MySpace whores. Text-aholics. E-mail junkies. The nightlife industry is bordering on needing its own 12-step program for technology addiction (Weekly staff included).
In life before the worldwide web—and there was such a time—club and event promoters hit the streets with grassroots campaigns. Party people were bombarded with tons of fliers and VIP cards. Then Al Gore “invented” the Internet, and after only 10 minutes of irritating dial-up noises, you could watch dancing hamsters and check your e-mail inbox for a little nightclub message or two. And now there’s MySpace, e-mail blasts and texting to keep the masses informed.
Anyone who’s been added to a promoter’s Blackberry is familiar with the subsequent barrage of text messages. Most in the industry are careful not to overflow their guests’ inboxes, but occasionally promoters become text-happy, and unsolicited messages can drive a club-goer batty by using up multiple text credits.
Expert partiers in clubland have gotten to the point where they ignore texts unless the recipient’s name has been included (i.e., anything that says “Hey, you” or “What’s up, girl?” is barely glanced at). With text and e-mail blast programs, sometimes a personal touch will get the patron to respond, and ultimately come out to the club. On the other hand, keeping club-goers informed about upcoming events is proving to be very valuable—and profitable. New Vegas-based nightlife websites seem to spring up weekly. However, there are still reliable staples in the industry that stand the test of time and keep locals and tourists informed. (We hope you’re enjoying this fine publication.)
As for MySpace, it seems every nightclub has an “official” page, and even promotions-team members have their own pages. Hosts’ MySpace names often include their club affiliation, such as “Josh @ Rehab/Body English” (Joshua Dean) or “Ronald @ Jet Nightclub” (Ronald Lindsey). “Mass text messages work the best to get a response, but MySpace works too for people you don’t know,” says Dean. “I probably spend a good five hours a week on MySpace and text messaging for work.”
While some industries frown upon the use of MySpace, and human resources staffs scrutinize employees’ page content, our nightclubs encourage the use of the social networking site (Facebook hasn’t caught on as fast in Sin City). “They ask you to have a MySpace, but it’s not required,” explains Lindsey, who like Dean spends beaucoup time e-mailing, texting and calling club-goers. “The promotion game has changed in the last five years—big time,” he says. “With so many clubs, you have to up your game and make yourself more memorable to get people to come to the club.” The more friends, the more memorable.
MySpace “bot” programs such as FriendBlasterPro are available for purchase and download online. Dean and Lindsey haven’t gone the auto-MySpacing route, but there is evidence that some of their competitors may have. Bot programs essentially allow users to set their MySpace on autopilot. Did we really think so-and-so never sleeps and is able to post a bulletin almost every hour of the day? Okay, maybe we were fooled at first. But with bot programs, users can create bulletins and select when they will be posted, automatically collect and add friends based on demographics, or auto-post comments and auto-send messages to everyone on their friends lists. However, MySpace is trying to combat such programs with the addition of “captcha fields,” those squirrelly letter-and-number combos some users require people to manually enter when adding them as a friend or sending messages, a task the bot programs are unable to bypass.
Locals and tourists still see the occasional nightclub team out and about (usually stationed by a door or escalator), but one has to wonder if we could possibly survive without the old-school paper trail. While many residents are tapped into the grid, there’s still the chance a few visitors stumbling around with Eiffel Tower daiquiri containers haven’t heard about Vegas’ nightlife offerings, and that seems to be where the street team is most beneficial. Now if only a flier, e-mail or text came with complimentary dress shoes, a bottomless bankroll and a few extra lady friends to make getting into a club that much easier.
Deanna Rilling is not only a contributing writer for the Weekly, but also a self-admitted MySpace addict. You can find her online at myspace.com/deannarilling.