Beginners Guide To Using MySpace
After Wikipedia.org, MySpace.com “is a free service that uses the Internet for online communication through an interactive network of photos, weblogs, user profiles, e-mail, web forums, and groups, as well as other media formats. This allinclusive service is sometimes called a social networking interface. MySpace is a very active site, and additions and new features are being added constantly. …”
MySpace is a social network site. In structure, MySpace is not quite unique. The site is a bunch of features previously offered by sites like Friendster, Hot or Not, Xanga, Rate My Teacher, etc. At the core are profiles that are connected by links to friends on the system. Profiles are personalized to express an individual’s interests and tastes, thoughts of the day and values. Music, photos and video help users make their profile more appealing.
This friend networking allows people to link to their friends and people can traverse the network through these profiles over and over. An individual’s “Top 8″ friends are displayed on the front page of their profile; all of the rest appear on a separate page. Movie stars, bands, and other media creators have profiles in this system and fans can be friends with them as well. People can comment on each others’ profiles or photos and these are typically displayed publicly.
Originally, the site had a limit of 18 years of age for those who wanted an account and all data was public. Over time, the age limit dropped to 16 and then, later, to 14. The youngest users are given the option to make their profiles visible to friends-only and they do not appear in searches.
When you start an account, you are given an initial friend – Tom Anderson, one of the founders of MySpace. By surfing the site, you will find and add additional friends. When you are on MySpace, you’ll spend most of the time modifying your own profile, uploading photos, sending messages, checking out friends’ profiles and commenting on them. Checking messages and getting comments is what brings people back to MySpace every day.
Many teens access MySpace at least once a day or whenever computer access is possible. Teens that have a computer at home keep MySpace opened most of the time, while they are doing homework or talking on instant messenger. In schools where it is not banned or blocked, teens check MySpace during passing period, lunch, study hall and before/after school. This is particularly important for teens that don’t have computer access at home.
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