For Earth, MySpace writes a new chapter

MySpace is expanding into green space.

Joining the effort to save the environment, the social network has broken free of the confines of the Internet to publish its first book, MySpace/Our Planet: Change Is Possible (HarperTEEN, $12.99 paper), a handbook of tips for young adults interested in keeping Earth healthy. The purpose of the book, according to the publisher, is to extend Earth Day - which is today - to last all year long.

In the process, MySpace has become the first social network to extend its brand off-line and into the literary world.

Authorship of the book is attributed to magazine writer Jeca Taudte and more than 500 members of the MySpace community who contributed suggestions.

MySpace officials say the problems facing the environment prompted the Web site's expansion into the publishing arena.

"We thought major media endeavors like An Inconvenient Truth had done such a great job of spreading the news of climate change as a major issue," said Lee Brenner, director of IMPACT, a MySpace channel dealing with political and public policy issues. "And in trying to spread awareness, we wanted to broaden our audience and extend what we do off-line," added Brenner, who also is executive producer of political programming at MySpace.

Broken into nine sections, the recently released book was intentionally given a clipped, blog-like style that mimics the MySpace ambience.

"It was absolutely a goal to make it feel very much like the MySpace community," Brenner said. "We wanted it to be something that you can leave on the coffee table and pick it up and get constant tips."

The book itself practices what it preaches - it was printed on post-consumer-waste recycled paper using soy-based inks. And while some of the suggestions are challenging, like getting your family and friends to have simpler, less wasteful gatherings, the book concentrates on more obvious, small tips like skipping bottled water, taking shorter showers, and obeying the speed limit (gas mileage goes down at speeds over 60 m.p.h., so keeping speed under control will not only save drivers from being pulled over, but also will save money and the environment).

"That was a major initiative of it, to find the things that people can do in their everyday lives to make a difference," Brenner said. "We wanted it to be something that people can use on a daily basis, as a guide or a resource."

The release of Change Is Possible is, in many ways, the next step in MySpace's evolution as a political entity. Although the site rose to prominence as a social networking site, it has continued to evolve over its nearly five-year existence. In an attempt to offer users what they want, the site has added channels that focus on music, videos, and, as of last May, social and civic engagement.

"We saw that the MySpace community was already bubbling with politics and nonprofits and civic organizations," Brenner said. "We wanted to create a channel that was specifically designed for them, and where MySpace users could find a central location for presidential candidates, nonprofits, environmental causes, and any other type of social engagements."

That channel, IMPACT, has become an integral part of Web politics since its launch, particularly because of its efforts to educate the Internet audience on the current election.

"We've been really happy with it," Brenner said. "It's continually growing, and we have a large amount of traffic to the site. We've done concerts for Darfur, environmental programs, presidential dialogues, anything to raise awareness."

OurPlanet is one of the most active areas on the site, with an average of 400,000 page views per month and more than 174,000 friends. About 20,000 nonprofits have MySpace profiles, and hundreds of them use IMPACT to take full advantage of the medium.

"It's allowed us to not just get our message out in a direct sort of way, but to also interact with people all over the country and all over the world," said Matt McClain, director of marketing and communication at the Surfrider Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the protection of the world's oceans and beaches.

"MySpace acts as a conduit to get people involved in causes," McClain said. "You didn't have this opportunity before social networks." If you wanted to get your message out in pre-Web days, you had to pay for advertising and "stand up on the soapbox and start yelling," he added.

Kelly Cox, integrated marketing specialist at the National Resource Defense Council, offered a similar view.

"I knew we needed to go where the people were," she said. "The way of being on the Net has changed. It's much harder to get people to come to your Web site these days because they are spending all their time on the social networks anyway."

Despite the benefits of the Internet, MySpace felt the need to expand its audience by going off-line. Although MySpace currently has no plans for a second socially minded book, Brenner said the company is always open to suggestions. Many believe Change Is Possible is just a taste of what the social network will be doing to make a social impact in the future.

"IMPACT has gotten people to be exposed to causes and organizations, which has been causing people to get out of their houses and go do their work," McClain said. "I think this book is the next step in getting people out to start changing the world."