How to Put Backgrounds on Your MySpace Profile

MySpace is a terrific resource for anyone looking to connect or reconnect with a virtual community. You can send emails, post bulletins so people know what you're doing, and keep track of friends by reading their blogs. But MySpace itself can be pretty bland in its appearance. Spice up your profile by giving it a custom background.

Things You'll Need

• HTML coding experience or access to pre-generated images and hosts
• Internet access
• MySpace account
• Computer

Instructions

Find and Select a Background

1. Head to the MySpace home page and enter your login information in the "Member Login" box. You can also create an account from the home pages using the "Sign Me Up!" link (see the Resources section below). Keep this page open in a separate window so you don't have to refer to it in the future, or accidentally make a mistake during the copy/paste procedure (described below).

2. Decide how you want your overall MySpace profile to look. Pick a background type that will complement your personal style (comedy, nature, music, etc.).

3. Access a Web site that hosts backgrounds ready-made for you to put on your homepage. There are literally dozens of different third-party resources for MySpace profiles.

4. Sift through available backgrounds using your chosen site's search and menu features. Usually backgrounds will be categorized for easier browsing.

5. Copy the code for your selected background to your computer's clipboard. Be careful not to recopy something else before you update your profile, or you'll need to relocate the code and start the process all over again.

Put Backgrounds on Your MySpace Profile

1. Bring up the MySpace homepage you've left open.

2. Click the "Edit Profile" link in the profile menu box once your personal MySpace home page has loaded.

3. Paste your saved HTML code into the "About Me" text box using Control-V, or the right-click menu on your mouse.

4. Click the "Preview Profile" button to check that your background has loaded properly, or click the "Save All Changes" button if you're confident you've put it in correctly.

5. Check your background from time to time to ensure that it is still being hosted by the Web site linked in the code. Web sites are known to close or shut down from time to time--or will no longer host specific images.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider editing out embedded links in backgrounds that are hosted by other sites. They can clutter your profile and make it more difficult to navigate.

• Don't choose a background that contains illicit or pornographic images. Questionable profile content can and does lead to banning from the MySpace community.