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131 Comments
- ElectroOverlord, on 10/12/2007, -33/+160They will remove any profile you ask them to if you can find proof in the profile of them being under 16. It almost turned into a hobby for me. I would go ahead and msg the user first to tell them that they had been reported. The responses back were comedy gold. Big sisters and brothers would come back threatening to kick my ass. So I would have them deleted for the threats.
Then the kids came running faster and in more numbers so I ran back to the safety of a adult world. I really don't like Emo music tha much to battle on. - andywirtanen, on 10/12/2007, -9/+108Nice hobby.
I prefer kayaking. - betasp, on 10/12/2007, -13/+50Funny, I do the same thing with ebay and high shipping prices ($50+ for ground shipping a cell phone is nuts).
- ek3s, on 10/12/2007, -9/+45What profile on MySpace isn't objectionable?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -10/+44I absolutely despise any action that's done "for the children."
It's the internet. Tell their goddamn parents to watch them better if there's that much of a worry.
The end.
What's also stupid is the only way to have your profile 100% private is to set your age under 15. I know people in their mid-20's who don't really care to have other people looking at their stuff other than friends, so they set a low age.
I'm sure there was a blanket wipe, without actual age verification. How retarded. Then again, their developers are complete ***** idiots. The site's coding is ***** and always constantly ***** up. I guess that's what happens when you hire script kiddies to try and create a stable system. - kitykity, on 10/12/2007, -6/+27I thought Emo was a little red muppet... I guess I'm too old for this thread.
- lightningrod220, on 10/12/2007, -15/+31@justice7
"emo" is short for emotional... also refers to depressed, goth-like, or just generally the weepy, teen-crush type personality that queeny guys and clingy immature girls have. At least, that's how I've seen it used. - yensed, on 10/12/2007, -4/+20Myspace is like New York. It looks nice and friendly, but around the corner there is a hooker... /Idk where that came from..
Myspace sucks. - manitcor, on 10/12/2007, -6/+21You hit the nail on the head. Its up to the parents. NO you cant watch your kids 24/7 but it is up to the parents to teach the kids to have some common sence. If you havent taught your kid well enough to understand its not a good idea to meet a complete stranger from the internet on a saturday night in a secluded area then what are you doing as a parent? Apperently not enough. Leave it to the parents to protect thier children. Its not the goverment nor the corporations job to do so.
Doesnt matter to me anyway, MySpace is so stupid its not even funny. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -9/+22"When i was a teen, rebelling meant listening to oldschool KoRn"
Oldschool Korn? Dude, I think you still are a teenager. - IHaveIssues, on 10/12/2007, -6/+18Those kids have a whacked out sense of entitlement if you tell them they can't do something. How about they make friends in the world outside their basement? That just might help with their social phobia issues.
- nuclearpenguins, on 10/12/2007, -13/+24If you're over 18 an utilizing myspace you have bigger issues.
- andywirtanen, on 10/12/2007, -5/+16http://myspace.com/simplenation
- eepman, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13Didn't anyone watch CSI: last night. This 12 year old was so smart that she purposely framed herself for murder. Anyways, it was all because of these pictures posted on myspace. When she said "myspace", my mouth just kept open. I knew something would come of it.
Also, mySpace sucks. - mattyG, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10i wish my lawn was emo so it would cut itself
- CritterNYC, on 10/12/2007, -5/+14"double click on IE and use favorites to go to NickJr and Readysetlearn"
You're letting your 3 year old use Internet Explorer? Isn't that a form of child abuse? - thecapitalizt, on 10/12/2007, -7/+16Parents are always worried about some new thing that threatens to morally corrupt their children. We have RAWR MYSPACE FACEBOOK AND GTA WHICH WILL MAKE KIDS KILL AND BE RAPED. Back in the day, it was comic books, novels, TV, rock and roll, and so many other things which parents wanted banned.
