The first Ninja profile I came across was Tim Benzinger's. I saw Tim's personal website on Stylegala, which had a link to his MySpace profile. I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw it because I had been complaining about how shitty the MySpace's code is, yet he'd done something interesting in spite of that fact. So, I did the only logical thing and reverse engineered his work. His idea was so simple that it felt like it should have been more obvious. Hide MySpace's code and replace it with your own. I've since come across other people's work, such as Rathy, who was using another method for developing tricked out MySpace layouts. I'm sure there are many others and this profile is dedicated to those pioneers. Hats off for allowing all of us the chance for a better social networking experience. I've examined a few of these early techniques and I've been playing around with some variations of my own. You should also know that there is hope. MySpace has an incredible amount of customization latitude despite its clunky code. A creative person can do more than simply change fonts, colors, and borders. In fact, in order for you to make the most creative expression possible with MySpace, you have to forget the default layout of MySpace and start to see MySpace for what it truly is—connecting with other people. That connection is developed through MySpace's core services, which are as follows:

• A profile with personal information such as a bio, music you like, your age, relationship status, etc.
• Friend list that involves permission to interact with your profile
• Blog
• Bulletins
• IM
• Email
• Comments on profiles, blogs, and pics
• Groups
• Photo gallery
• Music player

In practice, few people, myself included, actually use all of these features. And, many people enjoy adding additional features, such videos, surveys, and more. This is all to say that when you're thinking about customizing your profile, think about how you use it currently and in what ways you could customize your profile to support the features you want to develop further. Community is the defining nature of MySpace. Without the interconnected network of friends, MySpace is just another waste of server space. The fact that you can have friends and interact with them is what MySpace is all about. IMHO, this means your profile should at least contain a button to add you as a friend and a comments table. I strongly believe in email and instant messaging as well. After that, it's all personal preference. I really enjoy blogging and reading other people's blogs because that gives you and your friends a great way to stay in touch while you share a constant supply of fresh thought for the rest of the MySpace community. Sharing pictures is also an amazing way to stay in touch and there are infinite possibilities for how you can share photos. I'm excited to see where all of this possibility is going to go and all of the playful ways people connect through this historic community. Historic? You question. Yes, there are famous people on here. There are movers and shakers on here. There are talent scouts, politicians, and more on MySpace. There is no other time in human history that it has been possible to cut through the red tape and just freely interact with the range of people available on MySpace. So make the most of your time here because one day you'll have to explain to your kids the first time you heard about MySpace. If you're ready for a profile that kicks ass, read The Key.