Myspace can ruin your grammar!

"Myspace, which has accumulated 67 million members since its launch in 2004, is currently growing an average of 250,00 new members daily"(Wagschal). This just goes to show how my space users are increasing daily. That means more and more people aren't using good grammar to communicate through this website. Myspace needs to have a spell check in all the places that you are able to type phrases or letters. This would help put a stop to having people use such bad grammar over the Internet.
Jeff Weinstock with T H E Journal says "Every generation has its own jargon, but never has one had its own shorthand quite like the current one's --a clattering, grammar less swarm of abbreviations, code, and decidedly peculiar punctuation"(Weinstock). Myspace can truly put a damper on your grammar. When blogging on myspace you always see alot of misspelled and mis-punctuated grammar as well as tons of abbreviations and slang. People use this type of grammar on myspace because they think its easier and faster, its also less formal then having proper grammar.
Netiquette is everything over the Internet. It is always the best guidelines to follow when doing any typing over the Internet that other people would be able to see. Brian Sullivan with Computerworld lays down the basic guidelines for Netiquette they are " Don't lie about who you are. Know when to shut up. Know when its OK to talk. Check your grammar. Don't ask about email you just sent. Follow threads you start. Don't use instant messaging for long messages. Send a message before you drop in. Log off instant messaging when your not using it. Never send an email you wouldn't read in public. Think twice before forwarding an email."(Sullivan). Myspace users should follow alot of these guidelines because you never know who is reading your blogs on the Internet. It could be someone very important that could either make or break something. Myspace users need to realize that whatever they post on there account its open to any Myspace users out there.
Overall, no matter where or what your typing on the Internet you always need to use proper grammar and follow the Netiquette guidelines. If users continue to use jargon and improper grammar its going to hurt them in the long run. Yes it may be fast and easier but always read back to yourself what you just wrote and you should figure out that it doesn't make alot of sense.

References

Sullivan, B. (2002, March 4). Netiquette. Computerworld, 36, 48-49.

Wagschal, Peter. Illiterates with Doctorates. 1978 FUTURIST. http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/ehost/pdf?vid=5&hid=108&sid=357b314c-284c-451d-948e-ca2533dc127d%40sessionmgr102

Weinstock, Jeff. (2006 December). U r Here. T H E Journal. http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=23588636&site=ehost-live

Sex on Myspace

According to Lewis Perdue "Just as sex has shaped the Internet, the Internet also influences sex and our society in ways that could have very substantial cultural implications, including changes in the community standards definition of obscenity, empowering women working in the sex field. and moving adult material from its traditional male orientation to one that caters to women's desires as well"(Perdue). This is what kids browse all day. They don't know what to click on when they are on Myspace. There are not signs on the site saying only for people over the age of 18. Parents need to be careful of where there kids look on the Internet. They may soon be coming to you asking about the birds and bees.
Brad Franklin with Websafekid.com says "Myspace tries to have controls and its has monitoring procedures in place but many things have slipped through. There are groups that promote homosexual practices as well as groups that show pornographic photos"(Franklin). Myspace needs to come up with different ways to screen this pornography from certain age groups. They need to do some experimenting and testing to find the right answer.
You would never think that older men are trying to meet up with your young kids to have sex from the Internet. But your wrong there are so many sex offenders out there that love Myspace because they are able to lie about there age and they can say something to grab kids attention. For example ABC 7 Dan Noyes says "Martin Nguyen is a sex offender guilty of assault with the intent to commit rape, sodomy or oral copulation and On Myspace, he's Might Mouse who's definitely fun to hang around with"(Noyes). Now what young child wouldn't want to become that persons friend. He names himself Mickey Mouse then says hes lots of fun. These are people out there that try to lure young kids in to become their victims. Its just not older people trying to meet younger kids somewhere its also sharing pornorgraphic shots of themselves posing or touching themselves. This could ruin a kids life if they really new what they where looking at.
Overall Myspace needs some huge security. They need to start doing background checks on people to make sure they aren't sex offenders trying to get on the web to persuade some young innocent child to meet up with them. If Myspace isn't more careful they could find themselves in alot more lawsuits.

References

Franklin, Brad. (2005). The Pros and Cons of Myspace. http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/The-Pros-and-Cons-of-MySpace/104924

Noyes, Dan. (2006). Registered Sex Offenders on Myspace. ABC7. http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=i_team&id=4773729

Perdue, l. (2006). Eroticabiz: How sex shaped the Internet. In D. D. Waskul (Ed.), Net.seXX: Readins on sex, pornography, and the Internet (p.259-293). New York: Peter Lang.

Myspace VS Entertainment World

According to Tech Web "The Music Industry has filed nearly 2,000 new lawsuits, in its continuing fight against people who share music files without paying for them"(Jones). This is not fair the music industry that they are losing thousands and millions of dollars from people downloading there music illegally. The artists and promoters put so much time and effort into promoting there artists and alot of that gets taken away from illegal downloading off the Internet.
Brian Garrity with Billboard says " The number one story was that Universal Music Group received profits from Microsoft's MP3 player sales, an equity stake from the website YouTube and filed a law suite again the blog Myspace for copyright infringement"(Garrity). This goes to prove that Myspace and all of the other websites are getting caught big time for having there users do illegal downloads. Myspace is paying thousands and millions of dollars from the law suites they are currently in with music companies. Myspace needs to put a stop to there users illegally downloading artists music.
Jeffrey Fisher with electronic musician says "CD sales continue to decline, digital downloads are rising sharply"(Fisher). This just goes to show that musicians are losing tons of money from people downloading there music illegally and without paying for it.
Myspace needs to stand behind its promoters which means the music business and put a stop to all of this illegal downloading of music. They need to pick weather they have there users download music illegally or support there musicians in there hard work.