Parents need to get over it. Whenever a client asks about installing web filtering software, I tell them "First of all, web filters don't work. There are ways around them. Second, software is not a substitute for parenting. I'm not criticizing your role as a mother/father, but its a lot better (and cheaper) for you to sit down and explain the world to them than to try to shield them from it." Never had to install blocking software after that. - justice7, on 10/12/2007, -14/+22@lightningrod220
thanks for the info .. unfortunately for those teens, they'll realize one day when they hit, oh about 19... that they were just downright wasting their time. Maybe I don't get it... but a pity me i'm a poor emo child doesn't get you very far. When i was a teen, rebelling meant listening to oldschool KoRn and Slayer.... lol ..
how did teens switch from "I hate the world" to "the world hates me" ? :P - Kitsune818, on 10/12/2007, -4/+12You must not have any non-computer-inclined friends. I detest the site.. I don't see how it is much different than geocities used to be, except with the friend linking.. but I have about 20 friends who use it every day and it's handy to keep in touch now that we've been out of college about 5 years.
My profile isn't much more than a redirect to my own webserver homepage though. - blueigloo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Exept for the fact ... that it hardly "looks nice" at all.
- HMTKSteve, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8what, prune the membership roll? Are you crazy! Then the site would drop in 'perceived' popularity overnight and they could not charge as much for advertising!
- Charlotte_Web, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9Part of this "responsible parenting" that the kids are speaking of in this thread DOES INCLUDE being socially and politically active on your kids behalf. You can only do so much to teach your kids right and wrong, but you can also work to make the world a better place for them to grow up in.
When I come across MySpace profiles that cross the line, you bet I report them. - EricAnderton, on 10/12/2007, -5/+11"The site's coding is ***** and always constantly ***** up. I guess that's what happens when you hire script kiddies to try and create a stable system."
Amen.
My first glimpse of myspace was when I looked over my wife's shoulder as she was reviewing her myspace page. My first reaction was "Oh god, that template is horrible - what did you do to the page?!". When she replied "nothing, that's how it is", I asked her to refresh it a few times to make sure the ads weren't screwing with the layout. I was flabbergasted that such a piece of trash could have such a massive userbase.
Design wise, it makes timecube.org look like the Sistine Chapel. - jerbaker, on 10/12/2007, -6/+12Your grammar is strange. Kinda like Beavis and Butthead when they say things like, "sexual interstate." You are using words that sound kinda right, but they're the wrong words in the sentences you are using them in.
"and thinking it inevitably evil"
That doesn't even make sense. Inevitable means that the result of something is a definite thing, a foregone conclusion. I think the word you are wanting here is something like "ultimately."
"down the road there will indelibly be something else we must protect the children from"
THIS is where you should use "inevitably." Indelible means "impossible to erase."
The parents may not understand how myspace.com works, but kids are having a hard time with basic English. It's sad. - YouKnowWho, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10Why stop at the profile level, delete the whole site..seriously between myspace, and mtv...these kids have harvested a reasonable sized piece of crap in their brains.
- DEFSMAC, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10this is nothing new, and is nothing more than naive parents not knowing about/how something works, and thinking it inevitably evil. in the 50's congress actually held hearings because parents thought comics were warping young children's minds. then it was " turn off that evil rock 'n roll heavy metal music." myspace is just the next big over exaggerated "evil." it will pass, then down the road there will indelibly be something else we must protect the children from
- bdeisgn, on 10/12/2007, -8/+13Yeah, you're kinda stupid man. I'm 27 and Myspace is a great "reconnect" tool. I've found people I haven't seen in years on there, and that alone makes it worthwhile.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10@Houdini91
"Parents should watch their kids closer" is not an excuse. It's a responsibility that you put yourself in the day you had kids.
See, parents want to have their cake and eat it too. They want to use their position as a crutch to pass blame.
No, you can't monitor your kids 24/7, nor should you ever because they have their own life. They are their own conscious mind that needs to learn and grow in this world, and while you can guide them to the right direction, nothing prepares them for reality.
Then again, what exactly happens when their child falls victim to someone over something like AOL or MySpace? Parents throw a bitch fit and blame someone else for not taking extra measures in watching their kid and instead take out their frustration by pointing a finger to blame others. It's your job to teach your child how to hold their own for the times when you can't be around.
