Facebook and MySpace: Understanding the 800 Pound Gorillas of Social Networking

Most discussions about social networking today begin with one of two sites: MySpace or Facebook. MySpace — which was acquired by NewsCorp in 2005 for $580 million — boasts 100 million users and is one of the most visited sites on the net.

Facebook began as a site for high school and college students, but quickly ballooned to 30 million active users after opening to the general public and launching a platform for developers to build applications within the site in 2007.

Marketers are absolutely salivating over the passionate users and fixated attention in these two networks. But is advertising the best way to reach the people that use these sites to connect with friends and loved ones?

In this session, social networking experts xxx and xxx will explain the user interfaces, features and cultures within these two powerful communities. Attendees will learn:

• How people use social networks to disseminate information to people they care about
• The most common mistakes that marketers make when attempting to engage with social network users
• How social network users respond to and interact with advertising
• The “coolest self” phenomenon and what it means for business