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MySpace Bulletin Etiquette

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MySpace bulletins are a wonderful way to announce important things - and you've been abusing them dreadfully.

What Bulletins Are For:

Bulletins are for announcing a new publication, success, release, graduation, job, or other singular event, and a usually only a single reminder of same.
  • Natural or other disaster, help needed.
    Feel free to post emergency aid info if, say, NOLA takes a swim again. Once-a-day updates are enough; we have access to CNN too.
  • Graduation
    Congratulations! You've worked hard and deserve the attention.
  • Book Deal, Publication, Or Signing Event
    Definitely bulletin worthy.
  • Album Release
    Be sure to give us ordering details. Bulletin again if it wins an award, has a song from it added to a soundtrack, or goes platinum.
  • Pregnancy Announcement
    Updates are blog material, though. Exception: finding out that you're having multiples.
  • Birth
    Woot! Give us details, and keep us updated - on your blog.
  • Major Public Event
    Give us the details; we may show up. Bulletin once when the date's set, once a month until you're three months out (unless there's a major change or added guest/performer), every two weeks until you're a month out, once a week the last month, and a few days before the event happens.
    That's still a lot of bulletins, but less than I've gotten from some venues.
  • Weekly Public Event
    Remind us a few days beforehand - once.
  • New Product Release
    Announce once for a new design at your store.
  • Auditions/Call For Entries
    Bulletin once with the details, once a month when the deadline is three months away (unless there's a major change), every two weeks a month out from the deadline, once a week the last month, and a reminder a few days before the deadline.
Good fences make good neighbors.
Robert Frost, Mending Wall

CyberManners 101

Even the internet has etiquette! Bone up on your msmnnrs101 so you can present your best cyberself in all online situations.
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Bulletins Are Not For:

  • Spamming.
    A weekly event gets bulletined ONCE a week.
    A previously published/released book, movie, or album should only be bulletined once a month or so, unless you hit a big sales record or won an award for it.
  • Quizzes
    We're all really proud of you for finding them, but they go on your blog.
  • Blog Entry Announcements
    Again, so proud, but if I wanted to read your blog, I'd already know that you'd made a new entry.
  • I'm Offended By User ____
    It's good that we police each other, but unless someone's posting kiddy porn or snuff photos, it's a matter of taste. Feel free to complain to MySpace; firing off bulletin after bulletin (or email after email) about your valiant efforts to save the morality of MySpace is just masturbatory self-righteousness.
It's easy to get overwhelmed with the communicative power of the web, but a little courtesy, common sense, and restraint is not too much for your net neighbors to ask.
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