Gather, what our your thoughts on myspace.com

Forgot to mention that myspace ages from children all the way up to age 68, it not just for kids anymore.

I don't think you can say that people are "bad" just because they frequent a certain site, but I do think that sites attract a certain type of person. When I think of Myspace, I think of teenagers, but maybe that's because I have two teenage granddaughters who belong to it!

You are right, Ray. I'm 36 and have a myspace page. I think its an easy way to keep in touch with friends and family and by changing my layouts it gets my creative juices flowing.

I don't have a myspace page and don't go to that website.

I agree with Jessie 100%.. I am 23 and I have a myspace. I use it only for friends and family!! There is a setting that makes it to where people can not even ask you to be there friend unless they know your last name!! I think the kids that are being stocked and prayed upon is cause many of them have pictures of them up half naked and kissing other girls or whatever and what sexual predator is not going to try to get into all that drama! They see these kids that care about basically nothing but sexual activities and fitting in with what they believe to be the norm!! And Guess what many of these girls or boys take there computer actions to the next level.. Thats not myspaces fault!

Oh I wanted to add this... PARENTS need to realize that there kids ARE normally doing it!! Many parents have to much trust in their children and say "oh my child would never do that... he/she has too much going for herself blah blah blah.. but really they are sooo clueless on what their child is REALLY out there doing!!! This is not for ALL kids but the majority is definitly doing bad things they are not supposed to be!!!

Do not even go there myself and will not let my children either.

You know with myspace you have the option to have your information for friends only , and to request to be a friend you have to have their email or last name.
I have a myspace page and its set as private its also set to not show when I am online.
People who have issues with myspace are the ones who don't take the time to set their information as private or let whomever become their friends. Honestly I know kids who are not 14 and on there! That comes down to parents who aren't keeping an eye on their kids.
Our kids computer is set with a nanny on it. We can monitor what they are doing and when also they have certain sites that they can go to others require a password that they don't know.
I find Yahoo chat worse than Myspace is. But that is my opinion and nothing more.
So it comes down to parents and people who are not smart enough to know how to use myspace or just don't care. Take some precautions and its not bad. I have had mine for over 2 years and never ONCE had any problems. But then again nobody wants to stalk the ugly people :) HAHA

Aside from the pedophiles, perverts, and predators, I equate myspace with children...little school girls and immature boys hanging out doing "children stuff". I've never been to the site, nor will I ever visit it. I'm not into under-aged people; either hanging out with them or socializing with them. I prefer Gather, where most here are adults...Most; not all...and I don't mean just in age.

Hi! I do have a myspace. Mainly use it to keep in touch with co-workers & friends that I had went to school with.

I have MySpace but I use it strictly to promote my book, "The Magic Pencil" and to network with agents, authors and publishers. I keep it pretty private in some of the ways mentioned above. So far, I haven't had much trouble and people are visiting my blog and looking up my book (The first ten chapters are published there.), so I am hopeful that it will get the attention I want. I have "met" a young writer who is very good and may assist her by editing her book. I consider that worth the effort alone. I also found an old boyfriend, a good male friend (didn't know he had a blog), and the director of a writing seminar I attended.

I think yahoo chat must be worse than MySpace because a couple of spaced-out guys were writing to me and gave me their yahoo e-mail addresses with a suggestion that we go chat there. The funny thing is their writing was strikingly the same blather. Is their a players' guide to getting over on the 'net that i am unaware of? I also have "networking" set as my reason to be on the site. I guess it means something different to these guys.

I don't think we can "blame" kids and say it is their fault if they hook up with on-line predators. They are still kids and the predators are mostly grown. Where's the blame lie? I say, with the predators. No, the youth shouldn't set themselves up for it, no matter how savvy they (and we?) may think they are. But this is no different than accepting that candy and ride or helping find that lost puppy that kids need to be aware of happening off the 'net. Children are children and they will make chilidish mistakes. They still need protection and that does not exclude the Internet. No child deserves what they get because they fell into a trap even if their eyes were wide open. They don't have the sophistication of an adult and may be at risk anytime, anywhere. Adults still represent authority and are able to prey upon the susceptibility in children. Especially an adult with a hidden agenda.

Myspace is a tool like anything else. It's a wonderful networking tool, but you have to be careful how you use it. Parents who fear that their children are being targeted need to pay attention to what their childrenn are doing and educate them about the dangers of the internet (the same as they do with strangers in the "real" world). I personally like "Facebook". It's basically myspace for college students.

I had a myspace page...for about a month. I joined because my son had a myspace site. I had not wanted to connect to anyone really just see what it was about. I got invites from 'teeny-boppers' and I was looking for a mature website and a friend told me about gather and I closed my myspace account in half an hour after I found gather. Thank you Gary! And thank you gather!!

