"Now, gentlemen, let us do something today which the world may talk of hereafter." By: Admiral Collingwood.
Those words could not ring more true for the online social network web site called MySpace. The online social network craze came into full swing when a little known website, called MySpace, originally designed to help musicians attract more fans went live. MySpace was transformed from a musician's only website to an unbelievable worldwide phenomenon.
Today, MySpace claims over 10 million registered users with over one million page hits a week. You can use MySpace to meet up with old friends from high school or college, meet new friends, run a networking professional campaign, and yes if you are a musician you can still use MySpace to build your fan base.
However with all of the accolades that MySpace brings to cyberspace, it attracts the unwanted as well. There are those who prey on MySpace users in the chance to obtain personal information about them. Here are some tips you and your kids can use to make MySpace a safer more rewarding experience.
Private
The first thing everyone can do is set your profile to private. If you use MySpace for personal reasons then by all means it should be set to private. Do not let anyone you do not know to look at your profile. Even though you may think the information you post is harmless, you'd be surprised just how clever predators are.
Pictures
Be careful when you post pictures. You are allowed up to 12 free ones. Many MySpace users will post all kinds of photos of themselves and friends. If you have to post a picture, make it just a generic one and then have only friends be able to view any other pictures you may have uploaded.
Location
If you feel the need to enter where you are located such as the city you live in, try and broaden the area. For example, if you live in White Plains, NY, you may just want to enter NY or the Northeast. You get the point.
MySpace has many uses and is a very valuable site. As with anything that is good there is always an element in society that can use what is good for anything that might be bad. As MySpace evolves new tools and screens are added to help with security and protection. It is up to you as the consumer to do everything you can and utilize these free tools that MySpace offers to protect yourself.
