When the uninitiated log on to Myspace.com for the first time they find features that suggest the site is for the ?indie? crowd.
The design looks amateur and the interface is weak compared to other similar networking sites like Facebook.com. There are featured bands on the home page that appeal to outsider high school and college students.
Independent bands can set up their own Web site to distribute their music and promote live performances.
Everything about the site misleads uninformed users into thinking it is independently run. The truth is, Rupert Murdoch, head of News Corp., the parent company of Fox, owns Myspace. You can?t get much more corporate than that.
Not that being corporate is necessarily bad. But a lot of Myspace users are pretty anti-corporate. They call themselves ?hipsters? or ?indie kids? and listen to unsigned or at least obscure, unpopular bands. They are being fooled.
They?re not the only ones either. There has been a lot of talk in the news lately about how easy Myspace makes it for sexual predators to find teenaged victims. Myspace is indeed a dangerous place for teenagers. There is nothing to keep adults from posing as teenagers.
Trusting teens put all kinds of personal information on their profiles. Myspace makes no guarantee of privacy for teens over the age of 14. Anyone can view their profiles and photos, send them email messages or even instant message them.
Myspace is no place for teenagers, and even college students and older adults need to be careful. This doesn?t mean it doesn?t offer any positive, desirable or interesting features.
Myspace is a fun way to stay in contact with old friends. It?s also a good way for unsigned bands to gain a small following. The problem is, the risks may outweigh the benefits. There are safer alternatives too.
Facebook.com is quite similar to Myspace, and potential users must provide a school email address to get a profile. Users can?t view another user?s profile unless they go to the same school, or unless the other user accepts him or her as a friend. It?s not totally safe, but it offers more privacy and security than Myspace.