{{sprotect}} {{Infobox_Website |websitename = MySpace |origin = [[New York City, New York|New York]], [[New York]] |screenshot = [[Image:Myspace logo.PNG|MySpace logo]]
[[Image:MySpace_screenshot.png|200px]]
Typical MySpace profile (MySpace founder [[Tom Anderson (MySpace)|Tom Anderson]]'s profile shown here) |commercial = mixed |type = [[social network service]] |reg = Required |owner = [[News Corporation]] |author = [[Tom Anderson (MySpace)|Tom Anderson]] }} '''MySpace''' is a [[social network service|social networking]] website offering an interactive network of [[blog]]s, user profiles, groups, photos and an internal [[e-mail]] system. According to [[Alexa Internet]], [[as of May 2006]] it is the world's sixth most popular English-language website and the eighth most popular in the world[[Alexa Internet]] ''[http://www.alexa.com/site/ds/top_sites?ts_mode=lang&lang=en Alexa Web Search - top 500 English-language websites]''. Retrieved [[March 4]], [[2006]].). Note that this is based on exceptionally intense usage by a relatively limited number of visitors, many more than five English language sites have a higher "reach" measurement, that is they are visited by more different people each day. MySpace has outstripped competitors such as [[MSN Spaces]], [[Friendster]] and [[LiveJournal]] to become the most popular English-language social networking website with higher traffic and just over 76 million registered accounts. It has become an increasingly influential part of contemporary [[teenage culture]], especially in the [[Anglosphere]]. MySpace has 250 employees and projects a 2006 revenue of US$20M. {{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/23/business/yourmoney/23myspace.html |publisher=New York Times |title=For MySpace, Making Friends Was Easy. Big Profit Is Tougher |date=April 23, 2006}} ==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. 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 site shut down and sold all of its users' information in [[2001]] [[CNN]], [[May 31]], [[2001]]. ''[http://news.com.com/2100-1023_3-267654.html Online storage firm shutters file depot]''. Retrieved [[December 29]], [[2005]].. Prior to that use, MySpace.com was home to a web design firm. [[Internet Archive]]. [http://web.archive.org/web/19961221174030/ MySpace.com homepage from February 28, 1996]. Retrieved [[March 23]], [[2006]]. The current MySpace service was founded in July 2003 by [[Tom Anderson (MySpace)|Tom Anderson]] (an alumnus of both [[University of California, Berkeley|UC Berkeley]] and [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]]), the current president, Chris DeWolfe (a graduate of [[University of Southern California|USC]]'s Marshall School of Business), the current [[Chief executive officer|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 Company|Fox Broadcasting]] and other media enterprises) [[Intermix Media]], [[July 18]], [[2005]]. ''[http://www.intermix.com/about_press_inthenews.cfm?id=752&startrow=8 News Corporation to Acquire Intermix Media, Inc.]''. Retrieved [[December 29]], [[2005]].. In January 2006, Fox announced plans to launch a UK version of MySpace in a bid to "tap into the UK music scene" [[BBC News]], [[January 24]], [[2006]]. ''[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4642622.stm MySpace looks to UK music scene]''. Retrieved [[January 24]], [[2006]].. The creators of MySpace have hosted many parties in [[Hollywood, California|Hollywood]], [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]], [[Miami, Florida|Miami]], [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], [[New York City, New York|New York City]], [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]], [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]], [[Hawaii]], and [[McAllen, Texas|McAllen, Texas]] to support the site. MySpace is also home to various independent musicians, who post songs directly on their profile. These songs can also be uploaded onto other profiles. Because of the high popularity, mainstream musicians have entered this trend as well. CDs of independent music are sold in various establishments. In February 2006, amateur filmmaker David Lehre released ''[[The MySpace Movie]]'' a short film which quickly became an [[Internet phenomenon]], registering over 6 million hits in the first three months following its release.[http://www.davidlehre.com David Lehre] - [http://www.davidlehre.com/myspace/ MySpace: The Movie]. It was also featured in a popular internet show, [[Pure Pwnage]], where in episode 10 the main character Jeremy loses his girlfriend and logs on to MySpace in an attempt to rationalise the world's pain. (The entire piece of the show features a song called "Get out of MySpace", and the entire piece is used as a stab against MySpace users) Also in this month, most of the [[BBC Radio 1]] DJs have set up a profile and are mentioning it very frequently. This is somewhat controversial as the BBC usually avoids any mention of individual companies. In the United States, the influential [[Major Label Music Network]], a MySpace group that networks major level recording artists (and indy or unsigned acts) with major level industry executives, companies and major level professionals, also includes highly influential U.S. commercial radio stations [[KROQ]] and [[WAAF]], both of whom maintain profiles on MySpace, as do popular U.S. DJ's in the group. ==Contents of a MySpace profile== Each profile contains two standard "[[blurb|blurb]]s": "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 ones 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 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 as well. There is also a count of the friends the user has. A total of eight friends, or the "Top 8," are shown directly on the profile, with a link to a page which lists all of the user's friends. The "Top 8" became vigorous as people lost or gained friendship, because they were to be