Comments on: Why I refuse to join MySpace

By: Guillermo- Ny. NY

Guillermo- Ny. NY — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:42:53 +0000

Look at what this new technology as put in our hands and we fell for it like inocent doves, facebook put on the map our new president that it is not much of anything new. Obama is to the country what Bloomberg is to New York finishing the work that their predecesors begun, Giulani and George W., Stripe us all little by little of all our rights and humanity, what a mistake we had made, but this one will last for generations to come thank you FACEBOOK it took a single young Telavivian to do what millons culd do not. Guillermo

By: NY-NY

NY-NY — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:26:54 +0000

Kudos to you my friend I don’t know if. I should welcome to my club or you should welcome to your’s, but better I just live it at this point. I don’t even like the word club. I fly solo and I love it!

By: Somebody, Martinez, CA

Somebody, Martinez, CA — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:00:30 +0000

I agree with you fully.

By: Melissa, Austin, Texas

Melissa, Austin, Texas — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 00:47:43 +0000

My significant other, an indie recordist artist, introduced me to the horror called Myspace. It is, to my mind, an example of the worst of human behavior. Fourteen-year-old girls send him nude pictures – where are the parents? What is Myspace doing about this? Married women make him offers to “hook up” when he passes through town – where are their husbands? And of course, as the girlfriend who also had a Myspace profile, I was privvy to a host of female stalkers, psycho-fans, and assorted mental deviants. Myspace started as a groupie site, and unfortunately, it continues to draw the same or similar type of clientele. With that said, other networking sites, e.g., Facebook and tbd.com, seem to attract a relatively more educated and mentally balanced set of people.

By: Joe Mich, Pottstown PA

Joe Mich, Pottstown PA — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 20:55:46 +0000

Hi Bing,
I completely agree with your comments and your personal decision to stay off networking sites. The fact that personal information on these sites is used and manipulated in any way without the consent of the owner (who by joining seemingly waives off that right anyhow) is enough to keep most people away. What I find interesting rather, is the fact that you choose to document and make public your decision. Isn’t that what social networking is all about, documenting individual preferences in seeking to affirm to ourselves and others how independent and ‘not like everyone else’ we are.
So, I hate to burst your bubble buddy but you really are just like everyone else- everyone else here meaning all the ‘independent’, ‘individual’ people who don’t watch TV shows or drink chais or jump off a cliff just because everyone else is doing it.
Have a good day.

-Joe

By: Deb, Seattle, Washington

Deb, Seattle, Washington — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 21:09:35 +0000

Hi Bing. I got turned on to your site from a link that was on Fortune and got interested in all of the reading. Most everyone who has blogged you has posed an opinion…just opinions. Here are some facts for all to think about. I am a regular Myspace fan. I originally had set up an account to check on my children. I got addicted to it. I did not want all of my personal info being shared through the world either. Fact be known that Myspace has settings for the privacy of their users. Only friends of the users may view the profile. All it takes is a little playing around with it to see your many options. Email is no different or insecure than the email addresses through yahoo, or hotmail, etc. one of my children that I gave up for adoption has kept in contact with me over Myspace quite regularly since we live so far apart. I can look at her pics, see her lifestyle, and watch her slide shows.I have my profile set to private and only my kids and close friends (whom I choose) can view my stuff. I have a setting that blocks solicitors and everyone under 18 from contacting me. As I present these facts to you, my opinion about Myspace doesn’t matter here. I am a professional business woman, and college student and have had enough experience with spammers, hackers, nosy people, that I just want to say that there are things people can do to save themselves the crudd that goes on on Myspace if they really wanted to and these bloggers should really check out the facts before posting to millions of people who will read your blogs about how unprivate Myspace is. It is only as unprivate as they make it. I respect everyone’s opinion but when others judge things without looking into the facts, that makes them, well…they don’t look very good on here. It was actually nice reading your blog and seeing the thoughts of others.

By: E, Paramus, NJ

E, Paramus, NJ — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 17:53:25 +0000

You bring up a good point.. Another point I’d like to make is that I ( a young person) and a lot of other people I know have recently deleted our myspaces… mostly because it hasn’t really done much for our social networking.. the people that we were good friends b4 myspace we’re still good friends with, the ones that “found” us on there from high school or wherever else said hi once and never really talked to us again.. that was about it.. nothing profound… along with the fact that they got to be vouyeurs into our lives..and on top of that myspace caused a lot of drama between a guy i was seeing and I .. a lot of trust issues whenever comments were made with the sexes.. I deleted mine about a week ago and I don’t miss it.. I noticed a lot of people would check out my page but not write me a message, so that leads me to believe.. its good for people who like to spy on other people in there free time, lol.. anyway.. thats my two cents.

By: pj, Tarrytown, NY

pj, Tarrytown, NY — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 18:59:10 +0000

Amen, once we let the Big bad Marketing machine inside our homes, bedrooms, offices and our heads the game is over. There is no more individuality just numbers the ones that matter to the Corporate mavens who no longer need a crystal ball to predict the future, they only need to log onto to your space.

