Social networking

I read an article a while back where it explained that phenomenon known as "MySpace" was created by a couple of young men as an easy way of communicating with their friends. As a web developer myself, I have countless sheets of paper filled with ideas that would help me and my friends communicate better and with more control.

I have a profile on MySpace, actually I have several profiles on MySpace. I take care of one for a customer and created some for various other companies. It's been a way of promoting the companies, getting involved in the local community and seeing what others are doing. Through the process of creating, customizing and monitoring these accounts, I've also discovered a number of flaws, some performance issues and hundreds of ways I would do things differently.

I've been on the Internet for a long time!!! Even before MS Windows, before web browsers, before e-mail was a word that people would recognize. (That's an entirely different blog subject though.) My point is that I have watch the evolutionary process first hand, enjoyed many new applications and design my own based on those lessons.

Between client requirements, military service, family life, and other small businesses I own, I've been doing exactly what the MySpace cowboys did for years. Creating useful tools that allow me to communicate better with clients, friends and associates. With the final touches being put on a master site, I've been looking more closely at the features that make MySpace so popular. You know what? I can do this!! And I can do this better than they did.

So here goes... will do it for fun... and who knows, maybe I'll got one of those $1.6 billion paydays. Sure, the outdoors auction, travel website, community portal and other business interests will have priority, but it is odd how a man can find time to do things "just for fun" whilst doing his job.