MySpace becoming a virtual our space

June 06, 2006|by ELINA MIR

MySpace is a very popular Web site with teenagers and college-age people. Members can create a homepage featuring photos of themselves and their friends, journal entries, graphics, music clips and more. They can link to other MySpace pages and send messages back and forth.

MySpace has developed into a huge Web-based community.

Recent visitors to Valley Mall in Halfway talked about their experiences on MySpace.

Nicole Walker, 20, who attends West Virginia University, has a MySpace page and checks out other pages. She likes seeing people's photos of themselves. One of the funniest photos, she said, is a shot of "Milk Boy - a guy that has milk all over him."

J.D. Rid, 21, of Hagerstown, said he keeps in touch with friends through his MySpace page. He said he has heard about potential dangers of MySpace - people sending threatening messages or stalking other MySpace members - but he's not worried.

"There are threats all over the Internet," he said.

Erick Armer, 20, lives in Falling Waters, W.Va. He said he uses his MySpace page to communicate with friends. He likes being able to check out other people's profiles. As for protecting himself from MySpace related danger?

"I use common sense," he said.

Carrie Miller, 21, of Smithsburg, said she likes meeting new people on MySpace. She feels safe but worries that it might not be safe for younger kids.

More and more elementary and middle school students have been setting up pages. MySpace does offer many things such as chatting, dating, music and so on. Members sometimes set up face-to-face meetings. It can be fun to meet virtual friends face to face, but it can be dangerous.

But most of the time, MySpace is a fun site, according to Allyson Moore, 12, of Hagerstown. She has been using MySpace since she was 9. Her safety tips include:

Know who you're talking to.

Don't give out personal information such as your address, school, phone numbers or e-mail address.

Never agree to meet face to face with someone you don't know.

Don't say nasty or hurtful things in blogs or Internet diaries.

- Contributors to this story include: Fedora Copley, Rowan Copley, Nabela Enam, Robert Keller, Nick Ritchick, Brad Smith, Hannah Tussing and Hira Zeb.

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