Ok I need some help on Myspace. What are the pro's and cons and how do u stay safe?

[Cpt.JackSpearow]

I want to join but my mom is woried.
I hear alot of bad stuff on it. My college teacher was talking about it in class for blogs.
What are the pro's and what are the cons of it. Plz help me with this.

 

[Captain Brain]

Moving to Regular board.

 

[cteddiesgirl]

Well, the main problem with MySpace is when people give out too much information. Such as name, school, address, email, phone, IM names, etc.

It can be used safely as long as you don't post this kind of info and I wouldn't post any pics of yourself either. Especially for a minor.

There are things that you can do to protect yourself more too.

There are Privacy settings:
Check "Require email or last name to add me as a friend" if you want other users to be required to know your email address or your last name in order to send you an add friend request (this prevents people who don't know you from trying to add you as a friend).

Check "Approve Comments before Posting" if you want to review comments to your profile and journals before they are posted. Comments will NOT appear unless and until you approve them.

Check "Hide Online Now" to make your online status invisible to other users.

Check "Show My Birthday to my Friends" to alert your friends when your birthday is near. Which I would not do.

Check "No Pic Forwarding" to prevent other users from emailing links to your images from the site.

Check "Friend Only Journal Comments" to allow only your friends to post comments on your blog entries.

Check "Block Friend Request From Bands" to block unwanted friend request from bands. Which might be a good idea too.


There are also IM Privacy settings.
For any of these security settings to apply you must have "Hide Online Now" unchecked from the Privacy Settings page.

Check "No one can IM me" if you want to prevent anyone from sending you an IM request.

Check "Only Friends can IM me" if you want to prevent anyone that is not your friend from sending you an IM request.

Check "Anyone can IM me" if you want to allow any user to IM you.

Links to My Space are not allowed on the DIS

Hope this helps.
FYI: I have an account there.

Oh. Another tip. Before registering, create a free email account someplace (hotmail, yahoo, etc) that is different from your normal one. And use this one only for MySpace. This way, it's harder for anyone to actually find you if there is ever a "break-in" for the info on MySpace servers.

 

[deepshadow]

If you make your account be 14 years old it automatically puts your page on private,which means only friends can view your page.

 

[Nanoer]

don't do the quiz table thing which ask stuff like what are you weakness etc. don't accept friend requests from people you know
for once in life DONT RISK IT! YES PAIN NO GAIN!
Don't put any info you or you parents would want anyone in the world to see

 

[OnceUponAStar*]

Well, I have to admit that i'm a myspace junkie, since I make myspace layouts for people.

Myspace-

Make it Privately viewed so only the people that you can call friends will be able to view it. Safer way of Myspace. That way you know who is viewing your myspace or who can view your myspace.

 

[Carrieberry]

I personally dont think it is appropriate from a parents point of view. Yes true, you can keep people from viewing your own page, pics blogs etc, but there is nothing to prevent you from seeing other highly inappropriate pages. You go into your page and you get pics of people that have just joined and you can click on them. You don't know what that page will have on it. You can browse and come across some things i would not want my 10 year old looking at, things I dont even want to look at myself. Yes it can be safe as far as people looking at what you have, but again AS A PARENT I would NEVER allow my child on it EVER!

 

[SorcererDonald16]

You said college professor. If you're in college, I'd stick to Facebook. Only people from your college can see your profile, and email addresses and the like are already available in the campus directory if your college is anything like mine was. If you ONLY need a blog, try LiveJournal. You can set the comments and/ entries to friends only or private and/or approval, and no one will know it's you unless you give them the link or started posting pictures of yourself or give your full name (the second and third options I don't recommend). If you do decide to get on MySpace, please DO NOT list your age as 14 to make it private unless you actually are 14. There's been a lot of uproar over this due to the whole "misrepresenting yourself online" factor, and supposedly MySpace is starting to crack down on that.

So, my vote is if you only need a blog, try LiveJournal, but if you want something for your friends, go the Facebook route. I'm 23 and even I don't have a MySpace because of all the "questionable" material that's on there and the random friend requests/bad messages I've heard of friends of mine receiving.

 

[Loves Disney]

You said college professor. If you're in college, I'd stick to Facebook. Only people from your college can see your profile, and email addresses and the like are already available in the campus directory if your college is anything like mine was. If you ONLY need a blog, try LiveJournal. You can set the comments and/ entries to friends only or private and/or approval, and no one will know it's you unless you give them the link or started posting pictures of yourself or give your full name (the second and third options I don't recommend). If you do decide to get on MySpace, please DO NOT list your age as 14 to make it private unless you actually are 14. There's been a lot of uproar over this due to the whole "misrepresenting yourself online" factor, and supposedly MySpace is starting to crack down on that.