References

Fisher, Jeffrey. The Lowdown on Downloads. Electronic Musician. http://www.emusician.com

Garrity, Brian. (2006, December 23). The Music Industry Big 10. Billboard. http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=23470188&site=ehost-live

Jones, K. C. (2006, April 4). International dragnet targets illegal music file-sharing. In Internet Week. Retrieved from http://internetwek.cmp.com/184428640

People Hide Behind Myspace!

Have you ever thought you were talking to your Mr. Perfect online. He seems like he has everything that you could ever dream of. Well that's what you are thinking, but do you really think about are you talking to some fat and hairy guy on the other side of the screen. You may forget it is very easy for people to portray there image over myspace. Just because they have a sexy picture of them on there profile does not mean that its them. That's why everyone needs to be aware that Myspace is not all that its made out to be. Normen Oder discovered that "Fugitives in Philadelphia and Bakersfield, CA, using library computers to access Myspace, were caught by the police in December. Brandon Lee Bigsby, 24, a sex offender in violation of his parole, was arrested"(Oden). This just proves to the weird unreliable people that you can be trading your information with on Myspace.
Antone Gonsalves says" It is inferred that legal action is considered if Myspace does not increase its age limit to 16 and find a way to verify ages"(Gonsalves). This came from a family that is threatening to sue Myspace because there young teenage kids have had sexual encounters over Myspace. There problem is, is that the true ages of people need to posted on the users profile because, if there kids new that they were talking to forty and fifty year old men they wouldn't have been in this situation. That is why it is so important not to even put yourself into that kind of position over the web. Its normally doomed for disaster.
Parents are getting smarter about letting there kids go into the Myspace world. They are wanting to patrol Myspace and watch who there kids are talking to and who there kids are portraying to be. They have came up with a software Julia Angwin says "The article focuses on the development of parental notification software by the social networking website Myspace.com which would allow parents of children who use the website to see how their child is representing him or herself on the site. This would be a great way to stop people from portraying someone they really aren't.

Refrences

Angwin, Julia. (2007 January 17). Myspace Moves to Give Parents More Information. Wall Street Journal. http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=23699489&site=ehost-live

Gonsalves, Antone. (2007, January 22). My Space Teen Troubles. Information Week. http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=23837905&site=ehost-live

Oder, Normen. (2007, February 01). Fugitives at PLs on Myspace. Library Journal.

http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=23892462&site=ehost-live

Myspace Can Stab You in the Back!

"New Scientist has discovered that Pentagon's National Security Agency, which specialises in eves dropping and cod-breaking, is funding research into the mass harvesting of the information that people post about themselves in social networks"(Marks, P). This is saying that you need to be careful what you post on Myspace because you think its private and only your friends can see it but, National Security is starting to get involved and people are going to start getting in trouble. It's just not National Security that you could get in trouble by its your mom, friends, teachers, mentors anyone that has access to a computer. For example Paul Marks with New Scientist discovered that " Young people have even been barred from the orthodox religious colleges that they are enrolled in for revealing online that they are gay"(Marks, P). This just proves that young kids are putting there sexuality out on the line and they are getting busted hard for thinking that Myspace is a private space that no one else can enter.
Some people think on Myspace that they can get away with anything. But they are wrong. People try to portray certain images across Myspace that aren't really accurate. There are also cases were older men act sexual with younger girls on myspace. For example Alexandra Marks with Christian Science Monitor caught an older man talking sexually with a younger girl. Alexandra Marks says "the man was sentenced 14 years in prison for using Myspace to set up a sexual encounter with a girl"(Marks, A). This is just one instance there are many more current cases out there fighting the same exact thing.
Wendy Koch with USA TODAY says "At least 16 police or sheriffs' departments appeared to have profile pages on Myspace to seek investigative tips or deter predators, but USA TODAY found that at least six were fakes"(Koch). This just goes to show that anyone can act like anyone on the Internet, its very easy for people to be fake and act like someone they aren't. Myspace security ended up shutting down the fake police and sheriff Myspace accounts.
This just goes to show how Myspace can end up getting you in alot of trouble. If its letting people know your sexuality, committing a crime, or acting like someone you aren't. Now that National Security is getting involved things should start to settle down in the Myspace world.

Refrences

Koch, Wendy. (2007, March 13). Bogus Police Sites Posted on Myspace. USA TODAY. http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=J0E151502422107&site=ehost-live

Marks, Alexandra.(2007, March 13). States Scrutinize Security on Myspace.Christian Science Monitor. http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=24384098&site=ehost-live

Marks,P.(2006, June 10). Keep Out of Myspace. New Scientist. 190, 30-31