TOPIC 2 wk 4
Start considering user-generated content / social networking sites.
When attempting to answer this question I was faced with the fact that there are hundreds upon hundreds of sites I could pick. It was for this reason I chose to focus on the 3 most personally prominent.
Myspace
Myspace started as an ordinary social networking site, set up by a person named Tom. From my memory the site seemed to become popular around 4-5 years ago. I remember being in 6th form at this time and during breaks we would use the work computers to access our Myspace accounts. You can search for names, addresses, gender, sexuality and age. The site also homes just as many music profiles where bands (signed and unsigned) can post about themselves and upload their music for others to listen to and put on their profile. Looking back it was a very fickle past-time. I would keep my Myspace window open, refreshing occasionally to check if someone had messaged me. The site seemed to revolve around popularity - having thousands of 'friends' and picture comments was a must for a Myspace junkie. Layouts became heavily HTML edited, with most users trying to create the smallest possible page they could.
When I was 17 (and impressionable) I spent a lot of time on Myspace. There isn't much more I can say - I didn't blog, nor did I post on other peoples accounts. However back then, my connection to the site gave me solace that I was a popular and interesting individual.
The negative side to Myspace I experienced was mainly caused by the top friends list. As I mentioned above, it is possible to have thousands of friends. This is enhanced by the now even larger 'top friends list'. This became a risky business for the Myspace junkie.
Most people fitting under this category have top friends profiles of the most attractive people in their lists. However, they must be careful to make sure they put their true friends at the top - even if they aren't really pretty enough to be up there - otherwise arguments happen and best friends can become enemies.
The other negative to Myspace is the amount your profile is open to strangers. Bots can add you and spam your comments with fake advertising, fake profiles and stalkers can harass individuals and identity theft is very common with popular profiles.
The positive side to Myspace is its customisability. One can create any profile they want, be it for keeping in touch, blogging, posting their favourite music or creating a photo album.
I no longer use my Myspace account. For me it is a phase I've grown out of. I have more male singles and uninteresting bands trying to add me than actual friends. It isn't worth my time.
Has anyone else used Myspace? If so, what is your opinion?
When attempting to answer this question I was faced with the fact that there are hundreds upon hundreds of sites I could pick. It was for this reason I chose to focus on the 3 most personally prominent.
Myspace
Myspace started as an ordinary social networking site, set up by a person named Tom. From my memory the site seemed to become popular around 4-5 years ago. I remember being in 6th form at this time and during breaks we would use the work computers to access our Myspace accounts. You can search for names, addresses, gender, sexuality and age. The site also homes just as many music profiles where bands (signed and unsigned) can post about themselves and upload their music for others to listen to and put on their profile. Looking back it was a very fickle past-time. I would keep my Myspace window open, refreshing occasionally to check if someone had messaged me. The site seemed to revolve around popularity - having thousands of 'friends' and picture comments was a must for a Myspace junkie. Layouts became heavily HTML edited, with most users trying to create the smallest possible page they could.
When I was 17 (and impressionable) I spent a lot of time on Myspace. There isn't much more I can say - I didn't blog, nor did I post on other peoples accounts. However back then, my connection to the site gave me solace that I was a popular and interesting individual.
The negative side to Myspace I experienced was mainly caused by the top friends list. As I mentioned above, it is possible to have thousands of friends. This is enhanced by the now even larger 'top friends list'. This became a risky business for the Myspace junkie.
Most people fitting under this category have top friends profiles of the most attractive people in their lists. However, they must be careful to make sure they put their true friends at the top - even if they aren't really pretty enough to be up there - otherwise arguments happen and best friends can become enemies.
The other negative to Myspace is the amount your profile is open to strangers. Bots can add you and spam your comments with fake advertising, fake profiles and stalkers can harass individuals and identity theft is very common with popular profiles.
The positive side to Myspace is its customisability. One can create any profile they want, be it for keeping in touch, blogging, posting their favourite music or creating a photo album.
I no longer use my Myspace account. For me it is a phase I've grown out of. I have more male singles and uninteresting bands trying to add me than actual friends. It isn't worth my time.
Has anyone else used Myspace? If so, what is your opinion?
Labels: Week 4
posted by Joanne at
13:44
3 Comments:
I have got a MySpace account, but no-longer use it after beig introduced into the world of facebook!
I agree that the ammount of advertising, fake profiles, bands and random friend requests from unknowns became really annoying.
I also think that the top friends part of the profile could be a problem for some, especially younger people who can get offended over not being in everyones top list, although it does seem a bit silly!
The positive side to MySpace, and the thing which makes it better than facebook is the 'skins' you can choose or create. It was nice to be able to pick your own background rather than having a generic one.
Thanks for the comment
I completely agree with what you've said. I think this is the majorities view of Myspace. I think the site comes over as a place to posturise, whereas Facebook is a little more clean cut.
I have a MySpace account, but stopped using it over a year ago. It is such an effort compared to other social networking sites - both in the sense of creating a 'cool' or 'interesting' profile, and keeping up with all 'friends'.
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