How to Keep Safe on MySpace

MySpace is the largest social networking website on the internet today. Millions of people surf MySpace daily, and there are many new members joining the ranks of MySpace every single day. With this in mind, you have to keep yourself safe from dangerous people on the internet, as it can seriouslt effect your everyday life if you're not careful.

In this article I will hand you some easy to remember tips that will keep you safer when using MySpace.

1.Keep Your Profile Private
To keep your MySpace "private" is to not allow users that are not your friends on MySpace to fully view your page. This can keep you safe in many ways, and can deter dangerous people from gaining any sort of viable information about you, aside from the general information that is displayed to everyone. How do you set your Myspace to such a setting? It's simple.

Go to www.myspace.com and log into your profile. Once here go to the box that says "Hi, yourname!", you wll see options to the right of your default picture that start with "Edit Profile" at the top. Go one down and click the link that is titled "Account Settings". This will bring you to a new window that contains a list of options that include changing your password, changing your designated e-mail address, time zone, and much, much more. Click the link that says "Privacy Settings". In doing so, you will be brought to another new page that contains many options on who can send you invites, view your page, and so on. At the top of the list there is the title "Who Can View My Profile" with the options of My Friends Only, Public (which means anyone and everyone can see your profile), and Only Users Over 18.

I suggest setting it to "My Friends Only" to ensure that no strangers can find out additional personal information other than what you look like, your general geographical location, and your age, which all may be falsified information anyway, depending on how you put in the information.

2. Check Your Invitees' Profile Before Accepting
Meeting new people on MySpace is definitly one great aspect altogether. However, to keep yourself even more safe, do some research on someone that asks to be your friend, even if it's a minimal amount. When you do some research make sure that you find out their general geographical location, their hobbies, and so forth. If their hobbies are some violent ones, I suggest not taking part in stuff like that, especially since most of it is rendered illegal in the long run.

3. Do Not Give Out Personal Information
When I mean personal information, I mean your home address, telephone number, social security number, and so on. Anyone that asks you for such personal information (in 99.9% of cases) should not know this information, as it can be used to corrupt your future and well-being as of right now too. Social security numbers are one way that criminals steal identities, which can corrupt someones financial life for a very long time. Your address is where you live, you shouldn't want to put your life in danger by giving a stranger such information. You have no idea who is on the other side of that screen, it can be a psycho-murderer for all you know... just keep your address to yourself.

As for phone numbers, I am a bit more leniant. New friendships, thanks to MySpace, flourish definitly. One way that friendships flourish is to talk in a more personal matter rather than messages and comments on MySpace. Since phone numbers do not give away your home address initially, I find it ok to give out your number to a trusted person. However, there is a way to do a reverse look-up, so keep that in mind. Use a cellphone number when giving out your number, or a private number works as well.

4. Keep Your Pictures Within Legal Bounds
MySpace does not allow nude pictures, nor should you want to post yourself in such a manner on a public website. Keep pictures of yourself engaging in illegal activities off of MySpace, as they will come back to haunt you. Pictures of underage nudity, nudity in general, pot smoking, doing drugs, infringing on someone elses rights, destroying property, and other obvious activities, should not be posted on MySpace. Since these acts are in fact illegal, I recommend not doing them at all. But if you must, even though you shouldn't, keep them to yourself rather than showing the world.

5. Watch What You Say
Plenty of people get mad at petty things, and may even try and stalk you. Even if you're MySpace profile is private, your friends may not be. Make sure what you leave in comments to your friends is safe, someone broad (depending on what you're saying), and never gives out exact information unless it is in the past tense.

For example: If you leave a friend a comment saying you're going to the movies tonight, do not leave what time you're going, and what movie you're going to see. Rather, just say something about "the movies". If it was in the past, it's not like someone can go back in time as of right now with this information.

Conclusion
Even the internet has become a harsh place in many instances. MySpace, a great social networking site that can be used in many ways, is even populated by some corrupt people. Keeping your safe is essential when it comes to anything in the world. Some people's knowledge is limited when it comes to keeping yourself secure on the internet, and that's where I come in to help. I urge you to spread this article to your friends, family members, co-workers, and anyone else you truly care about to enhance their well-being on such a large website such as MySpace.

Questions/comments? E-mail me at chem1calburn@yahoo.com or simply message me via Associated Content.