I'm sick of this mentality of failed parenting. So seriously, if you suck as a parent, then ***** your children. I'm sick of hearing about it.
There comes a point in your life where you put your kid to the test. Did you do a good job as a parent? Yeah, you might talk to them about dangers, but did it REALLY get through their head? Do you have faith in your parenting? If so, let them be; you have nothing to worry about. If not... then deal with the consequences if/when something happens and do NOT point the finger!
I know parents don't like to hear this, but if your 14 year old daughter agrees to meet a 30 year old man for sex, it's either your child's fault or your own. Problems like this have existed long before I was born, and the internet has been popular for over a decade, so there's really no reason or excuse for it other than "stupid kids" or "failed parental guidance". - betasp, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Content filtering sure does work at the company I work for and I bet it will work at my house when my son is old enough. It all depends on what you put into it... It is very hard to "explain the world" to a 6 year old (my son just turned three and can easily boot the computer, hit the 4 keys it takes to enter his basic password, double click on IE and use favorites to go to NickJr and Readysetlearn). I am concerned over the "errant" clicks tha can get you to the wrong places for a child.
- yensed, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7The only thing I can say good about myspace, is that through it(And BugMeNot) I have discoverd some great indi bands...
- cactushigh, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6safety of the network of young users? That's garbage. Every-time a new technology used by a younger generation comes-out some group laments over the fact that its being used by predators to prey on children! "Think of the children" is the common refrain. When the Internet first came out, users-groups endangered children. Blah blah blah.
Myspace's mission, presumably, is to build a community. Maybe the should focus on building rather than cleansing their community. - aplardi, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7Well that's nice. They do have rules but the problem was in my experience that nobody kept them that well. Or they were easy to get around.
Doesn't mean I'll use the site, but it is a respectful thing for them to do. - Houdini91, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7@badbox
It's not really that we are looking for someone to blame. The thing is, I would make sure not to leave my 12 or 13 year old daughter alone with any guy I don't know very well. If she was 16 or 17 then it's a different matter as they should be mature enough to fully understand what I've taught them. But at 12 or 13 she's just not socially mature enough to always realize if some 30 year old guy is just being friendly or trying to get in her pants.
But the internet makes it SO much tougher, because she can talk to these guys alone without even leaving the house. She could become fast friends with him before she even realizes his age. He could have told her he was 13 and convinced her to meet him some place.
Sure, talking to your kids can help to avoid these situations, and it's the responsibility of every parent to do so. But the bottom line is, if she's 12 or 13 and thinks she's in love with this guy or something, then she might not listen to me. It's unfortunate, but as we all know kids don't always listen to parents.
The role of the parent is to not ONLY talk to your kids about sex, drugs, drinking, etc, but also make sure they aren't exposed to these things at TOO young of an age. Instead you try to keep them away from such things until they are old and mature enough to fully understand what you taught them. And at that point you just hope and pray you've done a good job raising them. - F1R3, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6What is the problem to setting profiles default display to friends only?
True that doesn't stop the problem completely, but neither does just going in and mass deleting things.
I imaging the majority of those that were active will either just pop up almost exactly the same, or will pop up somewhere else like xenga.
The problem a lot of the time is that the kids don't realize they are being subjected to thsi kind of thing. Maybe adding in more protection FEATURES would be more effective.
Even people that do nothing at all in their profile to warrant it get harrassed by the random guy who see's their picture on the random user bar(i forget what its called, but its that one with the 3 random pictures you get when you log in), or from just searching for common keywords.
Get control of yourself. Just because some girl didn't use the word "gawd" in her profile, or likes a common band does not meen she is your soulmate. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7"As if no other form or genre of music expresses emotion.
And worse is that the only emotion that Emo seems to want to express is "oh, woe is me, my life sucks, the world sucks, angst, angst, pain, mope, pain, angst, death, and oh did I mention Angst?""
Emo is about 30 year old grown-ass-men crying about how their mommy didn't by them their favorite transformer toy when they were eight years old. - kbunsie, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8Wait they're going to enforce the rules!?
