What is MySpace?
I was first introduced to the popular MySpace network by a young library co-worker who worked with me at our local town library. He occasionally kept in touch with me by phone or e-mail, but out of blue, he stopped e-mailing and I figured it was because he was busy with school and his new job, and lets face it, with his friends. He called me one day to see how I was doing and I asked him why he had not kept up with his occasional e-mail greeting and he responded with a giggle and said to me, “Dude, e-mail is so yesterday,” and I wondered, what exactly does he mean? He explained to me he had set up a new way of communicating with his close friends and he shared with me his MySpace account. So, I checked it out and I was totally surprised by the format and display of the website. His page looked like an opened journal. I browsed through his page and read his interesting postings and looked over the photographs of him and his friends, but I never opened up a page of my own or enlisted myself on his buddy-list because it is foreign to me. I felt a little uncomfortable posting a comment for others to see. It looks like fun, but I could see myself getting really engrossed with it and I would have to spend more time sitting in front of the computer. Someday I’ll post a comment on his MySpace. ”)
This has been two years, since I have known about MySpace, and I’ve noticed how quickly this social network has grown among the youth and now adults. MySpace is mentioned on television, radio, magazines and newspapers, and not forgetting hearing it from kids and teens at the public library. A lot of times the network is talked about in a negative way and it frightens the public because they are unfamiliar with the environment. At the public library I work for, young children and teens, after school or early on weekends, they flock to the public library computers, connect their headphones and log on to their MySpace accounts and they enjoy themselves for the one hour they sign up for. I observe them and notice in their faces the eagerness and freedom they express while they are chatting, reading and updating their sources. It looks like darn fun to me, and I sometimes wish, I had a chance to explore and play with MySpace. For now I am too busy with school and my two jobs that I am looking forward to learning and exploring the many savvy ways of communicating with our public in my LIS753-Internet Fundamentals & Design class.
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