What is MySpace

What is MySpace?

MySpace is a social network or online gathering place where people make "friends" based on connections made in the real world or within MySpace itself.It is full of user-made content including pictures, videos, blogs, music clips and more. People from all over the world can connect on this site and learn what other people are doing in their areas of interest or just in general. MySpace is the biggest and most popular social networking site, with more than 200 million users around the world. People use MySpace to make friends, find business partners, attract love and much more.

Why Should I Use MySpace?

All of this is pretty cool, but you may still be wondering if there's any benefit to using MySpace for someone who isn't a teenager. The sort answer is yes. What is MySpace good for? Here are just a few things:

• MySpace is fun. Even if you don't have a legitimate business reason to use MySpace, it's a great place to go and see what the world is up to.
• With so many people on MySpace, you're sure to run into people you knew in high school, old friends from three jobs ago, and other people you think about but don't know what happened to. It's great for virtual reunions.
• MySpace is also good for people looking for business networking opportunities. People with similar interests will gravitate to the same groups on MySpace and may be able to create products, do joint ventures or go into business together.
• If you're looking for love, it is possible to find it on MySpace. You'll be able to see all the people in your geographic area who have profiles, and you can strike up a conversation online with the people you fancy, which might lead to more.
• If you have a business to promote, a book to sell or are in a band that's trying to get more attention, having a MySpace page is great for public relations. Your fans can sign up as friends, and then all their friends will be exposed to whatever it is you're promoting.

Potential MySpace Negatives

Whenever millions and millions of people are involved in something, there's bound to be something seedy happening somewhere. There have been reports of people being abducted, abused and even killed when they went to meet someone they had a connection with on MySpace.

This is particularly a danger for teens who might not be telling their parents everything that they are doing online. But people of any age can be taken in by someone unscrupulous who sounds great online (thus the need for dating sites that run background checks).

As with any other connection you make with people online, you just need to be aware that there are potential baddies out there. It shouldn't keep you from talking to people, or even from wanting to meet someone in person, but it is extra important to be smart about meeting someone you've only known online.

First off, don't give out personal information like your address or phone number. Always meet them in a public place the first time out (and maybe a couple times out, just to be safe) and take along a friend for extra security. Let people know where you're going and when you expect to be back so they know to be worried if you don't turn up.

All this is not to make you paranoid or keep you from wanting to enjoy all the fun and goodness there is on MySpace, but you certainly do want to be safe about all the interactions you take part in, whether you are a teenager or an adult.