The MySpace profile is the virtual equivalent of the tattoo: a hip thing to do now that will bite you in the ass later.

Not quite Jonathan. You can cover up a tattoo. Your MySpace profile can be recorded and stored forever, and exposed by anyone who holds the data.

It's happening right now. People are writing apps that dig in and "record" what they find at MySpace.

In other words, taking photos of your current tattoos.

What about deleting the MySpace account? Would that get rid of the potential problems?
Also, does this information apply to blog sites like Xanga and Blogger?

Deletion won't necessarily protect you. Think I'm kidding? Take a look at The wayback Machine, www.archive.org.

As a rule of thumb, I'd assume that what you write on the Web will be available forever.

Employers? Anyone could be searching - future mates, schools, associations, country clubs - you name it. Wonder if someone's going to develop software that scrubs your Internet image...giving you the ability to excise that errant entry (with photos and video!) about the blond hottie you woke up with during Spring Break in Los Cabos and whose name you still don't know, for example.

Instead of the scare tactic, I'd like you to suggest to students ways they can use myspace to their advantage.

In the same way they can post jello-shot stories and bong maiboxes, they can also record daily or weekly accounts of their volunteer efforts, their study-session schedule. Their dreams and desires of landing that dream job. The blog posts with link after link to relevant stories and articles, that show they might be young, but they're paying attention to the world around them.

I think you could tell them they can brand themselves now for their job interview(s) in four years using myspace.

This is what i do on my two myspace profiles. I am an actor. I post blog posts about my show I am putting on and audio/video from rehearsals. In my niche (gay/comedy/improv) I think this will be effective.
http://www.myspace.com/markbaratelli
http://www.mayspace.com/improvcabaret

A person wanting a corporate job could do the same thing.

Thanks for listening

Mark

Great idea, Mark. The very fact that you're taking a mature, entrepreneurial approach to your MySpace profile already puts you miles ahead of your average MySpace participant.

MySpace has even become a lasting memorial. For example, a young man died in a drag-racing accident and the local online newspaper posted a link to his myspace profile. Notes written by friends before his death mentioned previous accounts of his drag racing. Sad.

I think you are exagerating the potential problems Myspace could bring. College students should be more worried about the information's immediate effect than long term hiring issues. Both your school and girlfriend might be concerned if you were doing jello shots last night, but do you seriously believe that a qualified applicant is going to get passed up on a job because they passed out drunk in college 15 years ago?

You do have a point about public electronic records, but short of students with goals to become priests, the typical day to day events of college students isn't something anyone should be concerned about.

People often fail to realize the power of the internet to archive important information. And unimportant information.

Myspace and other social networking sites provide people with a crucial benefit that all people need everywhere.(IMO) The opportunity and means to connect.

It is fascinating in some respects to watch how people use the internet either to their benefit or their destruction.

Much like real life, most people have access to resources and the time to use them. Some people use their resources and time to benefit themselves and others and some people use their resources and time to destroy themselves and others.

To try to place the blame on a tool like a computer for how people choose to use it, is similar to trying to place the blame on a gun instead of the person who shoots it.

First of all fair notice, the company I am a part of is a startup focused on creating professional career portofolios for individuals who are at the entry level stage of their careers. As a part of starting this company I did a number of focus groups with college students who honestly did not have much of an idea about the process of finding a job / career or about how employeers may or may not research their backgrounds.

While I think MySpace and social networking sites play a very interesting communication role in the lives of individuals I do think the issue of recognizing the pros and cons about public disclosures like scoial network postings or blogging are not well recognized.

Unfortunately the idea of "career education" doesn't seem to be a big part of our high school or even college curriculums these days. Education and reasonable information regarding the pros and cons of social networking are, in my opinion, the focal points to make sure students have a balanced view point and understanding of how best to use sites such as MySpace.

Scare tactic? Look, the point is that the majority of kids out there don't get the risks. You can sit back and not blame MySpace if you want, that's fine.

Just stop calling anyone who is pointing out the REAL risks as someone trying to scare you. These are facts, not theories.

Why defend MySpace so badly? I don't get it. I asked that question here, let me know.

http://www.revenews.com/jimkukral/archives/001766.html

I use myspace along with AIM and all that jazz because it is "hip". but thats not the only reason. right now there are so many ways to communicate with peers, myspace being one, that people just have to have them all.

