So, what EXACTLY do you look for on myspace?

[KSig RC]

Originally Posted by KSigkid

For me, it's been a way to get back into touch with some friends, and an easier way to keep in touch with others. Also, I've had some friends track me down. Of course, they can't see my information unless I "friend" them, and the only picture I have are ones that aren't embarassing. Additionally, I don't have any of my contact info on my page. People would have to message me, and would have to have my email address through other means to even email me.

Yeah, exactly - the beauty of myspace is that superficial or simple messages can be shipped instantly, and conveniently. Instead of calling ksigkid to go "OH GOD I HATE THE YANKEES WHY DID THEY HAVE TO GET ABREU FOR DICK" I can drop him a message. It's not very personal, but then again we can discuss personal issues via personal means - I can always email him if I have something important to say. I almost never have anything important to say, so the superficial messages can be passed along much more easily.

However, as a buddy of mine put it, it is truly the forum for the self-absorbed - just read this thread, it's hilarious, and it's from people in the top 15% or so of educational strata.

My page can't be found by searching for my name - it's not listed under my real name, and I have a different email address for use w/ clients and employers. There are enough identifying details that anyone who knows me can find me, but not enough to locate me if you're trying to "fight, yo" . . . however, I've seen people list their kids' names, schools, etc - it's just like life: there are varying degrees of both stupidity, and risk tolerance, but most people don't know the difference between the two.

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

My page can't be found by searching for my name - it's not listed under my real name, and I have a different email address for use w/ clients and employers. There are enough identifying details that anyone who knows me can find me, but not enough to locate me if you're trying to "fight, yo" . . . however, I've seen people list their kids' names, schools, etc - it's just like life: there are varying degrees of both stupidity, and risk tolerance, but most people don't know the difference between the two.

And I've also seen people link to their employers in the profiles, and then post blogs about "OMG I HATE WORK" postings. I question the wisdom of venting about personal things through a semi-public page, except for, of course, venting about ones favorite sports teams.

Originally Posted by EE-BO

Purely out of curiosity- what is the real benefit of being out there on MySpace? Do people really meet that many new real life friends or make connections for work? I just ask because the potential downsides seem so great. Maybe in certain lines of work it is more helpful than in others?

When I joined MySpace over three years ago, I joined because everyone was doing it. It was a way to keep up with current friends.

Since then it's been a tremendous help in locating high school classmates, and that's important because my 10 year reunion's next year.

I don't use it to make new friends. I'm quite content with those I know now, and when I get friend requests from someone I don't know...it's just easy to hit that reject button. I know 99.9% of those friends I have saved IRL. The other 0.9% are individuals I met via GC.

[KSUViolet06]

Outside of a few girls from GC, I only add people I know.

I don't use MySpace to meet people. It has been great in helping me keep in touch with people from high school and such.

[valkyrie]

I don't look for people on Myspace. I use it to look for music/DJs/local events/sports-related stuff and to send messages -- for whatever reason, I seem to use Myspace over email/IM to get in touch with a few people.

I've been trying to get all the irrelevant shit off my page, which is more of a pain in the ass than I ever imagined. I also don't put much of my business out there because, well, why?

[Kevin]

I work in a law office which does a substantial amount of family law.

You'd be surprised what adverse parties put on their myspace pages.. hilarious..

E.g., "OMG Last night, I was SOOOOooo High!!!"

3 postings later...

"I love my little girl."

-- People on that site have a touch of the downs I think.

[33girl]

If you have big giant flashy graphics which mean I can't see your whole page at once on my computer screen, you probably suck. Unless you're 16. Then you get a pass. If you are 35 you do not.

Oh, and when you're describing yourself, your life philosophy or your favorite movies, it's good to SPELL CORRECTLY. If you really have seen "Appocalpys Now" 45 times, I would think the spelling on the titles would have sunk into your brain.

[ziasha07]

I use myspace to find out more about certain people, to keep in contact with those I don't see that much or don't have classes with and things like that. Of course my profile is set on private and if I don't know you I won't add you. Also it's great for staying in the know about church events in my area.

Pet peeves ~ People with ridculous amounts of friends, fake celebrity profiles, people with so much on their page that it takes twenty years to load, and profile hackers. CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD!

Originally Posted by ziasha07

CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD!

Sometimes changing your password isn't enough.

People are so desperate to pimp out their profiles that they don't pay attention to what they're putting in their "About Me" (etc) sections. If a file ends in .swf and you don't think it's supposed to be there, it's not supposed to be there.

It'll phish your information as well as those who visit your page.

And pay attention to the damn login page. If you get a login redirect, login again at www.myspace.com and not the page you got.

[James]

How do they find them (employers)? People don't put their real, full names on there do they?

Originally Posted by KSigkid

They should be, but they aren't. I know there are employers/grad schools that look online at candidates, and that includes MySpace pages, Facebook pages, etc. I mean, you can obviously make your page private, but people are judged on first impressions. If the job or scholastic position is high-competition, anything unprofessional or questionable about the applicant will be a detriment. Maybe it's not fair, but that's life.

As for me, I never really think of anything when I look at pages. The only friends I have are people who I'm actually friends with, so the pages don't matter much to me. The high graphic pages bug me sometimes, but besides that, no other thoughts really cross my mind.

Originally Posted by James

How do they find them (employers)? People don't put their real, full names on there do they?

First and last names aren't published, but if you type it into their search engine, it'll bring up your profile. It's used for search purposes only.

[AlexMack]

I look at other people's pictures and then mock them relentlessly. Sometimes I send fake messages pretending to be nice so I can get on their friend list and then I can view their pictures that way. Then I mock them some more.

Myspace is evil but provides endless amounts of entertainment for forum threads like 'Trolls of Myspace'.

[James]

Ahh . . thanks

Originally Posted by OTW

First and last names aren't published, but if you type it into their search engine, it'll bring up your profile. It's used for search purposes only.

[amanda6035]

Thank you. This thread just made me change my settings.

I use a my .edu address for my resumes (not my regular email), and I just removed my first name from my information so it wouldnt show up in a search. Initially, I had removed my last name, but realized that...people need either last name or email to add to my friends list.

I wanted to leave it public, not like I really have anything to hide, but hopesully it makes it harder to search for me now - now that I'm 6 weeks shy of graduating and finally getting job interviews.