MySpace, which is as addictive as glancing at your mobile to check for new texts.

As a result of its growing popularity, many charities have set up profiles to represent their current campaigns. The most obvious example is the charity Red. MySpace recently used Red’s logo as background wallpaper for the homepage. As a result millions of members worldwide were exposed to the charity every time they logged onto the site. In addition to this prominent advertising, Red also sent out MySpace friend requests, and subsequently bulletins, promoting Red issues. This was a cunning way of presenting information to users in an informal and almost subconscious manner.

MySpace acts as a really clever advertising and promotional tool, providing easy links from related profiles. Take Oxjam- Oxfam’s month-long music fundraising project - for example. On the main Oxjam profile there are links to all the regional Oxjam sites, allowing you to find out exactly what Oxjam events are going on in your local area. There are also banners promoting the event on the main MySpace music page, enticing music lovers to check out what’s going on.

Through MySpace, charities can attract the attention of millions of people worldwide, without breaking their budget in the process. They can raise awareness of important issues immediately, and gather support through a ready-made network of people. It’s a campaigning revolution!