You're probably thinking "Please no more MySpace".MySpace has tens of millions of users. Mmm, I wonder how many of those users are in the mood to buy a home or sell their existing one? First a funny story.

Friday night I went out with a few friends and the "MySpace" topic found it's way into our conversation. I asked someone if they had a MySpace and they said no. "What? You don't have a MySpace? Everyone has a MySpace"! We were sitting at a red light and I looked at the girl in the car next to us. "I bet even SHE has one". So, to prove me wrong this person ended up rolling down the window and motioned to this girl to roll down hers. She looked a bit frightened. "Hey, do you have a MySpace?" She looked confused, muttered NO and then rolled her window back up. Okay, so maybe EVERYONE doesn't have a MySpace. Hey, she could have been lying. Most everyone has a MySpace.

I know some of you are probably thinking, no MySpace, no more social networks, no way. Isn't this a site for teenagers and pedophiles? According to Media Metrix, more than half of MySpace visitors are age 35 and older. Yes, I know what you are thinking that these are the pedophiles but I doubt it. Also, more than two-thirds are age 25 or older.MySpace is more than a social hang out if you know how to work it.

So, what's an agent like you gotta do to get a piece of the pie?

1. Sign Up, It's Free!
2. Edit Your Profile
3. Add Friends

It really is easy as 1,2,3.

Adding Friends On MySpace

Yes, people this is the most important part. These "friends" are what you are going to be farming. In MySpace land, it's like credit- it's hard to get them if you have none. Crazy, uh? Maybe a little.

FIRST, you should do a little pondering on the old days and try to remember people from grade school, college, old jobs, family, friends, old flames(okay, maybe not) but you get my point. MySpace Search Engine will allow you to search for anyone by including their first and last name with region. There's got to be a handful of people that you know that are on MySpace, don't lie. :)

What do I do if I don't have any friends? Well, first you can stop crying. It's okay. Next, a good trick to get friends is to go straight to the Music section and start adding up and coming bands that want exposure. They will add anyone and everyone, even you. This will accumulate a number of people so when you do start farming MySpace, people will not be hesitant to add you because they see you have a good number of friends. Once you get out their in MySpace land and have more friends, you can delete the bands.

Eventually, you can just start adding people in your area. What's the worst thing they can do? Reject you. Hey, rejection isn't that bad. Hey, it only takes a number of no's until you get to a beautiful YES! When you start to get a number of friends, it's time to start building relationships.

Building Relationships On MySpace

Building relationships is a little different than normal simply because it's not like you are going to go out to the coffee shop and meet face to face. There's always a cyber latte. Building relationships is simple. It's called commenting. Stopping by someone's page every so often and leaving a "hello" or "howdy doody". You can even go a step further and send a message and tell someone hello.

This is a NO NO- Don't send messages or comment about your services. This will only annoy people and scare them off and eventually they will block you. You can easily but "Real Estate Agent" in your title. They know what you do, you don't need to force feed them.

Content On Your MySpace Page

With all of the social networks you are on, you are probably thinking you are going to be spread thin blogging again about real estate. Well, don't. Yes, a market report every month is good in your blog. Your listings in your blog is good, but I would think that that's enough. People want to know that you are a person. Be personal. Look human. If people know that you are only on MySpace to generate business they will turn a cold shoulder. Ouch! You need to slide in gracefully. Be funny, be personal and be a friend. Talk about being a mom, a father, a goof ball in your blog. Talk about the everyday things. This will help you build trust with your MySpace pals. And then one day, it will happen. Someone will be looking for an agent and will remember all of your funny personal stories with a few listings here and there. You have to know how to work MySpace.

MySpace shoots out a note letting your friends know that you have written a new blog. Also, MySpace allows you to post bulletins. This is a great place to put a listing. All you have to do is put "3 BR/2BA in Baton Rouge" and then when they click on it, offer the link that will carry them to information.

Tips On MySpace Marketing

1. Keep it simple. Do not load your page up with glitter, videos or pictures. No one likes a slow page. If you have a lot of things on your page, it will take time to load and people will leave before reading anything.

2. Know what group you are going to focus on. Think about what type of people you want and what age group. You could be wasting a lot of time if you are targeting the wrong people.

3. Add friends! You need friends to make this work. Get creative but not pushy.

4. Try to keep it personal. Most people use MySpace as an outlet. The last thing they want to do is talk business. Be you and be personal.

5. Don't jam your page up with junk.

6. Take the time to send messages to your "friends".

7. Keep your nose clean while on MySpace. Think about what you say and what you type when leaving comments and messages.

8. Be patient.

9. Use the force.

10. Work it.

I've been on MySpace for about three years now. It's not something that happens overnight. I have over 300 friends. Today I finally got the bright idea to go and send messages to most everyone in my friends list and ask them for addresses and their birthdays. I got a great response. Don't be afraid of MySpace. At MySpace, people are at your finger tips. There just there. You don't have to go knock on doors, you just have to do a bit of smart marketing. It can work for you if you just know how to work it.