[LM_NET] TECH: Getting into MySpace.Com

[Chris Harris <cgharris@GVBOCES.ORG>]

Madeline Buchanan asked about how to get into MySpace.com to view
pictures and information posted by young user that probably should be
removed. Here is a quick and dirty travel guide for MySpace.

1) Getting to your Destination.
So you want to visit MySpace.com...okay, fire up the browser and head
on over, right? Wrong! Like any travel to a foreign country (and trust
me, this is a VERY foreign country for most of us!) you have to do some
preparations to make sure you will be safe on your trip. This includes a
number of steps:
 - I would strongly advise traveling to MySpace using the Firefox
browser for its increased ability to stop spyware and other bad things.

 - You will want to make sure your computer's "shots" are up to date -
download the latest anti-virus and anti-spyware definition files. 
 - Take a few deep breaths and put on some calming music in the
background. Trust me, some of what you will see on MySpace is going to
shock and dismay you. Remember, you are not the "my" in MySpace. This is
a different culture with different rules. 

2) Prepping your Passport
As you may have seen on so very many Web2.0 sites, your e-mail address
has become your passport for entry into this different spaces. MySpace
is no different. Sure, you can go and look around a bit, but that would
be kind of like saying you have been to Europe because you watched a
travel show on PBS. The real deal with MySpace is going on behind the
login page. If you want to find someone on MySpace, for instance, you
have to be logged in to use the school search. This is one of the more
promising ways to locate someone. 
Before you hand over your e-mail address to MySpace, however, I must
warn you that you will indeed get quite a bit of spam from them. Well,
maybe not from the site itself, but from other users. I hate spam. With
most of the Web 2.0 sites that I try, this isn't a problem...not so with
MySpace. So, I would strongly recommend that you pick up a temporary
passport/e-mail from someplace like TempInBox
(http://www.tempinbox.com/). All you do is go to the site and make up a
temporary e-mail username like "IJustWannaGetIntoMySpace" which will
create ijustwannagetintomyspace@tempinbox.com. Then you can go to
MySpace and register using that e-mail address. Check back to
tempinbox.com to get the registration e-mail so you can confirm. 

3) Interacting with the Natives
As noted above, you really have to log in to "use" MySpace. This is,
however, a social networking site. That means to log in is to create a
social networking node. I.e. a MySpace page of your own. Don't worry,
you don't have to put anything on it. You can just leave it there so you
have access to log in to MySpace. Though....since you are logged in
already, you might as well play around with the page a little bit. See
why kids like it so much and what not. Change the colors some, fill out
a survey, add some music; whatever strikes your fancy.
When you are ready to venture forth to interact with other denizens of
MySpace, just head on over to the MySpace search page. What you are
looking for is the school search feature. This is probably your best bet
for finding someone specific as their username and screenname are very
likely not their names. Accounts are linked to schools, though, so that
can be a great place to start searching.

4) Embargoes and Other Sanctions
No American travel guide would be complete without directions on how to
impose embargoes or order a pre-emptive strike. If you, as a parent,
wish to terminate your child's MySpace page you do have this capability.

There are a couple of resources provided by MySpace: A Safety Tips Page
at http://www1.MySpace.com/misc/tipsForParents.html and a Removing Child
Profiles page at
http://www1.MySpace.com/misc/RemovingChildProfiles.html. The other
option is to contact MySpace using their online contact form and provide
details (i.e. the web address) of the page that you would like removed.
MySpace may need to contact you via phone to establish parental status. 


5) Return Readjustment
When you get home from a long trip, it can sometimes take a short time
to readjust to your daily routine. Though not much physical movement is
involved in this journey, there is quite a bit of traveling going on as
you cross that rather long bridge over the generation gap. When
returning from a trip into MySpace, it may help to relax with a nice cup
of tea and a small slice of perspective. Remember, this is TheirSpace.
We don't get it because our social networking takes place in person, via
phones, through letters/e-mails or as part of other physical world
interactions. That just isn't the case anymore. It may help to sit in
lotus position and chant "I will not freak out" a few times. Freaking
out will just not cut it in this case. It isn't like MySpace and this
type of website/interaction method are going anywhere soon...except for
up. 
According to Alexa [http://www.alexa.com], an internet traffic analysis
site, MySpace is the number 5 site in the world and number 3 in the US -
surpassed only by Yahoo and Google. If, however, you look at page views,
MySpace can't be touched. MySpace currently accounts for about a quarter
of page views of people who use the Alexa toolbar...and trust me, that
is NOT the target audience for MySpace! More importantly, while MySpace
usage has steadily grown over the past year, many large sites - like
Yahoo, Amazon, E-Bay and even Google have seen their percentage of the
usage rates decline. So when I say that MySpace isn't going to go away,
I mean it. The userbase is now larger than many countries. 

6) Some Travel Reading
Here are some books you might want to take along on your journey. A bit
of light travel reading, as it were. 
-The World is Flat. Thomas Friedman
- Got Game. John Beck 
- Everything Bad is Good for You. Steven Johnson
- Instant Calm: Over 100 Easy-to-Use Techniques for Relaxing. Paul
Wilson

Bon Voyage...
Chris

This post is being crossposted with additional links at Infomancy -
http://schoolof.info/infomancy/?p=234

Christopher Harris - cgharris@gvboces.org
Coord. School Library System / Media Services
Genesee Valley BOCES - Le Roy, NY 14482
Phone: 585.344/658.7942 | Fax: 585.344.7579
Website: sls.gvboces.org | Skype: gvboces-sls 

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