First, a little bit of background. The MySpace that most people think of was defunct by 2011. No one was using it and a bunch of money was being spent on staff without revenue coming in the way it was expected when Rupert Murdoch bought the site for $580 million in 2005. 

In 2011 is when Justin Timberlake (and a few other investors) purchased the brand for $35 million. Now, this might seem crazy until you think about what MySpace was all about in the beginning and what Justin Timberlake primarily does for a living - music. 

MySpace was officially relaunched by Timberlake in June 2013, in the process getting rid of the old site completely. And it is a beautiful thing. 

As a competitor to Facebook, MySpace clearly lost. But it is not a competitor to Facebook any more. In fact, you can use your Facebook (or Twitter) credentials to log in if you want. 

In the new re-imagined world of MySpace Justin Timberlake created a competitor to Pandora or Spotify, and in my opinion a real competitor. I had used the paid version of Pandora for a couple years at this point. But MySpace is just better in my opinion. Here is why: 

• It is free
• Yes, there are ads, but compared to the ads on the free version of Pandora they are much fewer and less intrusive
• You have complete granular control. No longer do I have to pick broad genre and artist categories and hope that I get songs I like, I can find each and every song I love and put them exactly where in the playlist I want. 
• I get music and pop culture news and articles that are totally unique
• It is easy to find related artists, songs, and even friends (by genre only or by searching things like location to find people near me that like the same music - concert buddy anyone?)
• Because it started as a music platform there is a LOT of music there - I have yet to find a song or artist that I can't find 

So yeah, basically if you like listening to music suck it up, get over the eye rolls you will get, and check out MySpace. Seriously. And yes, you will have interesting conversations with your friends like this one I had on Google+ (read the comments, you will laugh): 

And yes, I did just reference Google+ as well, but that is a subject for another post. 

Okay, so you are not a musician. Other than listening to great music, what does MySpace have to do with you, right? 

Well, it has a lot to do with you if you want to use social media effectively. Let's go over a few of the finer points: 

• Don't assume. Social media grows and evolves every day. What worked a year ago does not work today in a lot of ways. 
• Know your audience. Where MySpace took a wrong turn was when it started to try to appeal to the masses instead of keeping its core strength - what Justin Timberlake is trying to get back to. As a business in the Internet age don't be afraid of specialization. Don't be afraid of owning your niche, and most importantly don't be afraid of losing people. Better a core group that is in love with you than a whole bunch of people who are lukewarm. Know what makes you special and own that 100%. 
• Stuff changes. MySpace was at the top of the social media pile for a while. As much as I love the new platform, Rupert Murdoch definitely lost a lot of money betting that it would stay that way. The nature of business (and life) is change. Especially now. Those who succeed the best will be those who can change the best (while remaining authentic at their core - yes it is the paradox of the new world). 

So what do you think? Are you going to give MySpace another chance? How will this make you look at your business and social media strategy differently? I would love to hear about it! 

Guy Kawasaki recently posted a link on Facebook to Decker's Top Ten Best and Worst Communicators. Some of these are sure to be remembered for a long, long time ("legitimate rape" anyone?), but yet how many of us work on our communication in any real way? 

As we make all of our New Year's Resolutions this year about all the things we want to improve, how about adding communication to that list? It is the one thing that affects every single other area of our lives. It can make the difference between success and failure, being liked or being hated, sharing your message with the world or being ignored. And it is one thing we just can't afford to ignore. 

And like I always tell my clients, goals mean nothing if they are not SMART. So here are some achievable things you can do to get you on the right track. 

1) Join your local Toastmasters Club

2) Add some books to your reading list about communication such as: 

7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Hidden Messages: What Our Words and Actions Are Really Telling Our Children 
How to Win Friends and Influence PeopleWhat Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People

3) Ask those close to you what your communication strengths and weaknesses are and be ready to listen! 


4) Improve your social media habits by creating a consistent routine to build relationships online. 

What would you add to this list? What other books should be on everyone's reading list this year to improve communication? 

_*Note: This post was transferred here from an older blog that I was hosting on Posterous.com. the posting date reflects the publish date of the original post.

As a small business, you don't have much time. Keeping up on your blog can be a challenge. And what do you write anyway? Here are my top 5 tips when writing a small business blog.

1) Write what you know.


This is the mantra for writing of all kinds, but especially in blogging. One of the biggest mistakes I have seen clients make is to just regurgitate information from other places rather than coming up with their own thoughts. A whole bunch of links with little commentary rarely adds value to your blog. Instead, think about the conversations you are having with customers every day. When have you heard comments like "wow, I never knew that," or "I didn't understand that until talking to you." That is your content! Now just write it.

2) Always, always, ALWAYS proofread.


Okay - I know I am asking for it now, and will probably get e-mails detailing all the errors in this post. Still, true is true. 


There are few things that will take good content and make it seem stupid than sloppy writing, spelling errors, or bad grammar. If you do not feel confident in this area, find a co-worker, employee, friend, or marketing service that does and have them give your work a once over before it goes live.

3) Save good ideas for a rainy day.
     
 When you have a good idea for a blog post, write it down immediately. If you have a few minutes, even write out the whole post. If you have already written one for the day it will be available for a day when you just can't think of anything to post. Keeping a buffer of written articles is one of the best ways to stay consistent. 

4) Start small.
     
 The world of the web is changing. You do not have to be able to commit to a daily 500+ word blog with fantastic graphics and pictures to be able to start blogging. Find a simple platform that you can use, choose a clean look, and try to be regular, even if it is only once a month. Having something will be better than nothing, and you can get comfortable over time and expand as needed. Don't let how big the mountain looks to keep you from taking your first step.

5) Know how and when to ask for help.
     
 Blogging can be very personal, which can make a business owner hesitant to ask for help. Whether you are having trouble getting off the ground, staying consistent, or generating enough unique content see what resources are around to help. You may find an employee with hidden writing talents that can help with content. Or a friend who can hold you accountable to writing regularly. Many blogs written by business owners will need professional help at some point in time. After all, the blog is not your business, it is supporting your business. You may need help finding a good platform to start, setting up the original design, writing content, or finding ways to optimize your content to serve your marketing strategy. All these are things a professional internet marketer can help you with to save your precious time and money for what you are best at - running your business.