Much ado about MySpace

The school recently distributed a brochure to students called myspace may not be just YOUR space, developed by the Student Legal Service office on campus. The brochure focuses on how future employers may judge applicants adversely based on what's on their social networking sites. It spells out what employers might find questionable and what actions they can take.

Although our students are not yet concerned with full-time employment, some of the same issues apply. College admissions officers and scholarship boards may choose to withdraw offers. And the "P" word (yes, predator), though not mentioned in the brochure, must always be considered. The brochure urges students to use privacy settings, although those don't guarantee privacy in all circumstances.

I took a highly unscientific poll of students (mostly by wandering around the hall during 8th period) to see if they thought brochures like this changed people's posting habits. The general consensus was that everyone knows the really obvious stuff (no nude photographs), but that content that is merely silly or lame -- while it may lose a person a job (which would be the poster's own fault/responsibility) -- is ultimately no big deal.

I think everyone is actually missing the point. MySpace pages, with or without objectionable content, just look bad. Thanks to a tip from Mr. Smith, I found out that PC World agrees with me. In September, columnist Dan Tynan gave it the number one spot on his list of the 25 worst web sites.