myspace.com - Does it work as a community?

[Stewart]

Most of us, no doubt, will have heard the music of unsigned (as well as popular) artists on myspace. Indeed, current flavour, The Arctic Monkeys, owe their popularity to not just the site, but its users.

Most pages though, given that they seem to be the playground of teenagers, are rife with ill thought designs, flashy graphics, horrible photographs, and Comic Sans rainbows.

I personally registered an account as an extra promotional tool for a music site I was working on but forgot about it when my interest in the site waned. (Thanks last.fm!)

The site, however, seems to stretch further than music. It also accommodates people interested in networking and dating. And it was this that made me remember I had an account as an email from myspace arrived this evening to tell me that I had a new private message from someone. On checking I had no idea who the person was, the message gave a hello with a few random musings, and an email address. I think it's spam of some description - seems nowhere is sacred.

But what interested in is whether anyone actually uses it to meet other likeminded people. And if it has worked for them. Any horror stories? Any interesting (note interesting!) stories? Or is it all just a waste of time that the majority of users will grow out of if they haven't already forgotten they have a myspace account.

 

[Fantasy Moon]

I finally signed up at the site because my friends, both online and off, kept pestering me to. Didn't last long though because I only logged on to the site when I got a message in my email account saying that I had a new private message from one of my friends. I even tried making my profile look spiffy with a faint background of one of my favorite Yu-Gi-Oh fanarts, but to no avail.

I don't see what the big deal is. I'm more content to hang out at Gaia Online as opposed to myspace.

 

[Ronny]

I've only looked around there but never felt like setting up an account. Everyone I know in real life using the site are quite a bit younger than me, so it doesn't feel quite right.

 

[sirmyk]

Everyone I know in real life using the site are quite a bit younger than me, so it doesn't feel quite right.

Yes, highschoolers seem to use a majority of myspace.com. I have read many articles on middle-aged men creating myspace accounts to infiltrate the likes of "highschoolers". Sick. I have also read cases of authorities signing up as underaged individuals attempting to track down such whack-job nutbags. It's a great resource for starving artists, just not for those starving attention.

 

[venusunfolding]

I use it because a lot of my friends from high school are on it, and our reunion is coming up. For me it's an easy way to stay in touch. Apparently it really helped them contact people for the reunion as well.

 

[SFG75]

I can't remember the name of the service, but there is a company similar to myspace that is made up mostly of older olks(i.e.-people who aren't 17) That sounds like a good service to me, as I'm not finding like-minded individuals of my own age there. That, and it would be nice to go on a site where some blithe, vacant-eyed tart isn't leering at you on their sleazy "1mate" ads that they have. And myspace wonders why people are mad at them.

 

[lady.cordelia]

there was a story on oprah about a teenage boy who was the target of pedophiles that groomed him into online pornography among many other horrible things. he eventually found help and went to the fbi and prosecuted the thugs! it was all through myspace.com

i wouldn't bother with it.

youtube has also done a lot for starving artists!

 

[Justin91]

Yes, highschoolers seem to use a majority of myspace.com. I have read many articles on middle-aged men creating myspace accounts to infiltrate the likes of "highschoolers". Sick. I have also read cases of authorities signing up as underaged individuals attempting to track down such whack-job nutbags. It's a great resource for starving artists, just not for those starving attention.

It's not only high schoolers anymore. Everyone that I know seems to have a myspace account, I am the only holdout. Most of my friends use myspace for networking and dating, and also for file sharing. I have several pals who use Myspace for advertising for the rock bands they are in. If you are single and live in Columbus Ohio, The dating scene for thirtysomethings online at Myspace is amazing. It is basically a free dating service. My brother is recently divorced and has met several really nice females online...one he even brought home to mom...she could be the one!

And yes, there have been some "adult" users that have used Myspace in a deviant way. Like anything else, if you have children, you need to monitor what they are doing online. Any "open" community will have its abusers. Just because you are thirty-five does not mean you should feel "creepy" if you have a Myspace account.

 

[tundra]

It is true that myspace is used by many. However, most people I know use facebook instead...which is for keeping up with college friends, or co-workers. You have to have the register with a school email address or work email address in order to join those networks. The biggest difference between facebook and myspace is that with facebook, only people within the networks you belong to can see your profile (as well as friends you invite from other networks), and there are many privacy options. You register with your real name too.

I heard on the news today there was a woman who looked on her boyfriend's myspace page and saw him in a picture he'd posted with another woman. She automatically assumed he was cheating..and found a hitman and offered him $1000 dollars to murder the woman in the photo and take a picture of the woman with a bullet in her head. But..the hitman was an undercover cop, so they arrested the woman for conspiracy for 1st degree murder.

 

[lunablu63]

I have an account, but I don't use it much. I got it because my daughter has one, and it's a good way to know what's going on with her. I know she's 21, but it never hurts to have a source of info...her friends have accounts, so if she misleads me about something, I usually find out, as they all blab like chickens. I've only confronted her about something I read on her account once. She is borrowing our car, and one of her friends mentioned something about what a good time they all had had at a local bar the previous night. I was concerned she might have been drinking and driving, but through checking, confirmed she wasn't, and asked her. At least she didn't lie...this time. I try to stay out of her business, and use myspace only to keep abreast of things. After all, she does have a three year old son, and I worry about him. Some call it spying, I call it keeping an ear to the ground.

 

[SFG75]

Found this article about a myspace type place. Except it's for boomers. Now for something for those of us who aren't near the nursing home yet.

 

[Prairie_Girl]

I use and love my myspace (link below) which i use as a great way for discovering new music and keeping touch of my favourite artists.