MySpace.com Craze
Are you still trying to find a way to keep up with old friends, find out who your high school prom king married, or meet your perfect match? If so, then you may have not heard of the popular social networking site, MySpace.com
Jennifer Smith, a 21-year-old college student, found this site just in time. Broken-hearted, lonely, and in desperate need of social support, Smith received a link from a friend via e-mail inviting her to be part of MySpace, which is home to over 70 million registered users.
Smith put together her own webpage with pictures, streaming new videos, and a short story describing her. She instantly met new friends, and found long-lost ones. Not only did she get out of depression from a recent break-up, but went on several dates.
For her, it is a daily ritual to get online from one or two hours, to check messages and stay up-to-date with what plans her girlfriends are making for the upcoming weekend.
“ I constantly meet different people,” said Smith. “I got a lot of friends and dates through this site. It’s like a free bachelor-search dating service; a lovers quest.”
She is not alone in this new craze; MySpace gets more than 180,000 users a day and has more page views than America Online.
This is the new trend among 14-35 year-olds when it comes to interactive social networking sites. One of the reasons for its emerging success is that it’s the only site to integrate blog, instant messaging, classified listings, voting, groups, user forums, music and videos. With all these options MySpace has very loyal members.
YOUNGSTERS AND DANGERS
Young people log on so obsessively that it has made MySpace.com ranked No.15 in terms of page hits in the entire U.S. Internet, according to the October Nielsen/Net Ratings. It has beat out many sites of its kind including MSN Spaces, Friendster and Live Journal. It has become the most popular English-language social networking website, with traffic that makes its competitors nervous.
Many of its users are high school students who religiously count the hours until class ends; so they can rush home and log on for hours. The average user spends an average of 105 minutes a month searching, tweaking, downloading, and lastly and most importantly adding new friends to be able to be upto date with the latest things going on in their city.
Karen Rodriguez, 16,runs from the bus into the house to get on the computer. She says the first time she went on to look up people’s pictures she couldn’t because you had to first become a member. In no time she was part of the millions of teenagers connecting through this new phenomenon. “ I see if I have messages or comments and connect to other people’s pages. Some weeks I am on seven days for up to three hours; it is addicting,” said Rodriguez.
With the potential to reach so many people and the fact that virtually anyone has access to any account parents and teachers worry about the dangers this can bring.
“I am a user of the site, but I am older and more experienced so I know how to use the site,” said Jamie Lawson, an elementary teacher. “I am careful of the information that I disclose, but I am concerned for my students in the 5th and 6th grade. They get on and give very personal information, and post very revealing pictures without realizing that anyone has access to this private information, she said.”
Without adult supervision or some type of parental program MySpace can be dangerous, especially for younger users. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported 1,224 incidents last year of “online enticements” of children by adults and estimates that one in five children gets sexual solicitations online according to a Washington Post Report.
“My children are constantly going on MySpace; I try to keep an eye on them when I am around, but when I am working I have no control over them. I try to tell them of the dangers of predators online, so in that case I do worry and I constantly tell them not to chat or meet with strangers,” said Ana Vega, 42, a pre-school teacher.
There have been cases of abuse where police report that the victims meet these predators on web sites like MySpace. One such case was one of a 24-year old Albuquerque, N.M. man that was arrested last summer on charges that he had sex with a 15-year-old he met on MySpace, according to an Associated Press report.
Despite these cases, MySpace promotes itself as a safe, user-friendly, and says that when used properly it is the best place to connect with friends.
PROFFESIONALS BEWARE
MySpace.com allows users greater flexibility when compared to similar networking sites. Users are allowed to create personalized webpage profiles, which they can then use to link up and communicate with others who have similar interests. They can share their lives with others.
Many users make announcements on their web pages of big events such as pregnancies, marriages, and job promotions. They also use MySpace as a sort of online diary posting daily blogs about topics ranging from relationships to their experiences at work.
With these new ways of sharing personal information Chicago Tribune’s RedEye published an article about how people can penalize their chances for jobs. The kind of information that people share online should concern many because virtually everyone has access to anyone’s information.
Any prospective employer can have access to an applicant’s page by just having simple information such as an e-mail or age taken from a resume. Anyone can have access to the browsing option on MySpace without the site requiring a membership. Also blogging was reported to be a concern because many employees can post negative information about their workplace without realizing that everything is up for grabs to any employer or employees of any company. The article stresses the importance for individuals to be very careful of the type of information they disclose online because it might come back to haunt them in the future.
MYSPACE.COM’S PRESENT AND FUTURE
With the enormous growth and popularity that MySpace has received it is no wonder that it has new owners and new plans from its founders.
MySpace.com was founded in July 2003 by Tom Anderson, a Santa Monica (Calif.) musician with a degree in film and Chris DeWolfe, a former marketer for Xdrive Inc. And in less than three years MySpace owned by Intermix has managed to attract new owners because it was bought for $580 million by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation.
News Corporation has plans of launching a version of MySpace in the U.K. to break into their music scene.
Despite the acquisition Anderson remains President and Chris DeWolfe is still the Chief Executive Officer of MySpace.com. They still have tremendous influence of what goes on MySpace.
With a staff of 250 and a 2006 revenue of $20 million, the duo has plans to expand their potential market into a movie production unit and into satellite radio.
