Myspace (thing)

So I've got a MySpace account... now what?

• MySpace vocabulary:
• Profile- Your personal web page on the MySpace network. This is where all your pictures, interests, comments and friends are displayed.
• Friend- This word has lost most of its meaning in the MySpace networks. While originally used as a word for someone that you know, its now merely a person who accepts your friend request. The majority of the people found on someone's friends list are often unknown outside of MySpace. You may view a person's friends from their profile.
• Comment- a message from another MySpace user that is displayed publicly on your profile. Before leaving a comment on another person's profile, one must first be added to their friends list.
• Blog- Stands for “Web Log”. This is a place where one can keep a journal, write some poetry, or jot down their results from a quiz they just took.
• Bulletin- a public forum for you and your friends to post messages. Anything you post on the bulleten board will only be seen by your friends.
• Who sees what?
• There are several methods of sending another MySpace participant information. While some of these methods will only be seen by the recipient, others are free reign to all prying eyes.
• A message is the only fully private way to send someone else information. Think of it as email, with a subject and body. With your MySpace account, you'll receive an inbox for all your messages. You can reply, delete, and forward your messages, just like any other email client. A message can come from anyone; friend or otherwise.
• The bulletin board is similar to the email service, with the exception that, when sent, goes to all your friends. There is a common area where one can see their bulletin board entries, as well as those on their friends list. It is impossible for anyone else to see your bulletin notes. This method is somewhat private, as most people have hundreds of people on their friends list.
• Commenting on other's profiles has become a ritual for the MySpace community. It allows for an easy way to tell a person what you think of their page, or what you find offensive. Comments can only be left on friends profiles, but are viewable to anyone with an Internet connection.
• I look really good, and I think I should share that with the world...
• One of the most popular aspects of MySpace are the pictures. The picture of yourself you upload to MySpace is displayed every time you send a message, leave a comment, or post a bulletin. If you are someone else's friend, your picture will be displayed in their friends list. There is no way to make your picture private. If you upload one, it can be seen by anyone, so if your camera shy, don't upload any pictures of yourself.
• To upload your picture to MySpace, click on the “Home” link, then click on “add/edit photos”. You will have the options of adding captions, and choosing which photo you wish to be displayed publicly.
• In the event that you want to add photos to your profile other then your “main” one, you must find a file hosting service. This means you must first upload your pictures to the Internet through another server (not MySpace), and then place the picture URL on your profile in the desired place. You should never have to pay for image hosting services, as there is a wide selection of free ones available to you. The most popular image hosting web pages are:
• photobucket.com
• imageshack.us
• imagehosting.us
• tinypic.com
• Remember, it is illegal to display copywrited images, or pornography. MySpace clearly states that violators will have their accounted deleted if they violate their terms and conditions. There is a service that allows MySpace users to report illegal or offensive content, so play nice with the other kids.
• HTM- whats its?
• MySpace allows members to insert HTML code into their sites. The code isn't what you would use when making a web page from scratch, however. You needn't place the usual -html- and -body- tags, as MySpace includes that in its embedded code.
• Using HTML, one can insert into their profile, pictures, web links, and music. Disappointingly however, MySpace has disabled java script for all of its members. The regular HTML tags apply though. There are many different fields in which you can insert HTML code. If inserted in the “about me” section, it will be displayed in the center of your profile as the main attraction, and if put in the “interests”, “music”, “books”, “television”, “movies”, or “groups” sections, it will appear on the left most frame of your profile window.
• I'm going to go meet danny94573 this afternoon, is that safe?
• No. You should never meet anyone you haven't known previously. If in fact you do choose to meet someone you've encounters on MySpace, its usually a good idea to do it in the daytime, in an area with many people. Also, it is recommended you bring a friend you already know along with you. There have been many tragedies concerning blind dates associated with on line networking services, and MySpace is currently under the gaze of officials. If you don't give others your personal information (ie. Your home address), there is nothing to worry about. Nobody can harm you over the Internet, until, that is, you extent your relationship to meeting face to face. In short, don't trust those you don't know until they prove otherwise.
• An extensive list of frequently asked questions can be found on the MySpace.com home page. While there is a section devoted to answering your questions, I have yet to hear of anyone receiving a response to their question. With over 6 million users, it would be impossible to give everyone any sufficient attention.