When I saw that we had to make a Facebook or MySpace page, I was so excited because I already have both a MySpace and Facebook page. I’ve had a Facebook page for about 3 years now and a MySpace page for about 2 years.
When creating a page, you have the option of what you want revealed about yourself. For instance, I don’t have a lot of information on my page besides the basic information: my birthday, where I’m from, if I’m in a relationship, what gender I am, and my ethnic background. The reason why I put those things on it is because it’s basic information that the people I know can use to identify me. The reason I have a MySpace and Facebook page is so that I can communicate with my friends that I don’t talk to on a regular basis, it’s a quick and easy way to communicate when talking on the phone be a hassle when trying to contact 3 and 4 people at a time. A lot of people I know will put their personal and private information on there: phone numbers and what dorm they stay in. I choose not to put those things because that’s just asking for a weirdo to come find me and meet me at my place unannounced. I feel like those type of people are stalkers that may try to hurt you just by meeting you on your page. You never know what people are thinking and the information you have on your page can be a invitation for them to use for their own devices.
I think a lot of people put false information on their pages as a security blanket. For example when I mean security blanket people may not want to disclose there sexual orientation because if everybody was heterosexual it would be fine to put this information but since people are gay, lesbian and even bisexual it is not very accepted and is not your typical norm so their for a lot of people don’t put that type of information. Another example is when people get on MySpace saying that they are in high school, and tell people “hey let’s meet up” when they are really 40 years old and is their teacher just trying to meet you some place and have sex with you. For one they aren’t suppose to be on MySpace because it’s against their policy but also that the teacher being a pervert and trying to mess with young kids. Both of these examples are why people in general have to be careful online because they don’t know if the information is true or false. This is why I have my MySpace page set to private so only my friends can get on my page; you either have to know my full name or my email address to be my friend or even look at my whole page. I have restrictions so that not just anybody can get on my page and roam around on it. I feel like my page is safer that way and I feel more comfortable being on my page knowing that I don’t have stalkers roaming on my page.
About a year ago I ended up having a stalker on MySpace after I transferred from the last college I was at, this guy was wondering why I ended up leaving the school and wanted some of the athletic wear that I had because I played on the sports team there and he also wanted to send me gifts and get my phone number and address. I ended up blocking him from my page and he tried to get back on my page by using a different profile and since I didn’t know this person I denied them as my friend. This is why I set my page to private.
I thought this was a really good exercise for us to do, to really think about what we put on our pages and what we disclose about ourselves; whether we want the whole world to know about us or not. And if it’s even valid information, because a lot of people put false information and feel that they aren’t going to get caught because they are on the internet. The one part I enjoyed about this assignment is that it made me think about what I am really putting out on my Facebook or MySpace page and it’s letting people really know things about me and who I am.
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I don't have a facebook, only a myspace page. Would you rather use facebook or myspace? Is there one that you log onto more frequently than another. I am under the impression that you have to be a fulltime student at a university to have facebook. I could be wrong. I agree with you 100% on have your page set to private. It is just to dangerous to let others have to ability to view your profile. Things I didn't think about until this exercise where the conversations that I have through my comments. My friends and I make dinner plans over the internet and I didn't think about other people having the ability to read this information and know exactly where I am at, who I am meeting, and the purpose of our visit. That though kind of creeps me out. I think I might start messaging instead of commenting so much. Great write up
I agree with all of your comments on how convenient myspace and facebook are when contacting old friends or just people in general, it is quick and hassle free. I also will agree that many people give WAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION on their profiles. And I really feel like people who put up information like that are putting themselves out there for a stalker, or other weirdo. After all of the people who have been kidnapped or killed you would think that people would take this into consideration and be more careful but I guess so people are as worried as I am.
That is so scary that you had an actual myspace stalker, that makes me even more scared that these things happen so close to home. I can't believe that you got rid of the problem by simply blocking, that seems easy enough but at the same time very scary. Along with that is all the access people can get to personal records, that is what really worries me, it is all over country, identity theft, web stalkers, real life stalkers. There is no escape, however like you said "safety blankets" do give some of us security and false hope that we are safe. How has your idea of facebook and myspace changed since your stalker incident do you take extreme privacy measures, or just block?
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