I generally don't join in on the latest trend as fast as others around me. Some people may determine I am not "cool" because I don't always dress or talk in a way that is popular. And I am OK with that. Eventually, if I can see practical value in a trend, I may join in. And once in a while I like what happens to be the current trend. For instance, camo seems to be all over the clothing stores. And I admit, I recently purchased a few articles of clothing with the camo theme. But I like camo even when it is not popular.

So when MySpace was a word heard often as I travelled through life, I checked it out once, and did not come back for several months. Then I began to see myspace ads on all my favorite band's website. I noticed the value of checking out MySpace once in a while to hear new songs or check out music from a band where I have only heard the radio single. Perhaps the time listening might help me decide on whether or not to purchase some new music.

Before long I found posts on band message boards about the latest blog on MySpace. I began to check out MySpace more often to read band blogs. Then one day I took a small step - not a plunge - into the water. I set up a profile on MySpace so I could subscribe to the blog of several bands. I did not have a photo or any information on my profile other than my age and location. Tom was my only friend. This was two years ago.

This relationship worked well for a time. As months went on, I would periodically sign in to check the latest blog. Once in a while I would search through various "view my friends" pages to find and view the many profiles of people I know. Interestingly enough, many of the people I found were people I know through my music and concert connections.

Yet I did not want to join in for fear I would spend too much time surfing. Besides, I spent much of my online time viewing band websites and message boards to check out the latest news and tour dates.

Soon I noticed a pattern. I would talk to a band member at a show about something, and the response was always, "Hey, you can contact me through my MySpace page." After months of hearing this, I pondered if I should consider jumping in rather than wading in the pool. I found a picture for my profile, added some vague information about myself, and began to search for friends.

And, I contacted bands through MySpace.

That was about 8 months ago. Since then, I have added many bands as "friends" and receive and read many bulletins about the comings and goings of said bands. I found record labels and artist management profiles. And I soon found many venues have MySpace profiles. So rather than visiting a ton of websites to see who is playing where and when, I can now track everything through MySpace.

Beyond the music related pages, I have also caught up with some friends and former youth group "kids" that I have not seen in a while.

I admit, I still somewhat dislike the fact that I had to join in on the trend. But I guess the whole "one stop shopping" idea has kept me logging in each day.