With the rise of participatory culture, social networking sites such as MySpace (www.myspace.com) provide a new outlet for the works of independent artists. The operation of participatory media is not autonomous because the opportunity of intersection with the mainstream media exists, hence the term 'convergence culture' coined by Henry Jenkins. Nonetheless, the critical question for this article pertains to the role of participatory media in consecrating artworks: are independent artists using participatory media simply to have their work viewed, or are they seeking mainstream media exposure? Does the mere act of gaining access to mainstream media result in the consecration of an artwork? How do musician labor on this site to gain value and legitimacy? Overall, this article argues that the blind valorization of the medium itself may inspire an indifferent attitude toward the underlying problems connected with the differing sets of values being negotiated in the participatory media.

Evaluation and credentialing in digital music communities : benefits and challenges for learning and assessment / H. Cecilia Suhr. pages cm.-(John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation reports on digital media and learning) Includes bibliographical references and index.

RESUMENEn los últimos años, MySpace ha sido crucial para promover el aumento de los seguidores de músicos independientes y ha representado un papel muy importante a la hora de ayudar a artistas populares a mantener las comunidades de fans. La popularidad de MySpace ha ido acompañada del establecimiento de protocolos sociales que han permitido a los músicos establecer vínculos entre ellos de una manera eficaz y exitosa. Estos protocolos han servido de inspiración para publicar varios libros (como «MySpace Music Profit Monster!: Proven Online Marketing Strategies!» de Nicky Kalliongis) con consejos y estrategias para los músicos. Si bien, algunos de estos protocolos pretenden conocer el aspecto tecnológico de MySpace, otros protocolos están directamente relacionados con el aprendizaje de una manera particular de conexión en red a través de MySpace. Además, estas prácticas son consideradas un trabajo serio, ya que requieren mucho tiempo y habilidades de conexión en red para lograr un cierto nivel de éxito, es decir, aumentar el número de amigos en la red personal. Así que, en este artículo, se analizan los protocolos sociales emergentes en MySpace como una forma de trabajo afectivo e inmaterial. La autora sostiene que la implementación de algunos consejos, como los proporcionados por expertos en MySpace, posiblemente pueda tener un efecto regresivo en las prácticas de los músicos en redes sociales, ya que podrían estandarizarizarse y volverse repetitivas. En conjunto, este artículo describe la evolución de My -Space, sobre todo en lo que respecta a la decreciente popularidad del sitio como una tendencia actual. ABSTRACTOver the recent years, MySpace has been vital to fostering the growth of independent musicians' followings and have played critical roles in helping mainstream artists maintain fan communities. The popularity of MySpace has been accompanied by the establishment of social protocols which allow musicians to network with one another in an efficient and successful way. These protocols have inspired the publication of various books (such as «MySpace Music Profit Monster!: Proven Online Marketing Strategies!» by Nicky Kalliongis devoted to providing tips and strategies for musicians. While some of these protocols pertain to being savvy with the technological aspect of MySpace, other protocols are directly related to learning a particular manner to network on MySpace. Furthermore, these practices are considered a serious work as they require a lot of time and networking skills to achieve a certain level of success, i.e. increasing the number of friends on one's network. Thus, this article examines the emerging social protocols on MySpace as a form of affective and immaterial labor. The author argues that the implementation of various tips as provided by MySpace expert will possibly have a regressive effect on musicians' social networking practices as these could become a standardized and repetitive practice. As a whole, this article traces the evolution of MySpace, especially in regards to the decreasing pop...

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