Reports are a brewin’ about  a new “social network” called Google Me after a tweet was posted by Digg’s Kevin Rose. That’s right, Facebook, you allegedly have a competitor being released into the social media realm soon.

It brings me to ask questions about the upcoming social network…

Will it be artist friendly? Is there going to be a music player for bands and artists? Are they going to take aspects of Myspace to help the cause?

When people ask me what Google Buzz is, I simply say it’s a hybrid of Facebook and Twitter. You apply live updates to your profile for your followers, similar to Twitter, and then add links or photos. You also have the ability to make your updates public or private.

Why should indie bands or artists use Google Buzz?

It is another excellent way to gain exposure for your band or project. You can apply custom links and have your profile showcased during Google searches of your project’s name.

Having a link back to your Web site is a solid reason to create a Google profile. Google also gives you the ability to add multiple links to your other social media sites, store, blog, etc. For instance, I currently have five links on my profile to the sites I want my followers to visit.

Never believe in overnight successes. They’re like the tooth fairy. They’re make-believe. How many times have you heard about the struggling actress who moves to Hollywood and bumps into the guy at the coffee shop who happens to know a producer at Miramax? Then bam! The next week, she’s on the set of the next Quentin Tarantino flick.

Or how about the starry-eyed rapper who’s desperate to be the next MTV sensation? So he starts free-styling on the street one day at just the moment that the head A&R rep at Jive happens to be walking by. Next thing, he’s working on his own major label album.

You’ve probably noticed already that in the real world, things don’t usually happen that way. The overnight success is and always will be a myth. The big reason is that there’s too many layers of complexity between an idea and a real world end result.

I read an article on Billboard.com [awhile] ago which said that Coldplay is going to give away their live CD “leftrightleftrightleft” to all fans attending its Viva La Vida summer tour. Brilliant!

“Playing live is what we love,” says Coldplay. Exactly! It should be. Surely, a day doesn’t go by where you don’t hear about how you should be giving away free music, right? You should be. As I’ve mentioned before, music as a product doesn’t have much value anymore because it’s too common. It’s basic supply and demand.

Ok, so now, instead of hoping in earnest that somebody buys your tracks, you should be hoping that as many of them as possible download them for free. But does that mean you’ll make a penny off of your free downloads down the road? Well, it depends. Coldplay does. And they’re making lots of it. So why can’t you?

One thing that the traditional music labels have always been good at doing is making money. One thing that the indie music world has always been good at doing is connecting with fans. In this day and age, I would say that the indie world has a definite advantage over the major labels.

But only because the labels are so stuck in the 20th century. They built themselves up on one model and that model is now obsolete. The indie world was always largely about the music. About the fans’ emotional connection to it. And that’s the right way to do it.

Are you looking to promote your band on the internet? Or are you currently doing so and want to see the results? Well just search you band’s name using Google, Bing or any search engine that you prefer to use.

Looking at it from a fan’s perspective: They want to find out more about your band that they just heard on an online radio station, or read about on an indie music blog.

When I first started to brand my name online, I searched on Google and was very disappointed by the results that appeared. Only my Myspace profile showed up for me. I’m sure there are not that many Noe Pacheco’s, but the few that are out there are really trying to establish a presence for their business.

A key component to online marketing for independent bands is creating a Web site, so they can place the URL on their social networks to gain a strong online presence.

Ebandlive.com offers indie bands the service to generate customized or ready made Web sites for them. The site also offers online marketing services to expose the band’s domain for their content.

All come with a subscription and integration into our content management system, site hosting and much more, according to the Web site.

Ever Since I started the independent artist | music journey on the web, I have been mining it for useful information and helpful resources on a daily basis to help guide me on my way. Need a great tip? Blogs are great pit stop. Want to learn form the pros? There is usually one at every at every other exit. Get lost and can’t find your way? Google it. It is a wonderful road map to take on any journey. Just be careful when you drive past page 10 of the search results. You just might lose your way… unless you’re specifically looking for back highway links to nowhere.

Anyway, what’s great about the wonderful world of the web (www) is much of the information on its pages is toll free. Blogs, Social networks Indie music, art, images, eBooks, videos tutorials, etc; many sites give away information freely, some on a daily basis. Most are great places to visit. I circle the best on my bookmark road map for regular return visits.

Unfortunately on every journey, it is very easy to take a wrong turn off the information highway. There are many spy-ware dead ends, spam road blocks, redirect road maps and viral potholes that can slow you down on your journey, or stop you dead in your tracks; or worse redirect you to the back highway links to nowhere. Take it from me, its no where you want to be when you have websites to visit and information to find.

Independent bands struggle to see how much exposure they can gain online, because they have the daunting task of making sure their music is solid enough for strangers’ ears to hear their finished product.

Indie bands need to realize that they can create a market for their music before it is completed just by generating a presence utilizing social networks that are out there for them.

Bands need to look beyond Myspace and Facebook to gain the superior online presence they expect  when they use the internet.

The World Wide Web is more than what mainstream media says it is, but bands are too preoccupied with what they are told by them. The bands need to realize that there is more than Twitter that should be occupying their time.

Independent bands and unsigned bands need the most exposure as possible to gain a following, which comes with a dominant online presence.

How do I get my band’s Web site links on the first page of Google, Bing and Yahoo search engines?

Create profile on solidified social networks and start-up social networks, but make sure to use your band’s name in the URL name (www.socialnetwork.com/bandname).

Why should I use other sites, besides the major ones that are known like Myspace and Facebook?

Social networking sites have become a great tool for independent bands to market their bands, but that is all they are good for. Indie bands need to realize that they need a Web site to solidify their online presence.

Having the ability to control the content on their own domain is key when trying to manage their image and marketing. Indie artists can make their own rules and do not have to follow the regulations that social networks expect them to follow.

The other aspect is indie bands ignoring their Web sites and spending more time on content on their social network profiles. Bands should keep their content fresh such as, tour dates, photos, appearances, etc., so their fans return to view anything that is new with the band.

Professionals can not take the challenge of generating a new freelance business on too lightly. Creating a freelance business is exactly that, a “business.”

Overseeing the expansion of your business name is not as hard as you think. Marketing your name has become interactive and the internet is a great place to launch your presence.

The first thing your business should invest in is a company Web site. Producing a link to associate your name to is the best move you can do right off-the-bat.

I recommend that you create a site, because you can control the content on the site and the appearance. There are no terms or regulations that your business is subjected to. Also, you can be sure that your site is utilizing search engine optimization techniques.