By: markdykeman

markdykeman — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:49:44 +0000

Hi Bing, I enjoy your columns!

About MySpace and Web 2.0 social networking, as you say, it’s your choice. From my perspective, Web 2.0 social networking does bring a somewhat more personal experience to keeping in touch with an increasingly far-flung network of friends, colleagues, and other contacts. Certainly more personal than E-Mail and cheaper than long-distance phone calls (yes, I know I can use Skype, but I choose not to).

You do bring up an excellent point about these environments having been mercantile-free (although that’s disappearing as well).

To each their own. I’m certainly not going to beg you, or anyone else, to join MySpace or whatever other platform. But if you ever change your mind, more power to you!

By: Kimberlee Morrison, Long Beach, CA

Kimberlee Morrison, Long Beach, CA — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:30:04 +0000

I think the things exploded into life when young people called out for a digital space where their every thought, movement and taste would not be exploited by the big boomer sales machine, where they could talk to each other in a virtually mercantile-free zone. Now here come all the boomers to ruin it all.

You're exactly right and for that reason I have deleted my MySpace page. I am beyond fed up with all the club promoters and horrible "targeted" ads. Actually, I just read an article about overloading people with advertising in every possible medium on Fast Company.

By: RK

RK — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 15:41:41 +0000

If you ask me its just a bunch of stalkers online. Whats the difference between somebody in a tree with a benoculars peeping into somebodies house, then browsing through somebodies photos on myspace. Why are these people asking to be my friends when I havent spoken to these people in 10 yrs or more. Whatever happen to cell phones? Or does that take too long, It must be too personal. Im with the person who said the more “connected” we become the less personal and less connected you truely are.

By: Dakota W, Hilo, Hawaii

Dakota W, Hilo, Hawaii — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 04:50:20 +0000

Here here to this, I refuse to join myspace and am often criticized for it. Glad to hear someone who is thinking the same way.

By: Mike, LA, CA

Mike, LA, CA — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 21:41:42 +0000

My biggest concern for gen Y (only a few years younger than me) and younger is their inability to speak eloquently or express themselves verbally whether in writing or face to face. It is a fundamental skill that in my opinion is more important than math, science, etc.

The younger generations claim to be more savvy and connected with society, but it’s all an illusion. I believe the more connected people become, the more disconnected they truly are.

By: Scott, Washington DC

Scott, Washington DC — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 20:39:20 +0000

Bing, could I score one of those IPods uselessly gathering dust? Neighborhood kids stole mine.

By: Nybot, New York, NY

Nybot, New York, NY — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 19:09:42 +0000

I can’t be bothered to join MySpace. I have enough stuff that I already don’t have time to do, I had a website once, “ICantBeBothered.com”. But as you can imagine, it didn’t last for the obvious reason.

I am on LinkedIn, but even that is touch and go, where I mostly just accept invitations and return references…

By: Rachel, Fort Worth Texas

Rachel, Fort Worth Texas — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 21:11:55 +0000

My blog used to be my social site. I started on blogger in 2002 and soon made all my friends create blogs as well. We would all read what was happening and leave much wanted comments.
Now I find that myspace and facebook take up all my once beloved blogging time. Instead of blogging nearly once a day, I find myself getting around to it about once a month.
My blog was me. No ads. Just my life.
Now I’m overpowered by marketers and friends’ going-ons whether I care to know or not.
Can we just go back to the simple days? The days where people actually understood that you can’t put orange text on a pink background with tons of glittering pics?

By: Archie Worcester, MA

Archie Worcester, MA — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 16:45:33 +0000

“I just don’t like going with the flow…”

not going with the flow for the sake of it is honestly just as foolish as simple “going with the flow.”

Suit yourself… as long as you happy, “bing”

By: john yuma az

john yuma az — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 15:30:23 +0000

Hi Bing–
Googled into the ____space (fill-in-the-blankspace) discussion and your blog by accident. After I read the comments, I came to a very troubling conclusion: there are people out there stupid enough to not understand that their right to privacy starts with them not putting the private parts of their lives in public view.

later

By: Kaylin Evey...royal oak, michigan

Kaylin Evey...royal oak, michigan — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 19:27:33 +0000

i said i would never join myspace….then i did to keep in touch with friend moving out of town….then i was addicted..i wanted my page to be cute etc…now i just log in to check my messages…see if anything is happenin for the weekend..or simply to keep in touch with out of town friends…
its owned by fox people..of course its marketing and big business….still dosent mean that it isnt fun….
more power to ya for holding out..stay strong!1

By: Ajax, Santa Barbara, CA

Ajax, Santa Barbara, CA — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 04:03:58 +0000

I am glad someone mentioned this, and to find that everyone has Not jumped on the Bandwagon. The whole idea of posting so much personal information on the internet, for anyone in the world to browse through, really needs some second thought. And then everyday we have to become more vigilant about online security and identity theft? ? ?

Nice Blog