So, my vote is if you only need a blog, try LiveJournal, but if you want something for your friends, go the Facebook route. I'm 23 and even I don't have a MySpace because of all the "questionable" material that's on there and the random friend requests/bad messages I've heard of friends of mine receiving.

According to the profile of the OP, he is 10 years old. I wonder what college he goes to... lol. With that said, I think it is okay for him to use the "14" year old option you are all talking about. I say this with reservations however because I don't think a 10 year old should use Myspace at all.

I think he must mean college in a different way than what we are used to. lol. (I hope! lol)

 

[Adventurejimbob]

Captain, it's your local adventurer with some advice on this one. Steer clear of this one captain.. As berrygirl said many things can go on on that website that could alter your life. Just because everyone else does it.. doesn't mean you have to try it. I would also like to mention this fact because the news tells me all about it in the morning. Every day, more and more kids are getting sucked into the black hole that is Myspace and coming out horribly, injured or otherwise. Every thing that you do on there can and will be used against you by someone else spying through the other side of the Internet.

I would also like to make this post with a notion. VFT is what your dream is right? If you try to set up the Myspace and someone is able to hack in and get information.. you may have lost your dream. I do not want this to happen to you or anyone on here.. I hope Mal makes this post a sticky somehow for future refrence when people ask this question.

 

[laxplaya1346]

Don't Do It! I do not recommend Myspace to anyone under the age of 18. I used it but got a little worried since i am not 18. Mine has been deleted and i do not plan to go back

 

[Carrieberry]

Wanted to just add that my Myspace page is set to private and only friends can see it, yet i still get weird messages from people telling me to come see their pages etc.Like I said, you never know what you might get or see there.

I also was wondering about the whole college thing as this is the second post the OP has posted referring to "college" and I think alot of us are confused. Maybe you could clarify this Capt? His profile does say he is 10 years old, and as I stated before I would never let my 10 year old on Myspace, it is just not appropriate and for blogging there are obviously other alternatives. With what had been going on lately I am shocked that a teacher or professor would adivse someone of this age to use it. Adventure made some excellent points above about safety. Just not worth it.

 

[Dashzap]

I also was wondering about the whole college thing as this is the second post the OP has posted referring to "college" and I think alot of us are confused. Maybe you could clarify this Capt? His profile does say he is 10 years old.

Perhaps he is not in the U.S.?

 

[Carrieberry]

Well I thought the same thing but his tag says Florida? I think that might be why we are confused? Maybe his heart is in FL!

 

[Cpt.JackSpearow]

I am in the united states in florida. I am 10 years old and just graduated the 5th grade. Also my mom put me in a college class for web page designing, anyone at any age can go into a college called MCC. And no Im not there for 4 or 8 years. MCC is different. GO to the site.

 

[Maleficent2]

Personally I think your mom has every right to be concerned and my feelings are you should not be posting anything that is for public view on the NET like pics or personal info ie. Tommy and I are going to see "Cars" on Friday night at the Bijou on Main.

TOO much info.


If you or your mom can find a private place where it is password protected and only those with passwords have access to your stuff then as a mom I might think about it. If not my answer to my DS would be a big outstanding NO.

Even here on the DIS things that are not safe or appropriate can be exchanged either on the board or through PMs, IM or exchanging email addies. While we try to do as much as we can per board guidelines things do slip by and under the fence so to speak. We are working on that.

With VMK the DIS has so many new members under the age of 21 and we really want this site to be the safest it can be.

You should be very careful who you exchange email, IM or PMs with. If talk turns to anything that you are not comfortable with, delete that person or talk with someone whom you trust and feel comfortable with(hopefully your parents but if not another adult).

read the safety thread stuck at the top of this forum.

What does MCC stand for? Googling it turns up a load of stuff.

Mal

 

[AdioSkater]

Yes as long as you make yourself 14 your page is private. I would recommend, that you do not add anyone to your friends list that you do not know in person. This is what I do. The only people that I add to my list that I do not know are bands.

Just remember, stay safe, do not give out personal information and you should be ok.

 

[Carrieberry]

I am in the united states in florida. I am 10 years old and just graduated the 5th grade. Also my mom put me in a college class for web page designing, anyone at any age can go into a college called MCC. And no Im not there for 4 or 8 years. MCC is different. GO to the site.

Excellent thanks for clearing that up!!

 

[cteddiesgirl]

I am in the united states in florida. I am 10 years old and just graduated the 5th grade. Also my mom put me in a college class for web page designing, anyone at any age can go into a college called MCC. And no Im not there for 4 or 8 years. MCC is different. GO to the site.

In that case, I believe the rules are that if you're under 14, you are not allowed to have an account on MySpace.
I would not let you join then, if you were my child.

 

[Unknown Bellhop]

Don't post anything you wouldn't want a child predator to know. That's it.