MYSPACE vs FACEBOOK
All the crave in the teen world centers around two huge, fast growing websites: Facebook and MySpace. As more teens use Web pages to communicate, teens wonder which is better. Teens in Print talked with local teens to get their opinions.
Erica Chan, 14, who goes on MySpace and Facebook once a day, says, “MySpace is more appealing to younger people where you can do surveys and pick backgrounds and listen to music. Facebook is more for older people who just want to communicate.”
MySpace and Facebook have similarities, but there are differences that make each site appealing to people of all ages. Cindy Nguyen, 15, who goes on both sites daily, likes MySpace better because “you can design the site, while on Facebook, you just move the applications around.” Vivian Tang, 14, who logs onto MySpace and Facebook every day, says she likes MySpace better because everyone’s profile is different. On the other hand, Jennifer Huang, 23, who goes on Facebook daily and on MySpace once every two weeks, says she prefers Facebook not only because MySpace is too commercialized but also because most of her friends are on Facebook. Yan Yi Weng, 15, also prefers Facebook because “it’s more organized, easier to access people, and you can actually find long-lost friends through Facebook...even in another country.”
Still not sure which site is better? Teens in Print takes a closer look at the features of each website.
Log-in-process: MySpace and Facebook both have a short log-in process and both are easy to understand. Both websites ask for general information, such as your name, password, country, and date of birth when you register. From then on, when you sign in, you will use your e-mail address and a password.
Popularity: While MySpace has more than 47.3 million members, Facebook has more than 59 million active viewers.
Access to other sites: There is a lot of access to other sites on both MySpace and Facebook, but MySpace has more ads than Facebook.
Security: Security checks and privacy settings are provided on both sites. You can also block people and delete your account on both MySpace and Facebook. However, spam and hackers are still able to access the sites. This seems to be more of a problem for MySpace users than Facebook.
Offers: MySpace provides games, ads, IM, and other opportunities. Facebook has thousands of applications such as games, interactive activities, and quizzes.
Updates: MySpace has many subscriptions, bulletins, and friend comments. However, Facebook e-mails people about the news on their Web pages; the site also includes news feeds on your friend’s daily activities.
Privacy: On MySpace, profiles can be set to private so only people who are your friends can view it, so anyone can view your page. On Facebook, only people who are in your network or who request you as their friend are able to see your profile. Also, on Facebook, you can create a limited profile for the people whom you don’t want to see the whole profile and you are able to block people as well.
Videos, pictures, music, animation: On both MySpace and Facebook, videos, pictures, music, and animations are available.
Interaction: There are countless ways to interact on both sites; sending private messages, similar to e-mails, is an option on both sites too. On MySpace, there are comments from your friends, the MySpace IM, and the bulletin. Facebook is more interactive with updates on friends’ scores on games and quizzes taken, along with the option to comment on a friend’s Wall.
Customization: On MySpace, people are able to create their own backgrounds, add animations, and decorate their own pages using html. On Facebook, users are only able to move, add, or delete applications.
photo by Ping Zeng // Artists for Humanity
Online pages: what's personal is public
If you are like most teens, you probably have a Facebook or MySpace account. You use it to talk to your friends, get in touch with people you have not seen in a while, and post pictures. What you probably do not think about when logging on is who else is looking at your page. The truth is it isn’t only the people on your friends list who can read your pages, others, including future employers, college admissions officers, even the police may get access.
If one of these people were to look at your online profile, would you be prepared? Do you think a future employer would want to hire you or an admissions staff let you into their school if they were to see what is on your Facebook or MySpace page? Furthermore, is it their business or right to look at these websites?
You may get frustrated when the computers at the Boston Public Schools will not allow you to pull up your MySpace or Facebook profile, but students at Ojai Valley High School in California are facing much harsher policies. Their administration has banned students from joining these communities at all, in or out of the classroom. Students as well as adults around the country have felt the repercussions of their online blogging. A high school freshman in Maryland was reportedly suspended because of her online photos, an underage drinking party at George Washington University was broken up after police found invitations online, and swimmers at Louisiana State University were kicked off the swim team after criticizing the coach online, according to nacacnet.com. Even the beauty queen Miss New Jersey almost lost her crown due to compromising photos on Facebook.
Not every admissions officer or future employer is going to get on a laptop and look up your profile. One reason is because of the limited time they have to sort through thousands of applicants. A.J. Williams, admissions counselor at Santa Clara University in California, told T.i.P. in a recent phone interview, “There is only so much we can look at. We don’t have the time to check every applicant’s MySpace.” A recent article in the British newspaper The Guardian claims some admissions officers refuse to use this method when looking at applicants because it is an invasion of privacy as well as unfair. In fact, some colleges have a policy barring admissions officers from looking up students online.
Still, make sure you are careful. You must be cautious when posting pictures, blogs, even comments made to you by others online. As tempting as it may be to post a new photo album completely dedicated to that wild party last weekend, consider who may be looking at these photos and whether or not it will put you in a compromising position. If you absolutely cannot resist, try adding safety features to your profile so only people who you have chosen to be friends with can see your profile. Keep in mind: these websites, even after you have added safety features, are public record available to anyone with Internet access.