Whether MySpace.com is just a fad, we will have to wait and see because it has tapped into the lives of millions and has changed and defined a new culture of online users, something that many never saw coming…
Are you still trying to find a way to keep up with old friends, find out who your high school prom king married, or meet your perfect match? If so, then you may have not heard of the popular social networking site, MySpace.com
Jennifer Smith, a 21-year-old college student, found this site just in time. Broken-hearted, lonely, and in desperate need of social support, Smith received a link from a friend via e-mail inviting her to be part of MySpace, which is home to over 70 million registered users.
Smith put together her own webpage with pictures, streaming new videos, and a short story describing her. She instantly met new friends, and found long-lost ones. Not only did she get out of depression from a recent break-up, but went on several dates.
For her, it is a daily ritual to get online from one or two hours, to check messages and stay up-to-date with what plans her girlfriends are making for the upcoming weekend.
“ I constantly meet different people,” said Smith. “I got a lot of friends and dates through this site. It’s like a free bachelor-search dating service; a lovers quest.”
She is not alone in this new craze; MySpace gets more than 180,000 users a day and has more page views than America Online.
This is the new trend among 14-35 year-olds when it comes to interactive social networking sites. One of the reasons for its emerging success is that it’s the only site to integrate blog, instant messaging, classified listings, voting, groups, user forums, music and videos. With all these options MySpace has very loyal members.
YOUNGSTERS AND DANGERS
Young people log on so obsessively that it has made MySpace.com ranked No.15 in terms of page hits in the entire U.S. Internet, according to the October Nielsen/Net Ratings. It has beat out many sites of its kind including MSN Spaces, Friendster and Live Journal. It has become the most popular English-language social networking website, with traffic that makes its competitors nervous.
Many of its users are high school students who religiously count the hours until class ends; so they can rush home and log on for hours. The average user spends an average of 105 minutes a month searching, tweaking, downloading, and lastly and most importantly adding new friends to be able to be upto date with the latest things going on in their city.
Karen Rodriguez, 16,runs from the bus into the house to get on the computer. She says the first time she went on to look up people’s pictures she couldn’t because you had to first become a member. In no time she was part of the millions of teenagers connecting through this new phenomenon. “ I see if I have messages or comments and connect to other people’s pages. Some weeks I am on seven days for up to three hours; it is addicting,” said Rodriguez.
With the potential to reach so many people and the fact that virtually anyone has access to any account parents and teachers worry about the dangers this can bring.
“I am a user of the site, but I am older and more experienced so I know how to use the site,” said Jamie Lawson, an elementary teacher. “I am careful of the information that I disclose, but I am concerned for my students in the 5th and 6th grade. They get on and give very personal information, and post very revealing pictures without realizing that anyone has access to this private information, she said.”
Without adult supervision or some type of parental program MySpace can be dangerous, especially for younger users. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported 1,224 incidents last year of “online enticements” of children by adults and estimates that one in five children gets sexual solicitations online according to a Washington Post Report.
“My children are constantly going on MySpace; I try to keep an eye on them when I am around, but when I am working I have no control over them. I try to tell them of the dangers of predators online, so in that case I do worry and I constantly tell them not to chat or meet with strangers,” said Ana Vega, 42, a pre-school teacher.
There have been cases of abuse where police report that the victims meet these predators on web sites like MySpace. One such case was one of a 24-year old Albuquerque, N.M. man that was arrested last summer on charges that he had sex with a 15-year-old he met on MySpace, according to an Associated Press report.
Despite these cases, MySpace promotes itself as a safe, user-friendly, and says that when used properly it is the best place to connect with friends.
PROFFESIONALS BEWARE
MySpace.com allows users greater flexibility when compared to similar networking sites. Users are allowed to create personalized webpage profiles, which they can then use to link up and communicate with others who have similar interests. They can share their lives with others.
Many users make announcements on their web pages of big events such as pregnancies, marriages, and job promotions. They also use MySpace as a sort of online diary posting daily blogs about topics ranging from relationships to their experiences at work.
With these new ways of sharing personal information Chicago Tribune’s RedEye published an article about how people can penalize their chances for jobs. The kind of information that people share online should concern many because virtually everyone has access to anyone’s information.
Any prospective employer can have access to an applicant’s page by just having simple information such as an e-mail or age taken from a resume. Anyone can have access to the browsing option on MySpace without the site requiring a membership. Also blogging was reported to be a concern because many employees can post negative information about their workplace without realizing that everything is up for grabs to any employer or employees of any company. The article stresses the importance for individuals to be very careful of the type of information they disclose online because it might come back to haunt them in the future.
MYSPACE.COM’S PRESENT AND FUTURE
With the enormous growth and popularity that MySpace has received it is no wonder that it has new owners and new plans from its founders.
MySpace.com was founded in July 2003 by Tom Anderson, a Santa Monica (Calif.) musician with a degree in film and Chris DeWolfe, a former marketer for Xdrive Inc. And in less than three years MySpace owned by Intermix has managed to attract new owners because it was bought for $580 million by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation.
News Corporation has plans of launching a version of MySpace in the U.K. to break into their music scene.
Despite the acquisition Anderson remains President and Chris DeWolfe is still the Chief Executive Officer of MySpace.com. They still have tremendous influence of what goes on MySpace.
With a staff of 250 and a 2006 revenue of $20 million, the duo has plans to expand their potential market into a movie production unit and into satellite radio.
Whether MySpace.com is just a fad, we will have to wait and see because it has tapped into the lives of millions and has changed and defined a new culture of online users, something that many never saw coming…
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