MySpace: Simple Code Customization
by Dianne Waller
I remember how excited I was when i first made my MySpace account, it was really different than anything before, you can actually customize your own space personal page the Internet! It was so different than AOL or anything prior because you can make it your own with simple HTML. What was amazing is that I didn’t have to be this experienced coder to do so, the developers made it easy for you to do simple HTML without having to have a web design degree. You can look up codes and ways to customize your own page. Which really made it your own space. Isn’t the name clever too “my space”! It sure did made me feel that it was my space to do and say what I wanted! This new found expression was engaging and addicting.
“Myspace has had a significant influence on technology, pop culture and music. It was the first social network to reach a global audience.” That is major! It then paved the way for similar concepts and led to the development of other platforms. In 2015, It had over a billion users! The user friendly social media site has been thought to be beneficial to teens and tweens as well, “creating a profile page requires thought and creativity. ‘Kids learn a little bit about Web development, how to link and upload files, and about fonts and layout,’ Other arguments were that myspace allows young adults to “ construct their thoughts and feelings in a written form on blogs and in their comments. They post poems, stories and journal entries, and this develops their critical thinking and self-reflection.” This site had mostly praise in it’s early development and I have to agree. For me personally it was one of my first digital design spaces.
Then there is “TOM”, Tom was always your first friend, so if you didn’t think anyone out there actually liked you out there in interweb, well there was Toms portrait to remind you that you are not alone and disliked after all. Who is Tom? I’m glad you asked. “MySpace Tom” as he was commonly called was a co founder of MySpace, which he founded with Chris DeSolfe in 2003. So Tom was always there to lend a helping hand as you reconnected with you old friends from high school. It was refreshing having his handsome smiling face, by your side to cheer you on as logged in.
So fast forward to 2021, This assignment made me curious and so I tried to login into my old account, I was in my late twenties when it came out, Of course I forgot my password so I had to make a new one but I was able to locate my account and I was still seeing some of my old friends although they may not be active! The space template looks quite different now but intrigued, I updated my page and after about a 15 year hiatus, I am back on myspace! There seems to be such great new music features and with big image back ground, very much feels like it’s my very own webpage. My space is geared towards music and as an audiophile, I’m glad to be back and explore my possibilities! It was as user friendly as ever to change my profile! So if you decide to join yourself, Let’s connect so I can see your space. You can find me at https://myspace.com/298246530
Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Anderson
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/basic-htmlcss-what-myspace-had-us-doing-before-we-left-perriatt/