Well first of all everything listed her is a fact. We all no this but what we don't is what kind of person is telling me this? How do I no if it is true? It could just be another one of those desperate parents trying to get there kid off the computer. Besides if you are going to attack myspace you may as well attack aol or aim as well. For that matter why not your phone companies? You dont know who may be tapping your phone even if you have it "protected" whatever that really means.Bottom line this world is full of unsafe people and things you can't stop them all.

After reading this im now gonna rethink what i write on myspace and may even delete my profile and be done with it. Does not seem fair that Myspace is able to do all this without the majority of people knowing. Are they able to use the information to there own benefit?

Well, with anything in life, if you avoid wrongs to yourself or others, you've nothing to hide...

You should only be afraid of employers viewing your myspace page if you get up to things of which you are ashmed!

Terry

As a business owner, with a reputation that I have to protect, I think it is very important to know who is representing me and my company. I use many means to obtain information on the individuals that I hire and researching their blog history under blogger, myspace, ect., is all part of it. I know that most other business owners that I talk to use the same practices. I feel truly sorry for all of those that will spend time and money to get a degree in their desire field, to only find that they do not possess the moral background that a company wants to see in their personnel.

I think about the clueless parents of preteens using myspace as a way to advertise themselves. i know i always think, what would someones parents or even my parents think if they read this? should i be ashamed of the way i'm presenting myself? it's up to you what kind of image you throw out for people to judge you upon.

Oh come on, this is ridiculous, get with the program people. Things change so fast these days, so get used to it. And instead of complaining, and using scare tactics embedded in the metaphor of children's smiles; come up with a reasonable, ergonomic solution. The internet is part of the next stage in human evolution, and is a mere, surfaced representation of the collective consciousness. And myspace, as well as google (which are completely off topic from one another) are part of it, like it or not.

Actually, on myspace, people are not *REQUIRED* to enter their personal information such as FIRST AND LAST NAME, and they can use e-mail accounts which are not set up in their names as well. Therefore, how can employers or anyone for that matter find them?

As a teenager who has a Myspace, I have to say that a good amount of us are aware of the risks of Myspace. But even then, there are so many of them who don't take the risks seriously. With the crashing of the server and all the hacking, Myspace is becoming less and less of a safe place to post imformation. It's good to use the 'scare tactic' on teens who don't take all the warnings seriously.

The internet is kinda like money: A great tool, but in the wrong hands, could be bad. We now have so much information at our fingertips, its great. On the flipside, all the worlds pedefiles and perverts can go to places like myspace and prey on young girls, who seem to be addicted to myspace. They travel in packs to public computer terminals all the time. As far as jobs are concerned, its the imformation you put on your page yourself. If your life is shady and you put it on a public acess website, what do you expect to happen? Thats why when your college or younger, you are considered dumb because of the stupid shit you did anyway. I mean, who didnt smack a few mailboxes back then. Girls put out, males vanalized stuff. Thats why they call it growing up. Kinda like a tattoo, I guess.

It's funny how you guys are talking about myspace like it's so bad but what your doing here is just like myspace, your posting a blog and people like myself are adding comments to it. So how is myspace destroying our children when your doing exactly what we do but theres more color and funny pictures. And if you want to argue the fact because I have more to say on this subject then email me at dirteedade@aol.com.

It's funny how you guys are talking about myspace like it's so bad but what your doing here is just like myspace, your posting a blog and people like myself are adding comments to it. So how is myspace destroying our children when your doing exactly what we do but theres no color or funny pictures? And if you want to argue the fact because I have more to say on this subject then email me at dirteedade@aol.com.

It's funny how you guys are talking about myspace like it's so bad but what your doing here is just like myspace, your posting a blog and people like myself are adding comments to it. So how is myspace destroying our children when your doing exactly what we do but theres no color or funny pictures? And if you want to argue the fact because I have more to say on this subject then email me at dirteedade@aol.com.

It's funny how you guys are talking about myspace like it's so bad but what your doing here is just like myspace, your posting a blog and people like myself are adding comments to it. So how is myspace destroying our children when your doing exactly what we do but theres no color or funny pictures? And if you want to argue the fact because I have more to say on this subject then email me at dirteedade@aol.com.