seen on someone else's. Below this is the "comments" section, wherein the user's friends may leave comments about the user for all viewers to read. Most users tend to leave comments that are viewed by all to be personal, leaving the whole MySpace network to read their business. MySpace profile layouts can have the entire look changed with many different editors available from other websites. For example; one can change their "Top 8" to show any number of friends, or hide the feature. Using [[Hypertext markup language|HTML]] and [[Cascading style sheets|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. There are automated tools known as [[internet bot|bots]] to help aid in increasing ones reach on MySpace. See [http://iwalton.com iWalton] and [http://myspacemob.com MySpaceMob]. ==Criticism of MySpace== {{unreferenced|section}} ===Accessibility=== There are often 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 most MySpace users are not skilled [[Web development|web developers]], this sometimes causes some problems. Poorly constructed MySpace profiles have been known to freeze up [[web browser]]s due to malformed [[Cascading Style Sheets|CSS]] coding, or as a result of users placing many high [[Bandwidth#Digital systems|bandwidth]] objects such as videos and [[Macromedia_Flash|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. With an 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 sudden increase in usage slows down the [[Server (computing)|server]]s and may result in a "Server Too Busy" error message for many users at [[peak hour]]s, or a variety of any other error messages throughout the day. ===MySpace in educational settings=== 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"Curriculum Review, October 2005. ''Schools race to restrict MySpace''.. Some private schools have even attempted to ban their pupils from accessing MySpace at homeThe Daily News, Washington, [[January 22]], [[2006]]. ''[http://www.tdn.com/articles/2006/01/22/top_story/news01.txt The MySpace case]''. Retrieved [[February 15]], [[2006]].. 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 http://news.tmcnet.com/news/-myspacecom-del-mar-block-access-voip-/2006/04/24/1601159.htm. ===MySpace and businesses=== Due to the high use of bandwidth and maluse of the computers in various retail stores, businesses are taking measures to block out the website to prevent customers from hammering their broadband connection and using their demonstration computers for personal purposes only. One such blocked site was [http://www.music-codez.com 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 like [[Apple Computer]] have already prevented access to the social network to prevent customers from using their computers for the wrong reasons. http://www.ifoapplestore.com/2006/04/23/some-stores-now-blocking-myspacecom/ ===MySpace and professionalism=== [[Chicago Tribune|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=== MySpace allows users registering users to be as young as 14 ([http://collect.myspace.com/misc/terms.html?z=1]), therefore, it is possible to compromise their security and privacy by having them post information such as their home address, phone number, or last name because of their lack of experience. This information, when put in the wrong hands, can put a person in danger of being found by an [[online predator]]. As a result of this, [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] says that they will post public service ads warning children of those dangers. Also, the [[State of Massachusetts]] has called on MySpace to raise the age limit of their users in order to better protect children by restricting their use. [http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/internet/05/03/mass.myspace.reut/index.html] Profiles where the user's age is set to 14 or 15 years are automatically private. Other users of MySpace do not have the option to restrict their profiles. Viewing the full profile of or messaging someone under the age of 16 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. Instead, MySpace.com suggests removing restricted information from public view. ===Restrictions on new accounts=== MySpace restricts the accounts of new users, but does not first warn people of this when they sign up. For the first seven days, a new user is prevented from posting in groups or on the message boards. MySpace claims that this is needed to prevent spam{{fact}}. ==See also== * [[List of social networking websites]] * [[MySpace Records]] * [[The MySpace Movie]] * [[web 2.0]] ==References== ==External links== {{wikinews|Bloggers investigate social networking websites}} *[http://www.myspace.com/ MySpace.com] MySpace Homepage *[http://computer.howstuffworks.com/myspace.htm How MySpace Works] HowStuffWorks *[http://www.buzztone.com/murmurz/14/stry-01-1.htm Interview with MySpace.com co-founder Tom Anderson] *[http://www.here-now.org/shows/2006/01/20060112_9.asp MySpace Invaders] — a radio segment from WBUR in Boston's "Here & Now" *[http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_50/b3963001.htm The MySpace Generation] Business Week Online *[http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/dec2005/id20051230_570094.htm MySpace: Design Anarchy That Works] Business Week Online *[http://www.mercatornet.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=231 "Filling up MySpace"] on MercatorNet, Feb 25, 2006 *[http://www.comcast.net/news/technology/index.jsp?cat=TECHNOLOGY&fn=/2006/04/10/365139.html "MySpace.com to post Ads Promoting Safety"] on April 10, 2006 {{Template:News Corporation}} [[Category:2000s fads]] [[Category:2003 establishments]] [[Category:Moral panics]] [[Category:MySpace|*]] [[Category:Web 2.0]] [[Category:Blog hosting services]] [[Category:News Corporation]] [[Category:Social networking]] [[Category:Virtual communities]] [[de:MySpace]] [[fr:MySpace]] [[ia:MySpace]] [[nl:MySpace]] [[ja:MySpace]] [[pt:MySpace]]