Oct 25, 2007

How To Get Started At MySpace, on a Blog, Or Other Social Network Part 3

Here comes the fun part that we all have been waiting for! We all have our pages set, we can navigate around MySpace, now we put some "Wow" on our pages!

Let's log in to our MySpace pages and begin. Click on the "edit profile", which now has become second nature I believe. Have you gotten familiar with the about me, TV, music, etc. boxes on this page? Then let's get busy.

Open another browser window and search for MySpace layouts, or you can just get started with either mygirlyspace dot com, or pimp-my-profile dot com. These two spaces are easier to navigate than some, in my opinion. For this instruction, I will get you through the pimp-my-profile site. I chose this because men do not appreciate having an ad for the girly space on their pages. If you are a women, then I would encourage you to see the awesome layouts there as well. You see, wherever you go to choose a page layout, that site will include a small ad for there site in the layout HTML code. They have an ad to direct someone else who likes your page to the site you found your cool layout on.

After opening another browser window, type in www.pimp-my-profile.com. You do not have to log in or register here if you don't choose to, you are just browsing the layouts. About a third of the way down the page is a layout tab, and under it includes layouts for MySpace, Blogs, and other Social Network Sites. Click on the text MySpace Layouts, if you click on the MySpace box it will take you to the MySpace site and then just click your back arrow up by the address bar in your browser window.

Since you are an old pro at the copy and paste procedure, (remember, we did that in part one), I will only brush over it briefly. You find your layout, (this might take a while because there are so many great ones), look first through the category listing, choose your category by clicking the highlighted text, pick one to preview. Always preview before you select to see the code. It might look great small, but when you see it in a large view, there may not be an add friends button, or no place for people to message you, or worse yet, no area to get comments on your profile page! Check for these things during your preview. When you have selected one by navigating through the numbered pages on the pre-made layouts don't get tempted by the tweak your layout just now. After you have completed your page, you can then go use your talents to explore HTML tweaks for another site's page. Click the details and code highlighted text.

Under the profile selected, you will see a text box with your profiles HTML code in it. I showed you how to copy and paste using your mouse and the right click method. There is another way as well, to right click on the code and select all. While it is still highlighted, on your keyboard press the Ctrl button and the c button at the same time. Or you can just right click your mouse after it is highlighted and click copy. Never close your profile code page until you have pasted, saved changes, and then viewed you own profile to see if it takes. You just did a lot of work to choose the one you wanted, it will be that long again to find it the second time.

Go back to your MySpace edit profile, and in the About Me section, if you wish to tell the world a bit about yourself, type that in now. At the end of your text, click the enter button about 3 or 4 times to leave a space between your text and the code you are going to paste here. Make sure the cursor is down the 3 or 4 spaces and then either right click and paste or on your keyboard press Ctrl then v, holding the buttons down together for a second. You will then see the code you copied on your about me section! Click preview profile. This will not quite look the same as your view profile, but you will see if it is coming together at this point. If it is, click save all changes, then type the letters from the "capthcha" box into the bar and click save changes. This process will direct you back to your edit profile page, with red text saying "profile updated". If it does not say this, start the steps over until it does.

In the upper right hand corner, click view profile to see what you have created so far!
You can now go back to your edit profile, and type some extras about your books, movies, music, and TV if you wish. Remember to always preview profile and save all changes. I will cover the more detailed MySpace fluff in my next article, "How To Spice Up Your MySpace Page!" I will also cover posting comments on your friends profiles. I gave you my page name that I have had for a while, but I made a page with you for this article and subsequent articles. If you want to be friends with my writer page, I am also Surfcritter. Look me up, I am always willing to help!

Stephanie Haile AKA Wavecritter AKA Surfcritter
http://www.myspace.com/surfcritter

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