By Staff
When I was growing up, My Space meant my bedroom. Today that phrase has a whole new meaning.
We've heard the stories so many times. There have been workshops presented on Internet safety as well as comments from law enforcement officers and grownups in general. Even national news related shows such as Dateline and Primetime have done special reports on incidents that came about as a result of predators visiting certain Web sites.
What I'm talking about is an Internet chat-room of sorts found at MySpace.com. The site allows anyone, and I do mean anyone, an opportunity to view pictures, comments, personal information and a selection of music chosen by those who create a space there.
If you have access to the Internet, then you have access to this site. I browse through the list of folks who have an account at MySpace.com occasionally just to see who has chosen to post information and what they are saying.
It amazes me that there are children, and adults, who have so much disregard for themselves as to post some of the information that I find there. I have seen information concerning everything from the type of underwear they prefer to how mad they are at their parents for cutting their curfew time.
It seems to me that some parents ought to be a little more diligent in finding out exactly what their children are posting on the site. Not only should they be concerned about what their own children post, but what is posted by friends of their children. You can learn a lot from the information posted there.
I realize that most of the information posted may not be exactly true. For instance, one young man has posted that his annual income is in excess of $200,000. Now, since I am somewhat aware of this young man's circumstances, it is certainly hard to imagine that a high school student who lives in Brewton, Alabama, has an income that is more than four times the average income of folks in this area. But he did post it. What a field day kidnappers could have with an 18-year-old with money. Drug dealers would certainly like to talk to him and that could be very dangerous.
The site is only supposed to be for people who are at least 18 years old. Well, the thing is if they can lie about their income, it can be assumed they can lie about their age.
Don't let your loved ones put themselves in a bad situation by making irresponsible posts to the site. Posts and comments made can also hurt a reputation beyond repair. In the end, what is personal should be kept just that - personal.
Lisa Tindell is a news reporter for The Brewton Standard. She can be reached at 867-4876 or by e-mail at lisa.tindell@brewtonstandard.com.