- OBKenobi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5These kids on Myspace are juvenile delinquents. Myspace isn't the problem, the kids themselves and their parents are the problem.
All this does is once again demonstrate the power of mass stupidity that can be generated on demand by the corporate newsmedia in America. Myspace was a typical sensationalist story, the newsmedia will trash it for their own ratings, regardless of what effect it has on MySpace or the kids! Those kids are going to go somewhere else, and this time you won't know what they're up to until they wind up in rehab, or the morgue! - mycatsboots, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4MySpace is just like everything else in the world. If it is used in moderation and used for what it is meant for, then it is great. However, uneducated people go out and abuse it. Parents have the right to be upset about MySpace, but they are upset for the wrong reasons. They shouldn't lash out at the owners of MySpace, they should lash out at themselves for not properly teaching them the following:
Sorry, X, posting pictures of your cooter will probably bring about negative attention.
Sorry, X, posting your home address and phone number will probably bring people you don't want to meet.
Sorry, X, I'm at your funeral now, if only you knew not to get molested and murdered. Damn MySpace.
If people are well educated and use MySpace properly, then everything should be fine.
Yes, I have a MySpace ( http://myspace.com/mycatsboots ), I just have a few pictures of myself (clothes on -- Sorry Sexual Predators), and just some of my tastes in music/sports. I don't show suggestive pictures, give out phone numbers, tell anyone where I hang out and when, I don't post why my life sucks in 400 bulletinssurveys. - Democritus2, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6NO idiot a blog is what used to be referred to as a personal website. It is not new. The publishing tools are new, but it is the same damn thing. Blogging is just one of the stupid words the media likes to use. It is a catch phrase and quite honestly it is pretty ***** stupid.
- bigteebo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Removing 200K profiles for "questionable" content is a drop in the bucket. I would say about 90% of the profiles consist of boys sans shirts, and girls sans pants. Yes, good luck with that myspace moderator "ministry of vice & virtue" when :
1. Mods of groups don't even bother enforcing anti-spam measures
2. The myspace software prohibits you from turning your age to 14 to make it "private", but lets you do it anyway(TOS violation).
A big ol mess. - listrophy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Strangely enough, I'm 1 for 1 on the myspace.com -> real life friend thing...And we're both fresh out of college.
As long as you stay away from any profile using a "FREE TEMPLATE!!!1!," there are normal people on there. - compu73rg33k, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8"If you're over 18 an utilizing myspace you have bigger issues."
Honestly, by 18 you should have definitely moved on to facebook. - dhulser, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4yeah, i did the same after seeing it on CSI... a few days ago i made a comment that it was only a matter of time before all of the csi/crime shows would be jumping on the myspace bandwagon...
- kbunsie, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6This isn't really something new if anyone remembers the big scare about IRC and AOL back in the day. People never really seem to care about the safety of their children until something about it hits the news.
- Zippo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I was going to comment "only 200,000?", but the magical digg.com comment genie attacked me ;o;
Oh well, looks like I said it anyways :P - greenagain, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Next headline: MySpace removes itself completely to appease aesthetic, technological, and social concerns.
- ModernDayDarwin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@defsmac
The problem with comparing comics and heavy metal music to myspace is that the first two do not offer windows into peoples lives. Granted I'm all for parents actually parenting, I can say that in some cases myspace will offer access to unpleasantness that would otherwise be impossible. - funkytaco, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2So we're digging something they should be doing anyway when people "flag spam/abuse"?
- ianweir, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2[[Note: Seems that BigTeebo brought up the same train of thought just before me.
Shoulda refreshed before I posted.]]
So they deleted 200,000 accounts. Big deal, it's a drop in the bucket. Especially when you consider (as the article states) that they have 250,000 new signups every day.
To be frank, I don't see this as being much consolation for anyone. Although I wouldn't be surprised if joe average stops reading after "200,000". - definiteform, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3You pretty much summed it up in one little paragraph. My hat is off to you sir.
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