Right on Jacqueline, I agree that it may be o.k. but finding an adult is tedious at best. Ellen B.

I didn't care for it. Like Jacqueline Q. I received a lot of invites from teeny-boppers.

I have a myspage page, as do my kids and grandkids. There are all sorts of privacy settings that can be utilized, and I do not feel any threat at all. My grandkids computer time is supervised, as all kids computer use should be, so no threat there. It is a great place to promote all sorts of film, music, art, etc. and to connect with people who have the same interests. I don't really care to chat much there, but I find lots of interesting info on what artists I am interested in are doing. And to be truthful, while I have no problem with myspace, I probably wouldn't have a myspace if I was not interested in keeping up with MiG, an entertainer who also is a gather member, and a friend who is in a band.

I'm too busy to even think about My Space or You Tube.

I think it can be a great too for connecting to family and friends or promoting such things as a business or band, but like everything else you need to be cautious on how much personal information you put out in any group whether it be gather or myspace.

I have a myspace page as well.....although I am well past the teeny bopper age. LOL. I am twenty seven. A lot of military use myspace by the way. I connect to moms and military. I have invites from the youngest one was out of high school. So it is not really to be associated with children and pervs only. Adults do very much visit with each other there. I have military groups on there to connect with my past "shipmates" and to talk about causes related to the military such Military Sexual Trauma and things to do with Iraq. Plus there are my space pages for political condidates for the upcoming elections.

I have a myspace! So do all my kids (ages 16, 16, 14).

As long as you teach kids to be responsible and aware on the internet, it's not a problem. Myspace is a useful promotional tool, too.

I have a myspace too... Shari's garden... I used it to keep me sane last year after my husband Jay passed away... I needed to do something at 3 am ... so poof... a new web place for me... I enjoy it and I haven't had an issue, but perhaps responsibility is the key... Like email... if you don't know it, don't open it or download it...

I like myspace, it allows me to keep track of a lot of my long lost and far away friends. I do think that the average age of the people on my friends list is about 28 though, and that does make it a lot more tolerable.

I too have a myspace page but only use it to communicate with my nieces and nephews who are young preteen or teens. Its like anything else if used responsibly and with proper supervision it can be a fun tool; if not, it can be a dark and dangerous place for you, me or anyone.

I have never done MySpace, but I have seen many negative sides to it. I work in a public library and this is a very popular site with teens and preteens. I overhear them talking about who they are talking to and what they tell them. We have also had a couple of incidents on Long Island with a 30 something man getting together with a 13 year old on MySpace. Locally, 2 years ago someone trashed a girl at our high school without naming her, but indicating she was blind. Of course, there is only one blind girl in our entire high school and this made the local news.

I guess just like anything else, it all depends what people use it for.

I would never allow a child of mine to have a myspace account. My 15 year old niece recently had hers revoked and deleted when my daughter went out and read it, then contacted the girl's mother. It amazes me that the mother hadn't insisted on reading it herself.

I've seen sufficient articles on this place to believe it is simply not safe for very young children and even less safe for teens, many of whom don't have an ounce of common sense in a boxcar load of them. If parents were doing their jobs, then it would be ok. We know, however, that involved parents who monitor their childrens' online activities is the exception rather than the rule.

I think it depends how you use it and what the parents knowledge is. Mine was deleted for 'inappropriate content' so i understand completely

Hi Ray, nice to be back home and dry as you can see. Hmmm I recently watched news broadcast on TV, concerning paedophiles on the Internet. The potential danger does scare. At least the parental control gives some piece of mind. No matter where you go on the Internet some people are bound to be there for the wrong reasons. A book of many pages can be written about this subject.

I have a myspace page as well. I use it mainly to keep track of and in contact with the teenagers in my youthgroup (most of them have one) and to communicate with a few family/friends that are long distances away (especially my brother who is in the Air Force). It also helps me keep track of my favorite Christian music artists as well :) I don't accept invites or comments from those that I don't know or if their site looks even slightly off. None of my kids have one, but I am one of those parents who actually monitors my kids internet activities, so I know and would use any and all safeguards if they did.
I agree that it can be like anything else - a tool. In the wrong hands it is very dangerous, but used responsibly it can be a great help.

I have a myspace account.I use it to stay connected with my adult children,neices and nephews,I have enjoyed talking with several other people also.Example,I met a young girl through a friend connection,I was able to talk to her,when she didnt feel she was able to talk to anyone,because of fear she would be judged or rejected,I witness to this young lady,with love,understanding and compassion,we bonded and through talking to be she was able to get her confidence up to talk to her family about what she was facing.Today the young lady is a mature adult,and she`s very grateful that I was there for her.Like anything it can be abused and with youngsters,I think it should be monitored closely.I love my,myspace!!!