MySpace rocks the vote

If you thought that MySpace was merely a bastion for tawdry images and school yard gossip, as of Wednesday, you would be wrong. MySpace is working to get out the youth vote, reports Red Herring.

Teaming up with the nonpartisan youth voting campaign Declare Yourself, MySpace is encouraging its members to vote in the midterm elections by providing online voting registration and voting tips from a special Declare Yourself profile page. After registering, the user will be able to download an electronic badge to post on their user profile.

"MySpace's reach offers us an extraordinary opportunity to give millions of Americans, especially first-time voters, easy access to the political process," Chris DeWolfe, chief executive of MySpace, said in a company statement.

According to comScore Media Metrix, 80 percent of MySpace users are 18 or older, providing a unique opportunity for voter outreach. Or at least that's what they say on their profiles.

The main thrust of the campaign will be the ads on the network home page which will link to the Declare Yourself page. There, users will find election updates, news about upcoming events, and watch Declare Yourself public service announcements, directed by famed visual artist David LaChapelle.