The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. MySpace.com Typical MySpace profile (MySpace founder Tom Anderson's profile shown here) URL Commercial? Mixed Ownership Type of site Social network service Registration Required Owner News Corporation Created by Tom Anderson MySpace is a social networking website based in Santa Monica, California offering an interactive network of blogs, user profiles, groups, photos, and an internal e-mail system. According to Alexa Internet, as of May 2006 it is the world's fourth most popular English-language website and the fifth most popular in the world[1], with more than 89 million registered accountscitation needed]. (Note that the site's traffic volume is based on unusually intense usage by a more limited number of visitors. Many more than five English language sites have a higher "reach" measurement; that is, they are visited by more unique people each day.) MySpace has gradually gained more popularity than similar sites such as Bebo, Friendster, MyYearbook, Classmates.com and LiveJournal to get the highest hit count of all English-language social networking websites. It has become an increasingly influential part of contemporary teenage culture. MySpace has 250 employees and projects a 2006 revenue of USD $200M. Contents 1 History 2 Contents of a MySpace profile 3 Criticism of MySpace 3.1 Terms of service 3.2 Accessibility 3.3 MySpace in educational settings 3.4 MySpace and businesses 3.5 MySpace and professionalism 3.6 Security 4 Legal Issues 5 MySpace celebrities 6 See also 7 References 8 External links History Prior to the creation of the current social networking website, the MySpace.com domain name was registered in 1998 to an online storage and file sharing firm. Originally launched in April 1999 as FreeDiskSpace.com, changed its name to MySpace.com in 2000. Registration was free and users were able to obtain a small disk quota which would gradually increase if they referred new members to the site. Due to slow service and a lack of revenue, the original site shut down and sold all of its users' information in 2001 [2]. The current MySpace service was founded in July 2003 by Tom Anderson (an alumnus of both UC Berkeley and UCLA), the current president, Chris DeWolfe (a graduate of USC's Marshall School of Business), the current CEO, and a small team of programmers. It was partially owned by Intermix Media, which was bought in July 2005 for $580 million by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation (the parent company of Fox Broadcasting and other media enterprises) [3]. In January 2006, Fox announced plans to launch a UK version of MySpace in a bid to "tap into the UK music scene" [4]. The creators of MySpace have hosted many parties in Hollywood, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, New York City, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Hawaii, and McAllen, Texas to support the site. The headquarters is in Los Angeles, but the parent company is headquartered in New York City. MySpace is also home to various independent musicians and independent filmmakers who post songs and short films directly on their profile. These songs and films can also be embeded in other profiles. Because of the high popularity, mainstream musicians and filmmakers alike have entered this trend as well. Contents of a MySpace profile Each profile contains two standard "blurbs": "About Me" and "Who I'd Like to Meet" pages. Profiles also can contain sections about standard interests, such as music, television, books, and movies, as well as specific personal details, such as marital status, physical appearance, and income. Profiles also contain a blog. A part of customizing one's MySpace is uploading images onto their site. One of the images can be chosen to be the "default image," the image that will be seen on the profile's main page, search page, and as the image that will appear to the side of the user's name on comments, messages, etc. MySpace has also recently added the option to upload videos. There is also a count of the friends the user has, which is followed by a Top Friends area. It allows members of the website to select up to 8 (from within Change my "Top Friends") people from their list of friends to be displayed in a certain order as a default on their profile. The Top Friends list is displayed in two rows of four pictures. This feature has been known to cause problems among users from people who are upset about not being on a person's Top friends, or not being placed high enough up on the list. Below this is the "comments" section, wherein the user's friends may leave comments about the user for all viewers to read. Although comments are publicly accessible, many users leave personal comments anyway, allowing any reader to know their business. Many MySpace users will choose to moderate comments, meaning they must be approved in order to be viewed by the public. Comments, once posted, may then be deleted by the host of that MySpace profile or the person who posted the comment for further editing. Myspace profile layouts can have the entire look changed with many different editors available from other websites. For example; one can change their "Top Friends" to show any number of friends, or hide the feature. Using HTML and CSS, the colors, background and foreground images, table style, scroll bar style and color, could be changed to suit their preference. One can also add music to their profile either by visiting an artist's page and choosing a song from MySpace's music player, or using a customized music player or embedded media file. There are many people who are making careers out of promotion on MySpace. From bands, to celebrities, to exotic car dealers, many people have found MySpace to be an invaluable tool for advocating their goods and services. Criticism of MySpace The neutrality of this article or section may be compromised by "weasel words". Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page Terms of service A growing number of the bands and musicians with profiles on MySpace, especially those in the DIY punk and hardcore scenes, are uneasy with the News Corporation purchase of MySpace.com. [5] [6] These concerns are primarily over this clause in the MySpace Terms Of Service: "By displaying or publishing ("posting") any Content, messages, text, files, images, photos, video, sounds, profiles, works of authorship, or any other materials (collectively, "Content") on or through the Services, you hereby grant to MySpace.com, a non-exclusive, fully-paid and royalty-free, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense through unlimited levels of sublicensees) to use, copy, modify, adapt, translate, publicly perform, publicly display, store, reproduce, transmit, and distribute such Content on and through the Services."[7] News Corporation owns thousands of media outlets, including television and radio stations and at least one record label that could be potential sublicensees. MySpace claims that this clause is needed to ensure that it has the right to host member profiles. However, critics point to many sites such as Flickr and Slashdot that host content for free that do not require posters to relinquish so much control. MySpace is also known to pursue a vigorous deletion policy. It reserves the right to delete users' accounts without notice or explanation and appears to act on this right, at times leaving its former users with little or no idea why their profiles, and associated friend network, have been deleted. Accessibility There are sometimes accessibility problems on users' profiles, stemming from the fact that MySpace is set up so that anyone can customize the layout and colors of their profile page with virtually no restrictions. As MySpace users may not be skilled web developers, this can cause some problems. Poorly constructed MySpace profiles could potentially freeze up web browsers due to malformed CSS coding, or as a result of users placing many high bandwidth objects such as videos, graphics and Flash in their profiles. In addition, the MySpace community is growing. New features have been put on the page, such as video and song sharing, through streaming media. The unprecedented amount of MySpace users joining daily due to these new features, and its media publicity, means that more users are online at any given time. This increase in usage sometimes slows down the servers and may result in a "Server Too Busy" error message for some users who are on at peak hours, or a variety of any other error messages throughout the day. MySpace in educational settings The neutrality of this article or section may be compromised by "weasel words". Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page Many schools and public libraries in the US and the UK have begun to restrict access to MySpace because it has become "such a haven for student gossip and malicious comments"[8]. Some private schools have even attempted to ban their pupils from accessing MySpace at home[9]. During the end of May 2006, Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana proposed shutting down the site due to moral codes and potential policies which were possibly being broken. They also suggested that the site be blocked due to bandwidth restrictions. Some argue that this is not substantial, and that the over all ban shouldn't take place over all regions, perhaps just problem-some areas. An excerpt from George F. Bittles, Exec. Director, Computing and Technology Services: "We have recently experienced a growing number of complaints, supported by visual evidence, of students viewing adult content on college-owned computers in plain view of other students, faculty, and the general public. Some of this content is of questionable legality, in some cases described as 'kiddy porn'..."citation needed] There lies much controversy in the academic circle as to whether or not banning information and knowledge such as MySpace due to moral reasons is acceptable. Many librarian staff find it offensive in that information is to be broadly accepted due to its innate phenomena. Many argue that it is simply for economic purposes. Many question why funds for the college had not been set forth in upgraded the infrastructure, and that this might possible be a moral issue rather than a substantial "economic" issue. In 2006, Del Mar Community College blocked all access to MySpace. Network administrators cited network strain from excessive MySpace traffic as the reason for blocking the social network. According to Del Mar's chief of technology, MySpace was consuming 40% of the college's daily internet bandwidth, impeding on the college's web-based courses. [10] MySpace and businesses Due to the high use of bandwidth and misuse of the computers in various retail stores, businesses are taking measures to block out the website to prevent customers from using their demonstration computers for personal purposes only. One such blocked site was MySpace Videos, which was blocked from a large collection of networks and universities, for creating an excessive amount of bandwidth usage from videos. Additionally, some routers are providing firmware updates that include the automatic banning of MySpace. Companies with computers available for public use (like Apple Computer) have sometimes prevented access to MySpace to prevent customers from using excessive bandwidth, although Apple Computer reversed its decision and now allows customers to visit MySpace.[11] MySpace and professionalism The Chicago Tribune's RedEye printed an article concerning MySpace and an individual's search for employment. It was argued that young college graduates compromise their chances of starting careers because of the content they post on their accounts. For instance, a visitor does not need an account to browse for users using information that is readily available on resumes and applications, such as a zip code and age. A potential employer can utilize information provided by the applicant on MySpace's browse component. Thus, the employer may not hire a highly qualified candidate because he or she maintains an account suggesting rambunctious behavior. Moreover, employees were said to be putting their careers at risk because they maintain blogs that criticize their respective companies and organizations. Security The neutrality of this article or section may be compromised by "weasel words". Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page MySpace allows registering users to be as young as 14. [7]. Profiles with ages set to 14 to 16 years are automatically private. Users whose ages are set at 17 or over do have the option to restrict their profiles, [1] as well as the option of merely allowing certain personal data to be restricted to people other than those on their 'friends list'. The MySpace FAQ page does not go into detail about being under 17 in order to have a private page.[12] The full profile of or messaging someone under the age of 18 is restricted to their direct MySpace friends only. According to the MySpace.com Terms of Service, lying about one's age to make one's profile private defeats the purpose of social networking and is considered fraud. Any profile caught doing it will be deleted. However, numerous accounts presently exist which contain direct admittance of a users actual age in the Headline of the users profile, despite the displayed age of 17 or under. Many users set their ages at a private degree to lessen potential Friend Requests from a specific group of people, particularly those who are only looking to increase their Friend Counts. As an alternative, MySpace.com suggests removing restricted information from public view. Despite the privacy of young persons' profiles, it is still possible that some may compromise their security and privacy by posting information such as their home address, phone number, or last name due to their lack of experience. This information could, theoretically, put a person in danger. As a result, Fox says that they will post public service ads warning children of those dangers. Also, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has called on MySpace to raise the age limit of their users in order to better protect children by restricting their use. Republican Pennsylvania Representative Mike Fitzpatrick has also introduced legislation (H.R.5319) to ban usage of the site in public places, such as schools and libraries, and to have the power to tap into usage of the website in those places. Recently, MySpace has had a number of news reports stating that teenagers have found ways around the restrictions set by MySpace, and have been the target of online predators .[13] In response, MySpace assures parents that the site is safe for people of all ages. The use of MySpace by Islamic political activists has raised concerns about links with terrorism .[14]. Starting around late June 2006, Myspace users over 18 will no longer be able to add users under 18 as friends unless he/she knows the user's full name and/or email address. [15] Legal Issues A 14-year old girl sued MySpace, alleging that another user, Pete Solis, 19, lied to her about his true identity. This, according to the girl, resulted in her being sexually assaulted by Solis. The lawsuit has raised questions regarding the measures MySpace has taken to protect users, specifically those who are under the age of 18. The lawsuit, which seeks $30 million US, states that MySpace has "absolutely no meaningful protections or security measures to protect underage users."[16] In a separate incident, two New York City teenagers were charged with computer hacking and attempted extortion of MySpace, after both had hacked into the user database and stole personal information, and threatened to share the process of breaking in, unless MySpace paid them $150,000 in US dollars. Both teens were arrested by undercover Los Angeles detectives, posing as MySpace employees.[17] MySpace celebrities MySpace has led to the creation of MySpace celebrities, popular individuals who have attracted hundreds of thousands of "friends". Through this resource, they are able to distribute information regarding their activities, events they are hosting, or projects they are working on (e.g. albums or clothing lines). Though some of these individuals have remained only Internet celebrities, others have been able to jump to television, magazines, and radio. Examples include Christine "ForBiddeN" Dolce's appearance on The Tyra Banks Show and Tila Tequila's cover for Stuff magazine. Furthermore, MySpace's music section has helped many amateur bands progress. This was shown by English band Arctic Monkeys, who owe some of their success to the publicity that MySpace generated for them. When asked about the popularity of the band's MySpace site in an interview with Prefix Magazine, the band pointed out that they did not even know what MySpace was, and that the site had originally been created by their fans. Lily Allen's new fame is also due in part to her being promoted on MySpace. Also, G4's hit show "Attack of the Show!" has a 'hottest girl on MySpace' section. See also List of social networking websites MySpace Records The MySpace Movie Social network Business network Social software References ^ Alexa Internet Alexa Web Search - top 500 English-language websites and top 500 global websites. Retrieved June 25, 2006. ^ CNet, May 31, 2001. Online storage firm shutters file depot. Retrieved December 29, 2005. ^ Intermix Media, July 18, 2005. News Corporation to Acquire Intermix Media, Inc.. Retrieved December 29, 2005. ^ BBC News, January 24, 2006. MySpace looks to UK music scene. Retrieved January 24, 2006. ^ Myspace/Fox Artists Beware. RINF Alternative News: (2006-04-07). ^ Fox to Purchase Myspace. Slashdot: (2005-07-19). ^ a b MySpace.com Terms of Use Agreement. MySpace.com: (2006-05-01). ^ Curriculum Review, October 2005. Schools race to restrict MySpace. ^ The MySpace case, "The Daily News", Washington, January 22, 2006. Retrieved February 15, 2006. ^ Barnard, Patrick (2006-04-24). Texas Community College Blocks Access to MySpace - Will VoIP Be Next?. TMCnet. ^ Some Stores Now Blocking MySpace.com. ifoAppleStore: (2006-04-23). http://www.ifoapplestore.com/2006/04/23/some-stores-now-blocking-myspacecom/ ^ FAQ: How do I set my profile to private?. MySpace. ^ MySpace, Facebook attract online predators. MSNBC. ^ Terrorists use MySpace page for recruitment and cyberterrorism. World Net Daily. ^ MySpace plans restrictions to protect younger teens. San Jose Mercury News. ^ The New York Times, A Lesson for Parents on 'MySpace Madness'. The New York Times. ^ The Register, Teen hack suspects charged over MySpace extortion bid. The Register. 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